Becker Bows in Encinitas- First New Store in Four Years
Since 1962, Hansen’s Surfboards has dominated the market for surfwear in the boardsports mecca of Encinitas, Calif. But the venerable surfshop will soon be getting some competition.
Another veteran activewear retailer, Becker Surf & Sport, will be opening a 3,000-square-foot boutique 100 yards away from Hansen’s. It will be the first new Becker store opened in more than four years. Becker, based in Hermosa Beach, Calif., runs five stores spread across Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Becker President Dave Hollander said that his boutique would open in February. “I thought moving in there could start a dog fight,” Hollander said. “But I know the people, I know the competition, and I think it is going to be a hug fest down there.”
The retail era of good feelings is possible because wealthy Encinitas is growing. The city is 25 miles north of San Diego, and its population increased more than 8.3 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. The city’s median household income is more than $86,000.
The clothing inventory of the Becker store should be divided evenly between men’s and women’s surf and skate apparel. The store will also sell the company’s surfboards, which it has been manufacturing for more than 25 years.
Becker was one of the first activewear retailers to embrace e-commerce in the mid-1990s. Hollander said his stores do not use display items made by manufacturers. Instead, his Becker workers flex their artistic muscles to build all of the store’s racks, fixtures and store art. —Andrew Asch
