Holly and the boys pictured here, supporting Ding ZAP!
It was recently Surf Shop Day—a day that is set aside to recognize all that the surf shop does for us surfers. We thought that we’d take this moment to step back and reflect on what surf shops mean to us. In short, they’re everything. Without surf shops, we would quite literally be nothing. Surf shops give us a platform. They connect us with our customers and their employees take the time to learn about and even promote our product.
As a group of surfers, we’ve always loved surf shops. Long before we started down the DingZAP ding repair rabbit hole, surf shops were always important to us. They’re a place to pick up the essentials, chat with the employees about upcoming swells, or scope out the latest and the greatest from the big surf brands or your local shaper. Surf shops are our physical connection to the culture we immerse ourselves in (ya know… besides the surfing part).
We all have our favorite shops that we frequent, and occasionally, we visit a new storefront by choice or out of convenience. But through our DingZAP saga, we’ve had the luxury of visiting many, many surf shops. Of course, we always check out surfboard repair section, comparing products from shop to shop and region to region. We also always try to do a quick demo to show the employees how fast and easy DingZAP truly is. We know we have a groundbreaking surfboard ding repair product, but we’re a mere fledgling in the industry. It takes a little bit of faith at this point for someone to see the full picture. Lucky for us, there’s no shortage of faith in a good surf shop.
The reactions we get, more often than not, are nothing short of heartwarming. At times, the words of encouragement that we’ve received from shop owners and employees have felt like the only thing that keeps us going. It’s much more than just surfboard repair. It’s the support from the community. The feeling that those who understand the vision want you to succeed. For surfing as a whole.
Personally, I’ve had some of my most exciting and meaningful conversations in recent years with surf shop employees. No one working at a surf shop is doing it to get rich. They’re there because they want to be. Maybe they’re chasing a life of flexible schedules and easy access to waves, but the passion is there nonetheless. To shop owners, employees, and everyone keeping the dream alive, thank you. We couldn’t do it without you.