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Your Retailers Have Spoken. They Think You Need To Be Here.

In these challenging economic times, it's more important than ever for manufacturers and retailers alike to get their business done in one place, in one weekend. Surf Expo's unique breadth of exhibitors and commitment to a business-first atmosphere makes choosing Surf Expo as the show to attend a no-brainer.
11/18/2008

Surf Expo Announces Lineup For January 2009 Educational Seminars

Give your store every advantage through Surf Expo's full roster of educational seminars, happening January 15, 16, and 17 in Orlando, Florida. Bring your staff or brush up on your own skills as we discuss open-to-buy strategies, Web site management, understanding surfboard technology, and much more.
11/18/2008

Travels With Fish: Cocoa Beach

On the final day of our Surf Expo North Florida tour, we stop off at the Ron Jon Surf Shop mega store, plus Quiet Flight and Cape Surf.
10/31/2008

Travels With Fish: Daytona Beach

The off-season in a tourist mecca like Daytona Beach brings its own challenges as shops either struggle to maintain or simply shutter the doors and wait until spring. So how are retailers coping?
10/30/2008

Travels With Fish: St. Augustine

It’s Tuesday morning and I am up and taking the pulse of the industry in St Augustine, Florida.
10/28/2008

Travels With Fish: Jacksonville Beach

Surf Expo is back with another episodic adventure! This time reporting from Northeastern Florida as I travel from Jacksonville Beach to Cocoa Beach and hit the stops in between.
10/27/2008

Per Welinder Explains The Birdhouse Deal

Tony Hawk and Per Welinder, business partners for the past 15 years, recently reached a definitive agreement whereby Tony Hawk has acquired all interest in the Birdhouse Skateboards brand from Blitz Distribution, Inc. So what's it all mean? Blitz President Per Welinder explains.
10/16/2008

Top Ten Tips for Successful Exhibiting

Wondering how to plan your exhibit program to maximize your show results? Candy Adams, aka the "Booth Mom," lays it out in ten simple tips everyone can follow.
10/14/2008

The Secrets Of Visual Merchandising

How your store looks is sometimes more important that what you are selling. We’ll explore the basics on merchandising your store from a visual perspective and also discuss how to build a formula to keep your store fresh and exciting to your frequent shoppers as well as your new guests.
10/06/2008

ZJ Boarding House Celebrates 20-Year Anniversary

Santa Monica's ZJ Boarding House celebrates twenty years of being in business with a carnival/concert/barbecue and a good portion of the industry turns out to help them celebrate.
09/29/2008

Surf Expo September Post-Show Recap

Retail shop and booth counts up at Surf Expo; attendance dips slightly due to weather and economy.
09/29/2008

The Girls Of Surf Expo

All the latest swimwear fashions, modeled at Surf Expo's Fashion Shows and at the swank Peabody Hotel.
09/25/2008



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Beach Décor Grows Up




The walls of my big brother’s bedroom were brown. At least, I think they were. You see, there were covered from floor to ceiling in surf shots: pages carefully cut from early issues of Surfer Magazine, beach photos he shot himself, and the assorted bric-a-brac of an ocean lover. As a kid growing up, I thought it was the coolest room ever. It said there was a surfer living here.

Fast forward 35 years and I’m still envious of him. The posters have been replaced with original paintings by Kevin Short, and delicate glass bowls are filled with shells of every description and color. But in a subtle, sophisticated way the message is the same: this is a home of someone in love with the sea.

Turning your house into a coastal home has become a priority for more consumers, whether they’re lifelong surfers, beachcombers, or simply want to remember that special seaside vacation. As this trend becomes more popular, more retailers are catering to these customers with beach-inspired items of their own.

Steve Pezman, publisher of The Surfer’s Journal, has seen this phenomenon first hand. “Prior to the 1960s, there were only a few thousand surfers,” he says. “But in the Sixties, millions started to surf and those baby boomers are now in their forties and fifties. As that demographic has aged, surf- and beach-inspired décor has become more popular. It’s all about the changing demographic. It was once unusual for surfers to be in positions of power and responsibility. Now many are lawyers and leaders in all stations of life. So instead of surf posters handing on the walls, you often have $10,000 original paintings.”

Savvy retailers are taking notice. According to Store Buyer Heidi Hansen-Garvey of Hansen’s Surfboards in Encinitas, California, “Our home section has grown steadily, and everything we’ve brought in sells—anything to do with Hawaiiana or with that beach feel.”

So what does best? “It’s pretty random,” laughs Hansen-Garvey. Indeed, Hansen’s stocks everything from ice buckets and cutting boards to lamps and fans—a wide selection befitting one of the most popular surf shops in Southern California. “But our best sellers probably are framed art, lamps, and candles,” she says. While Hansen’s sometimes brings in more expensive pieces, Hansen-Garvey tries to keep things reasonably priced: “For example, I don’t want any of the art to be more than $300.” But customers aren’t looking for bargain-basement items either. “I brought in a few lower-priced items and they didn’t sell,” says Hansen-Garvey. “Now I stick to the higher-end products.”

