Natural-Art Surf Shop

When did you start your business?

1977

Do you consider the location of your shop a key factor to the business’s success?

Yes I sure do. Part of it is because we were in the right place at the right time and we’re the jack of all trades. We are also centered right in Buxton right on the beach.

Who is your average buyer?

The average buyer is actually somebody here on vacation. The weekenders and the vacation people.

If a total Barney walks in do you treat him with the same respect as a full on loc?

I love the kooks. They’re my favorites.

What is the dumbest question a customer has ever asked?

“Do you guys sell bait?”

Do you have a mascot (ex. - An animal that roams freely throughout the building)?

Nope no mascot.

What is the craziest return a customer has ever tried to make?

Mostly just the broken surfboards that they said they didn’t do anything wrong and it just broke.

Does your store support any local surfers or have a surf team?

We support our local community.

What is your most annoying grom story?

The type of kid that comes in at the end of the day and asks the price of every sticker in the glass.

Have you ever had any type of celeb roll in and make a purchase?

The nice thing about this area is this area is so laid back that a celeb could come in here and nobody would even know it.

Have you ever pulled a hot chick/guy solely due to the fact that you own/manage a surf shop?

I’m too old to be a hot chick.

How many days a week do you surf now compared to before you owned/managed a surf shop?

Well I came here straight from college. I pretty much surf as much now as I always have.

Who is your favorite surfer and why?

My favorite surfer is the guy having the most fun.

Has a customer trying on clothes ever walked out completely naked?

Almost. The door fell off of the dressing room one time actually.

Has a person ever walked in totally blitzkrieged (really intoxicated) and tried to make a purchase? If so elaborate.

We locked somebody out of here last time so he couldn’t get back in because he was so belligerent. His friends left him here.

Every store has to deal with shoplifting. What is your most memorable experience and what is your shoplifting policy?

I caught 2 girls steal 2 bikinis once . The only one of the kind suits we had in the shop. I went to the Lighthouse because I knew they were going there. I confronted them and told them to give me the suits back right this minute. They said that their ride left so they had nothing else to put on. I marched them right into the bathroom at the Lighthouse and made them take off the bikinis. I left one of them in only a towel and the other wearing nothing. The one in the towel had to wait outside until their friends came back. Our shoplifting policy is I don’t say anything to them until they’re outside the door and I call the police.

And last but not least tell us one of the craziest shop stories you can remember?

I don’t really have too crazy of one except for #14 on this questionnaire. He was a drunk lunatic.