What do you find value in or benefit from as an SBIA financial retail member?
The cross-pollination of ideas and information. The newsletter, the Awards and industry news.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to open their own surf shop?
Do it for the love of the sport and the industry, not just the dollars. You may do well out of it financially or you may just make a living, but immersing yourself in something you are really interested in has its own merit. Any small business is a 24/7 commitment, but being your own boss gives you some flexibility as well as added responsibilities.
Do you have any sustainability practices in place that you’re proud of?
Not as many as I should. It’s a bit harder when you rent your premises. If I owned my freehold I would have installed solar. We have had paper bags for a long time now. We separate our waste and try to recycle as much as possible. It’s still really annoying how much single use plastic there is in our industry.
What do you think sets your shop apart from other local surf shops?
I think every shop thinks they do it better but our aim is to be a real community surf shop. We have a hassle free return policy, for credit or refund. We have good product knowledge and advice for our customers. We deliver for free in the local area and we try to be a good local business supporting good causes. We give 1% of our profit back to the community.
What do you look for in a surfboard?
If we are talking about me, I am now 64 and need a board that bears that in mind. I ride a 6”1 Howie. It’s 36 litres and slightly fully figured. The beauty of today’s surfboards is that there is one to suit everybody. In the early days when we started 39 years ago, there was short boards and longboards but now there are a million shades of grey. And that’s good if not somewhat confusing. We can stay surfing for a long time yet!
To visit a Beach Without Sand in-person, check out their website for location details.