Hansen’s has worked hard to build relationships with its coastal home manufacturers. “What I’m looking for is very specific—there are a few furniture reps I deal with who have gigantic lines, but I know exactly what’s right for our store and what will sell.”

Down in Key Largo, Florida, father and daughter team Jim and Julia Waterman have been at the helm Shell World since it was a souvenir and T-shirt counter at the family gas station. Now boasting more than 33,000 square feet of retail floor space, Shell World has become an area institution, drawing countless customers since it moved out of the gas station and across the street in 1972.

And while shells continue to be an important part of the mix, ocean-themed home décor items like lighting, frames, and nautical furnishings now make up the bulk of the Shell World business. “It’s extremely important,” says Julia Waterman. “There aren’t many stores that offer it in our area, and yet it’s very popular—especially with our customers outfitting a second home.”

While price sensitivity remains an issue, the store’s product assortment has slowly evolved from what she calls “ticky tacky” to more high end. “We like to take out shoppers on a journey with our displays, and tell a story with our merchandise,” says Waterman, explaining how she’ll sometimes entice shoppers with a beautiful high-end piece flanked by related, but less-expensive items. “So perhaps the $300 coral mirror isn’t right for you, but this coral-and-shell design throw pillow for $24 might be perfect.”

So what should retailers keep in mind when considering a coastal home section of their own? First the basics: “More people want to live next to the water—and they want their home to reflect that,” says Juila. “Even our tourist customers from out of state are interested in capturing that feel. We have shoppers from two years old to 80 years old and they’re all intrigued by the items. Make it fun and go with your gut. Carry the items that make you excited and carry that enthusiasm to your shoppers.”



Surf Expo’s new Coastal Home section can be found on aisles 630N and 730N.
Author: Sean Obrien
 
 
 

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  press releases
 

Nike's "Made For Skate" Pop-up Store Exhibit

Nike SB is sponsoring an exhibition in Amsterdam containing five decades of memorable skateboarding footwear.
11/20/2008

The Buckle, Inc. Reports 31 Percent Increase in Third Quarter Net Income

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE: BKE) announced todaythat net income for the fiscal quarter ended November 1, 2008 increased31.0 percent on a 25.7 percent net sales increase.
11/20/2008

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation Announces Fiscal 2008 Third Quarter Results

The Company achieved an 11 basis-point increase in product selling margins and lowered overall distribution center expenses versus the prior year despite operating 19 more stores and experiencing increased freight costs due to higher fuel prices
11/20/2008

Zumiez Inc. Reports October 2008 Sales Results

Total net sales for the four-week period ended November 1, 2008 increased 1.2% to $25.0 million, compared to $24.7 million for the four-week period ended November 3, 2007.
11/20/2008

Pacific Sunwear Announces Third Quarter Earnings Results

Total Company same-store sales decreased 7% during the third quarter of fiscal 2008.
11/20/2008

Dick's Sporting Goods Reports Third Quarter Results; In line With Expectations

Net sales for the quarter increased 10.2% to $924.2 million due to the opening of new stores, the inclusion of Chick's Sporting Goods in this year's quarterly results and a 2.8% decrease in comparable store sales.
11/20/2008

ActionWatch Retail Panel Grows to 200 Stores

“This is a significant milestone,” states Cary Allington, co-founder. “The panel is large enough to very accurately reflect the market in most of the product categories we track.”

11/19/2008

Sport Chalet Selects MarketLive eCommerce Suite for New eCommerce Website

MarketLive, Inc., the leading global eCommerce software and service provider for retailers, announced today that Sport Chalet, a full-service specialty sporting goods store with locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, has selected the MarketLive eCommerce Suite for the company's new website.
11/19/2008

Billabong International Outlines Global Success During Chairman and CEO Speeches.

A transcript of the speeches made by Billabong International Chairman Ted Kunkel and CEO Derek O'Neill during last month's '07/08 Annual General Meeting.
11/18/2008

Sole Technology Gets Invite To Secret Ryan Sheckler Skate Park

Everything you see here isn't even the entire park. There's another level full of ledges, mannys, flatground and whatnot -- not to mention the entertainment room, offices and on and on.
11/18/2008

Consumers Anxiously Await Black Friday Deals

According to NRF’s 2008 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, 72.0 percent of consumers have completed less than 10 percent of their shopping, compared with 2.2 percent of shoppers who say they have completely finished.
11/17/2008

Orange 21 Announces Financial Results; Outlines Cost-Savings Measures

"We are clearly feeling the effects of the general slowdown in the economy," commented Stone Douglass, the Company's newly appointed Chief Executive Officer. "In response, we are doing everything we can to maintain our sales while dramatically reducing expenses."
11/17/2008



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