What do you want in a surf shop?

I would have thought that you would jump at any chance you could to wear your pink yoga pants.

 

knowledgeable employees is a big plus. most surfers know what they want, what works and what doesn't. sometimes it's the little things can that make choosing a product hard, whether it be an extra 1/2' in width on a board, certain brand of wetsuit or anything else. when a shop owner or employee is knowledgeable and willing to help it makes the experience much better.

best shop in nj: ocean hut in lavalette

 

Brenden told me he has 4 pairs

 

Worst Shop in NJ= Wild Ocean in Wildwood followed by SunCatchers in Stone Harbor

Worst in OCMD=Tough call but I'll go with K-Coast (you can get GREAT service there but you can also get really horrible service too).

 

At one time sun cather wasnt that bad . They use to Carry Yater and a cpl other good brands of boards. They still are on of the only places in CMC that still carries a good selection of Birdwells

Wild Ocean I wouldnt piss on that place if it was on fire. Some of the guys that rep that shop are okay but the owner condones how some of the younger crowd acts . things like trying to pic fights on the beach and acting all Agro is just stupid . I saw a group of 13 year olds trying to pic a fight with 2 guys in there 50 one evening. They did nothing to provoke it they just were surfing down the beach but once they got out all those little WO groms circled them trying to start something. I dont know how the owner can be okay with people repin his store like that
I guess thats why he is only open for a cpl months outa the year

 

Suncathers has nice stuff but they either have kids with 0 surf knowledge or total rip off artists working there.

I was hoping for a run in with the WO punks all summer but never seemed to see them. 13 or not if they try to pick a fight, then legally you can beat them down (let them start it tho).

 

worst shops = all ron jons, not a big fan of brave new world either, but i sometimes find myself spending some $ there b/c they have a decent selection

 

Malibu's

I can't explain exactly what I look for...but I will say that Malibu's has it. From the moment I first walked up the ramp back in April 2001...I had 50 bucks and told Lee I wanted to learn to surf. He sold me a wetsuit that was still wet with sand all over it. To this day I wonder who it belonged to! My group of naval academy guys would stop in often over the next three years. None of us had money (we got a $140/month stipend as sop****res, up to $400 as seniors), and he understood that. He'd give us great deals just to help us out. I'll never forget that aloha spirit that he taught us, along with the knowledge of the waves and surfboards. I don't have anything bad to say about K-Coast, but I will say that Malibu's does it best.

On a side note, has anyone here been to Kimo's Surf Hut in Kailua, Oahu? That would be my other first choice. Kimo himself is a living legend out there, and he'll talk to anyone for hours and hours to make sure he sells you the right board. Granted, he's the best salesman I've EVER seen, and he WILL sell you a board, even if it's not totally perfect for you....but it'll be close. My buddy and I would stop there sometimes and make sure we left our wallets in the car, just to make sure Kimo didn't sell us yet another board.

All the other gear comes secondary. I might go to K-Coast if Malibu's doesn't have something that I need immediately, but otherwise I'll ask for an order and wait the 7-10 days.

In Virginia beach...I haven't really found any great shops. Freedom seems to be pretty legit, and Austin's is great too. If I needed a new board I'd go to Austin's in a heartbeat. WRV is a great place, though it can be easy to feel lost amongst the soccer moms. I will say, however, that every time I've gone there just to peruse the boards, somebody will ask if I need help, and they usually seem to know what they're talking about.

 

What I look for in a shop: THE PEOPLE... The ones who own it and the ones who are in there day to day... Thats the most important thing....

Where I live, there are 3 major local shops in the neighborhood. The one biggest shop, basically scored all the major contracts (And all 3 shops have an agreement NOT to carry products from the same companies).. So the major shop has all the Quicksilver, Billabong, Volcom and all the major brands of wetsuits and clothes. This shop also has the Al Merricks and the Firewires...

So basically, if you are looking for something specific by one of the major brands, I am forced to shop there... The kids in this shop have HUGE egos. Their team riders and brats. They dont take much time to acknowledge you.

The other two shops are left fighting for their spot... They carry the bodyglove wetsuits, the BOX wetsuits. Excel and a few others... And while they lack the Channel Islands and firewires, they have secured boards from the major local players (plus one, my shaper micah shannahan at addict surf and a few other really classy local companies...

So anytime i need ANTYING... Leash, wax, tee shirt, advice, foam andything, I hit up the smaller shop. Cause the people are dope. I surf with them all the time and the guys are rippers who are no d-bags. They give you solid deals and solid advice.

