Surf Expo Feature Section

Everything for the Beach (From page 111) be any sort of sand toy, from buckets to shovels and balls.” Overall, the shop carries just about anything customers could possibly need for ocean fun, she said. “We carry dive gear, spear-fishing and snorkel gear, too. Pretty much anything you might want is here, all in one store. The only thing we don’t have are boating parts or boating gear, really.” The shop also offers a variety of sunglasses such as Suncloud and La Costa. Like everything else in the store right now, they are selling well. our many returning customers have often been here 20 years or more.”

Farther down the coast in Marathon, Fla., at Anthony’s Apparel, the focus is on clothing, cover-ups, and swimwear for women. According to Manager Dolly Putz , “We carry dresses, swimwear, cover-ups like sarongs, and sportswear. We have 13 stores in Florida.

In Hermosa Beach, Calif., Daniel Del Castillo , manager at ET Surf, said that “We have so many different best-sellers in terms of apparel. It’s all over the map these days. Primarily, our men’s board shorts are a big seller, brands like Quicksilver and Volcom are good brands. We are selling more patterns in shorts these days instead of solids. Patterns include floral and two-tone styles.” Women’s swimwear is another big seller for ET Surf, but Del Castillo noted, “Solids are preferred over patterns for women. Bikinis are the big thing for sure.” The store doesn’t sell cover-ups per se, but they do well “with the occasional sundress” and T-shirts.

Sunglasses also sell well, he related. “People always need them. We carry all the name brands, like Rain, Spy Electric, Oakley, and Ray Ban.”

Towels have become a big category for the store this year, he noted. “Slow Tide is a good brand for us, and a new towel company called Nomadix, which uses recycled materials for towels that do not attract sand so easily.”

He added that the 7,000-square-foot store is really known for its adult-toys – surfing gear, including surf boards and boogie boards, snowboarding gear, and skateboards.

Whether strictly apparel or known for surfing or diving gear, beach stores that offer a range of swim apparel and other sea-centric accessories are riding a wave of strong sales this summer. ❖