Support your local surf shop

Your local surf shop is something to behold. These local bastions of knowledge and vibes are among surfings most important necessities and I’m going to tell you why.

The basics. A person has to get the staples eventually.  You have to buy your first Surfboard, wetsuit, trunks and leash somewhere. You can buy stuff all day long on the web but you don’t want to wait a few days for wax when the surf is good, do you? Go in and take a look around. If the shop is worth is salt, there will be someone behind the counter from the area who has spent years surfing the local beaches and reefs. They will know what the tide is like and what spots will be good for that days swell. The owner of the store will most likely be there because they never leave. They work seven days a week and live and die by the slim profit margins on the goods they sell. They usually are a little grumpy at first but they will warm up eventually. Here’s a list of some things you may find.

Reality check. They will point you in the right direction for the equipment you need, not what you want. The employees will know about the history of the sport and can tell you who is doing well on the ASP tour. They can tell you what the pros are riding and can tell you why you shouldn’t be riding what the pros ride, because despite what you think, you don’t surf like Slater.

Talking story. Reading something in an Internet chat room is not the same as hearing a surf story from a guy who just lived it. While the face of surf retailing has cleaned up and focused more on profit margins than hanging out, everyone has a few minutes to chop it up and talk about that mornings session or share a great tale from some recent travels. It’s how we used to learn before the Internet stole our social skills.

Making friends and extended family. Many of us started surfing because our families were screwed up or we didn’t like a coach telling us what to do. It’s a very personal and individual activity and at one time it was even considered anti-social. The surf shop is where you can find like-minded people who see the world through the same set of filters. The best friendships of my life came about because of surf and skate shops. Beware though, The BS detector is very finely tuned and the shop owners can smell a fraud a mile away. Be yourself and be real, it will serve you much better in the long run.

Giving back. The local shop is the one who will organize a beach clean up, sponsor your son or daughter and will enhance your community by being active and supportive to your schools and events. Lord knows the people who own shops do it for the love, not the money so remember that when you are grinding them for an extra discount. You don’t ask for a bro-deal at the super market so don’t ask at the surf shop.

So go forth and seek out your new shop. Find a good one and tuck in for a while, you’ll see what I mean.

You can read my stories over at www.discoversd.com