Surf City

When did you start your business?

1978 with original owner Roy Turner (former BRA founder, current Surf Expo show director). I (Mike Barden) purchased the business in 2003 after 12 years working beside Mr. Turner.

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

Location, Location, Location…We are on the right side of the street on the main drag to the beach with the free parking! Our location is 2nd only to our service model when you consider our success.

Who is your average buyer?

Our average buyer/customer is slightly older, (20-25), core board sports enthusiast looking for a comfortable sales environment where knowledge flows freely and trends outside the norm are consistently showed.

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

Forget the “to cool for school” attitude when you come to SCS, all customers are serviced with mad respect!

What is the dumbest question a customer has ever asked?

No such thing as a “dumb question”, all questions welcome: if I had to call it however, it would be “do I have to pay for a shop sticker”?

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

The disgruntled Cheeta.

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

The return of a pair of Quiksilver Sluggos with a hole in the backside??????

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

Why of course, www.gosurfcity.com/team.cfm

What is your most annoying grom story?

The one that led to kidnapping charges for “attaching” an annoying grom to the light pole in front of the store with duct tape. PS: No grom was injured in the process.

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

Katie Holmes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chris North, Nick Nolte, John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Chris Klein, Chad Michael Murry, Julia Roberts, Jason Schwartzman, John Cryer, Danny McBride, Will Ferrell, Gary Busey, Dick Dale, and Dennis Hopper.

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

Just a couple.

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

I surf almost every day there is a bump, as much now as ever.

Who is your favorite surfer and why?

The surfer that is having the most fun on the days conditions with the best attitude about the waves that he has been gifted.

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

Not that I am aware of, however, I would not rule it out.

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

Say every Saturday and Sunday in the summer either shortly after lunch or first thing in the morning reeling from the night before. The drug addle ones seem to make for the best stories, you know, tweakers hanging in the corner of the store fighting hallucinations of imaginary dragons and mystical figures.

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

My favorite story around shoplifting is a crime that meets the punishment situation where a teenage female thief was made to clean the toilet after gaffing a pile of women’s clothing, and if you have every seen our bathroom you would understand what a Sh*#y job that was.

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

Something about a dead possum, sunglasses, and a cigarette, fully poising on the stoop out in front of the shop.