In need of some more cash over the summer, I found myself working in a small surf shop on the Northern Beaches. It’s a place that's been around for forty odd years, and you can keep an eye on surf during the day just by standing at the shop front and looking across the road.
It’s the first shop I’ve worked in so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think I had an idea of coming in from the surf, casually heading to work that was filled with swapping stories and someone buying a board here and there. There is definitely the essence of this, but there is also a strong business focus that goes hand in hand with surf appreciation.
The morning begins wheeling the board racks out front and standing under the air-con after the effort, gazing out at the water because everyday you’re working is always the best time to be outside. Throughout the day, groms sneak in and scurry through the rows of boards, a lot of my “Hello, how are you’s” are greeted with “Just browsing” and sometimes I find myself wondering what the long term effect of smelling board cleaner is, but it’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to marrying surfing with making money so I guess it’s worth it.
Of course, there is the primary function of things being bought and sold, to the satisfaction of the boss (who has done enough cutbacks in his time to earn himself a hip-replacement), but there are other elements that are arguably more engaging. For instance, phone calls can be unexpectedly entertaining. Though there is a race of “shot not” to palm the call off to someone else, you may find yourself in conversation with a lady asking what’s the best way to tell if the board she has is a surfboard or a bodyboard. You can attempt to figure out weird requests from the boys calling the main phone from the office phone, or on other occasions run outside and describe one of the boards on the front rack to someone queued in traffic (spotting him with a wave and trying to find the board as he commentates “nah, next one, next one, yep that’s the one”.)
All walks of life find their way into the store (including many a puppy), but groms steal the show for their dedication to surfing. Identified by a trail of wet and sandy footprints, and found in the back corner of the surf racks, you can tell when they’re about to spend all their summer savings. However, the boards are a dream for most, and so after a mesmerising wander through the racks they tend to make their way to the boardies and spend their hard-earned savings on that pair of Hurley shorts they’ve been wanting for ages. Alternatively, like two kids who came in one day, they give up their savings to rent a couple of boards for a day. In this particular situation, it’s pretty funny and a little bit sad that they trashed the boards on the rocks, only to spend the rest of their summer saving bit by bit for the repairs, coming in every other day with a handful of cash.
Repairs form a big part of the day with new, old and dinged boards arriving in a constant flow in and out of the shop. A lot are ten minute jobs, only needing a bit of resin and some sun to plug up small chips. Sometimes it’s a fin chop that's ripped through the tail, or a hole that’s been out in the water a few times (unless the surf is just that good, very bad idea). One day a guy brought in a Hayden Shapes snapped in two with the glassing ripped off end to end, wondering what the repair price would be…
Working in a shop introduced me to the world of manufacturing faults and repairs, and the pursuit of claiming faults and getting your dinged up gear replaced with a shiny new copy. This can bring about stubborn customers doing their best to come away with a new board, wetsuit, leggy or just about anything that’s worth the trouble. Explaining to them that the cracked nose of their board is from their own doing can be difficult, and what are you really supposed to do if someone brings in a snapped leg rope? If this stuff wasn’t delicate enough to navigate as it is, add in the fickle business of ding repairs and board orders with holiday deadlines. Yes, your trip always comes around quicker than you think and I always do my very best to control the postal system around Christmas. Get in early so you’re not forced to leave without the board that you know, no matter the conditions, would have been absolutely perfect.
All this said, it’s definitely a community place where surf stories and knowledge are passed around – a valuable experience you don’t find everywhere. Headed by two owners who have witnessed the transition from selling single fins to stocking a range of at least six different kinds of leggys, you know you’re in good hands. Whilst studies on the effects of inhaling board cleaner, wax and resin (with a hint of sex wax air fresheners) on the brain are still inconclusive, it’s definitely worth it for the staff privileges, the wholesale prices and the characters you get to meet.
