Surfing a Crowded Paradise
The sandy shore around Hermosa Beach, Calif., should be something of a surfer’s paradise. It offers five miles of beach—more than enough room for everyone to catch a wave, according to Richard O’Reilly, president of Hermosa Beach surf shop Spyder Boards.
But this paradise seems to be getting as crowded as a strip of sand on a 90- degree day. “There are more [surf and skate] retailers than there ever have been,” he said.
The sense of added competition—Hermosa Beach is the address for two other surf shops: Becker Surfboards and Pier Surf—means that retailers must juggle better apparel selection and be heir to a venerable surf tradition to pass their customers’ sniff test. So far, Spyder has an edge with its surf heritage. Since 1978, its founder, Dennis Jarvis, has manufactured short surfboards, sometimes used by professionals such as Kelly Slater.
For its apparel selection, Spyder has been stocking boutique brands such as Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Haus of Howe, along with industry standards such as Billabong, based in Irvine, Calif.
For all the splash made by its new brands, Spyder Boards’ recent best-selling garment was produced by industry stalwart Quiksilver Inc. The Huntington Beach company’s “Watson” walkshort has gained a following among males ages 14 to 45, Jarvis noted. The guys are attracted to the $52 short’s soft, comfortable feel and beat-up look, O’Reilly said.
However, adding new looks is how O’Reilly hopes to keep giving his stores a retail edge. The original Spyder Boards is on Pacific Coast Highway. A remodel of the company’s second store in town—an 8,000-square-foot outlet on Pier Avenue— should be completed by the start of the Christmas season.
With those two stores, O’Reilly hopes his operation takes on the mantle of being the biggest surf and skate retailer in the surf-obsessed South Bay region of Los Angeles County. —Andrew Asch