The only thing that I have to shop around for are wetsuits. Im a sucker for quicksilver, so I have to go elsewhere, but I ALWAYS give them my business otherwise. Strickly based on the people there. They are solid in the community. THey help me when we do beach cleanups... The groms are fun a light spirited. And some of the kids that are riding for the shop will literally be on the cover of surfer magazine in 5 years. They are re-writing the books on what surfing is... Its a pleasure to watch good people do this...

Its so easy to be a surf shop owner or employee and be such a tool. Whether its the d-bag trying to up sell you on whatever he can get out of you, or the kid too busy talking about all the shacks he just got on his trip to indo, rather than talking to customers about what they want and need.

There are too many options for us all now. The internet could KILL surf shops. So, treat your people well and we will keep u in business.

 

Yes, Malibus is who i trust every time im back in OC. They are the only shop over the years who have taken me in and hooked me up. They enable me to fly back east and go to OC MD and not break/carry my boards and pay $100 board fees. I show up, they hook me up with a team rider board for a day or two, I kindly bring it back and we have a great relationship. All the kids there are so nice... I surfed with them a bunch a couple years back. The guys there were awesome... There were a few cases of mistaken identity when I was there since they were giving me like Vince's boards or something. The boards always look like a Nascar Car with all the stickers, but still, they are the only ones who will hook me up with a solid shortboard in OC. It is against their policies, but when I met up with them and surfed with them, they let me in the circle of trust.... And that is EXACTLY what I am looking for in a shop. Good people... Good People in a good business results in good people and great customers... And ANYONE I know in the old line state asking me where to go for surf sh**, always gets told by me to go there... Cause they are on top of it. word

 

I agree. family run place. Tony is a real nice guy, no pressure, very helpful and he stocks boards that work for the east coast. When he's not there, his wife and/or son seem to be. They are all very nice.

I also like the Beach House in Bayhead. The owner Eric is very nice. However the board selection doesn't suit my style as well, but if your into longboards, or retro style this is a good shop.

I also like Wavejammer for their easy online shopping. Convenience of online and still supporting a local shop. They keep their board inventory (new and used) online which is nice. I wish more shops did this.

 

Ditto but some owners and sales people have zip for people skills and so full of themselves they forgot the core of their business. I'm sure some of you OC'ers and Del guys and gals might know who I'm talking about? It's not like I was a stranger @ this OC Shop, walked in the back room viewing new boards and out comes the famous quote "This is what you need" Not one freaking question about my interests or what style of board and riding ability for my age. I pulled out boards and asked enough questions and still same'ole same 'ole "this is what you need". Finally heard enough and I'm done with you and retreated back to home turf to a great shop who knows the "core" of their business. Some of the Del shops don't carry all the Brands in Demand like the OC shops but they show a much more desire for the right board over just showing you one board and that's what you need Name recognition and not talking about the brand of board gets it done anymore.

 

agreed. tony stocks boards that are all perfect for intermediate - advanced east coast shortboarder and is extremely helpful

 

- wide variety and selection of boards and wetsuit gear
- really good sales/deals compared to the competitors
- sales people whom understand they are in a customer services/sales job and don't have elitist stand-offish attitude. Just because you're only stopping by to buy some wax or a T-shirt doesn't mean they still shouldn't be friendly and answer any surfing related questions you have without attitude.
- wide variety of demo boards/rentals would be really great...I'd be much more willing to pay $30 a day to try out a slightly dinged up retro-fish or performance 9 ft. longboard etc. instead of $15 a day only be able to ride a BIC funboard.

 

Awesome to hear I'm not the only one! I always wear my Malibu's sweatshirt back in B-more when visiting home, and it seems to bring up countless "Oh, so you surf?" conversations. Each time I try to throw in a few accolades for the fellas on the boardwalk. The reason I go there is the same reason I surf: good people. If I wanted to deal with a**holes all day long then I'd go hang out at the Party Block (still go there every now and then...gotta respect the Greengenes).

 

shops would charge $0.01 for a board if they could make a living off of it and stay in business. they dont arbitrarily chose prices for products. take an economics class.

 

i'm finding this thread to be very interesting reading. i can't contribute, as i'm a tad biased, but it's interesting to read for sure.

schweez, i'm glad someone mentioned that it's not the shops that set a lot of the prices, it's the companies themselves. boards are marked up not a percentage, but by a dollar amount, usually $75-$100.

 

shot you a PM

I didn't want to drop a dime on his name on a public forum as not my style as some people don't get it and some never will Although its a common theme among other Shop owners/staff in the area about his attitude