Real Surf

When did you start your business?

Shawn Ambrose- I started shaping boards in 1980. I opened my shop in 2004.

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

Yes cuz we’re right on the Coast Hwy and there’s good surf right around the corner.

Who is your average buyer?

A local guy in between the ages of 18-40.

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

Yes.

What is the dumbest question a customer has ever asked?

“Do you know where that shark is now?”

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

Yes- “Pokey” the Boxer.

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

A wetsuit. “I only wore it once and I promise I didn’t pee in it.”

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

Yes. Steve Benedict is the big cheese. He also runs the rest of our surf team and regulates all of the local groms.

What is your most annoying grom story?

We were camping out at Churches and a grom that rides for us said he was going in so I told him to get the fire started. When I went in there was no fire. I asked the grom where the fire was and he said that he thought I was joking. I said no I’m not now build the fu*%ing fire. He quit the team a few weeks later because he said we were too mean. I guess they don’t make groms like they used to.

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

Dave Mustaine rolled in and bought a board for his kid a couple of years ago.

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

I’ll put it this way- all of my friends beg me to work here every summer.

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

When I was solely a shaper I surfed every day. Now that I have to run a retail store as well as shape I only get to surf 3-4 days a week.

Who is your favorite surfer and why?

David Eggers- Prolly pitted more than anyone since Roper at Big Rock and used to do the sickest upside down roundhouse rebound into the pit.

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

No, but we’ve seen plenty of guys walk out with their wetsuits on backwards.

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

We used to get this 50 year old prostitute that would walk in about once a month all hammered and looking homeless and just about the time we were gonna throw her out she’d blow like $100.00 on mini-skirts and stuff.

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

2 guys walked into the shop- 1 guy distracted my wife asking her about wetsuits. She was already a bit leery due to the fact the he did not look like a surfer whatsoever. In the meantime his buddy took the used board that was strapped to the door and put it behind the dumpster in the parking lot. The same guy then got bold and came back into the store and grabbed a brand new board and ran out with it. A team rider (Benedict) happened to see the guy standing by the dumpster with the new board and got a weird vibe from him. Benedict then went into the store and asked me if I had just sold a new board. I said no so we walked outside to see if he was still there and the guy was gone. A few minutes later a friend saw the guy running down the street with the new board so we chased him down and caught him coming out of a house 2 blocks away without the board. We walked him back towards the shop. This guy had the gall to mouth off while we were escorting him back to the shop so I found a place to “tuck” into where nobody would see what I was going to do to him. After the ensuing vigilante injustice was dulled out and Benedict pulled me off of him the Cops showed up. The kid complained to the Cops about my restraining tactics. The Cops asked where he was from, to which he replied “Carlsbad.” The Cops replied “well Oceanside is a rough town. Maybe you should take your pussy ass back to Carlsbad.”

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

The week I had in June of last year. First I was sitting at a stop sign in my 1959 Chevy Panel truck and a lady, who decided that texting was more important than paying attention to driving, turned left right into me causing about 10K in damage. No less than a week later I got a call at 7:00 A.M. in the morning from my friend Darin from “The Fishjoint” asking me if I was aware that there is a car in my shop. Yes in my shop. Turns out another woman driver, who’s accelerator allegedly stuck while making (once again) a left turn, slammed into my shop. According to several witnesses she was doing close to 50 m.p.h. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the shop. 7 months later I got my truck back and we’re still haggling with the insurance company with the claim from the shop crash. Needless to say both ladies had crappy insurance so we had to use our insurance on both claims. ****To All- If you ever have any questions about insurance claims ask me. I’m an expert now****