our story
our story
at the center of surf with no where to shop
When the World Surf League competition packed up and left in 2021, an interesting thought came up... "How was it that Huatulco and Barra de la Cruz became the center of the Surf world and yet there was not one legitimate surf shop to be found locally?". This was the question that a retired musician and surfer from California, and two former business professionals from Ontario Canada, asked after a few glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon.
the perfect location
Below the spot where the "Wine Brainstorming Session" happened, we noticed an empty storefront. It was sort of a no-brainer! It was visible, it was unique and best of all, it was on the main road to all the major surf spots in the area. The next morning we signed the contract, opened the doors and looked at each other and said, “well how do we do this?”. First, it wouldn't be a "Surf Shop" if there wasn't surf videos playing on a TV. So that was the first thing we did, mounted a TV, connected it to YouTube and then started planning. From there, it quickly became a reality.
a real surf shop for all surfers
Next we took a trip north to Orange County California to get a few tips from some people in the industry i.e. surf shops. There we found one veteran surf shop owner who took us under his wing. Best of all, he surfed Huatulco often and understood exactly what we were trying to accomplish here. With his shop experience, along with our own surf experience, we sourced gear that we would want if we were a surfer and we knew was missing here locally. Our number one rule was to be a REAL surf shop. That means not just selling "soft goods" i.e. shirts, shorts, sunscreen. We needed to sell boards, leashes, wax, fins, ding repair, fin keys etc etc.... that is what was missing locally and that's what we were going to provide. Yes, we sell all the other "stuff", but our roots is being a legitimate surf shop for surfers.
a sharp eye
In order to have a Surf Board inventory, we brought in a few new boards but mostly stocked used boards being sold on consignment that we sourced locally. Would this work? Of course it did! Right away we sold two boards to one family! We were on our way to legitimacy.
From there, one thing led to another, and little by little we were averaging 2-4 board sales a week. We kept a running tally of board sales and by the end of our first year, we had sold over 130 new and used surfboards! Along with that, we started working with one of the biggest and most successful surfboard manufacturers in the world? None other than Sharp Eye!!!
Currently, the physical HSC store has the largest inventory of new Sharp Eye surf boards in all of Mexico!
All that aside HSC still has a humble little surf shop, in a picturesque town on the pacific coast of Oaxaca, in Huatulco!
The two Canadians with online marketing and social media experience decided at the beginning of the need to branch out into the online world and that is how the Huatulco Surf Company's online storefront was also born.
The two businesses, the online store and the physical store, offer distinct and separate shopping experiences, as two different entities.... all while offering the same HSC trusted brand.
We are proud and excited about sharing Huatulco Surf Company with our international friends.
@huatulcosurfcompany
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