Special Surf Expo Section

Beach Supplies (From page 30) here, but kids still want to play in the sand."

In Alaska, beach gear does look a little different for grown-ups, though. Aside from "lots of sunglasses," Mede does a brisk business in gloves, camping and outdoor gear, and apparel designed for wet weather, all of which is displayed in a dedicated section.

His top seller is the Xtratuf line of rain boots. "They're a Northwestern legend, and we sell thou- sands of pairs a year," said Mede, who has owned his 33,000-square-foot store since 1977. Customers love the boots for their unique, artist designed prints. They also snap up any beach gear name-dropped with Homer or Alaska, both as souvenirs and out of local pride.

The same applies on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, where decorative and vintage-style signs bearing the island name are hot sellers at It's a Shore Thing, a 650-square-foot boutique. One favorite is a directional sign with "Nantucket" and an arrow pointing in one direction, and "Real World" pointing in the other direction.

"It doesn't matter where tourists are from, they're always looking for things that say Nantucket on them," explained Owner Julia Morash . In the summer, beach towels are top sellers, along with jute bags. Toward the holidays, the hot items are kitchen towels and handdecorated ornaments, along with ceramics made by Morash's family and other New England artisans.

On Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, hats are the top item at Freeport General Store, where warm-weather styles double as a souvenir and a coastal essential. "Since we're on an island, you have to take a ferry to get here," observed Buyer and Manager Kara Neidert . "People will come over on the boat and forget to bring a hat."

The 800-square-foot store is high-volume, especially in tourist season. Neidert relies on racks to display a lot of clothes neatly and visibly. "That way we're not constantly folding things on tables, which can get messy fast."

Each year, Neidert shops for a mix of classic and modern designs at events like the Surf Show and the Americas Mart. She’s got her eye out for new spins on perennial best-sellers — T-shirts, hats and hoodies — as well as gentle prices. With inflation, Neidert shops more carefully. Most beach store purchases are impulse buys, not necessities, "so we don't want to raise our prices too much," she explained. ❖