Shop profile – The Surf Station

By Derek Westfield | gargoyle@flagler.edu

“We used to have gas,” is a familiar t-shirt slogan seen around The Surf-Station. The building used to be a fully functional Amoco gas station and surf shop back in 1984.

Fast-forward to 2007 and things have certainly changed around ‘Station.’ For one, the quality of surfboards and other products have been drastically upgraded. The shop is now the Channel Islands East Coast Warehouse, something to be very proud of. According to Flagler Alumni and shop manager Matt Ollis, “We carry 1,000 boards from 40 different brands as well as at least 300 used boards at Surf-Station II.”

The Surf-Station also just won two 2007 The Best of St. Augustine awards for Best Surf Shop and Best Local Website. Their website, which receives over 10,000 hits a day, provides updated information about current wave conditions and forecasts. The site also includes a fully functional online store and a lot more.

Although there’s lots of factors which has lead to the success of the shop, Ollis contributes a lot of it to “a knowledgeable staff and great customer service.” The shop also has great local appeal throughout the surf community. It’s team consists of numerous pro surfers such as current ASP World Tour surfer Gabe Kling, as well as Zander Morton, Chris Ropero and Johnny Barclay, just to name a few.

Be sure to check out their original “Saturday Webisodes,” a collection of short humorous skits which feature shop employees acting out various shop situations. For more information about the Surf-Station, check out their website at www.surf-station.com.