Aqua Surf Shop

When did you start your business?

Aquaholics was started by Tony Canadas in 1997, Myself and my business partner Devin took it over around 2001 whereby the shop resumed as Aqua Surf Shop.

Do you consider the location of your shop a key factor to the business’s success?

San Francisco is one of the most amazing cities in America, a place we are very happy to call home. I cannot imagine working/living anywhere else.

Who is your average buyer?

The surfers in our Sunset neighborhood.

If a total Barney walks in do you treat him with the same respect as a full on loc?

We try and be as even-keeled as possible and treat everyone with the respect that he/she deserves.

What is the dumbest question a customer has ever asked?

We get a lot of strange questions about “The Mavericks”?

Do you have a mascot (ex. - An animal that roams freely throughout the building)?

Merle da Shop Dog is our mascot, a very happy Aussie Shepard.

What is the craziest return a customer has ever tried to make?

Items from other stores.

Does your store support any local surfers or have a surf team?

Yep visit em on our website- http://www.aquasurfshop.com/team_main.html

What is your most annoying grom story?

We do not have enough groms here at SFOB to complain about, but we have a few that are charging.

Have you ever had any type of celeb roll in and make a purchase?

All kinds of neat people come through SF.

Have you ever pulled a hot chick/guy solely due to the fact that you own/manage a surf shop?

Merle da Shop Dog pulls the most talent.

How many days a week do you surf now compared to before you owned/managed a surf shop?

Uhhh, I’d like to lie and say more, but probably less.

Who is your favorite surfer and why?

Local legends, Tom Curren, Occy, on and on, humble surfers that blow up!

Has a customer trying on clothes ever walked out completely naked?

Some girls have come out of the dressing rooms naked before.

Has a person ever walked in totally blitzkrieged (really intoxicated) and tried to make a purchase? If so elaborate.

This is San Francisco, I’ve caught people having complete acid meltdowns in the store- often.

Every store has to deal with shoplifting. What is your most memorable experience and what is your shoplifting policy?

I had to run a couple blocks barefoot after a man who stole some “Dingo” Volcom board shorts- I got em back.

And last but not least tell us one of the craziest shop stories you can remember?

A couple months ago I had a bunch of customers in the store when suddenly a large fellow who was staying at the hotel next door started running up and down the street buck naked, acting like he was being chased by some huge imaginary monster. I locked the customers and myself inside the shop as he proceeded to punch out the windows of the hotel until the police arrived and tasered him- very strange!