New surf shop drops in near Assateague Island
Assateague Island has long been a quiet spot for surfers hoping to escape the crowds and chaos of Ocean City in the summer. But if they forgot the wax or sunscreen or needed a warming cup of coffee after a chilly surf session, the long drive into town was unavoidable – until now.
Assateague Island Surf Shop is scheduled to open this weekend at 8315 Stephen Decatur Highway in Berlin, just a few short miles from the entrance to the state and national parks. A companion coffee and smoothie shop – Born to Move – will open in the same space within the next two weeks.
Owners Denny Riordon and Nancy Sweeney said a shop servicing locals and tourists visiting the island is long overdue.
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“I want to give something back to the locals and just create something that has been needed down here for a long, long time,” Riordon said. “Just with the demographics going on with Assateague and the amount of tourists and locals coming down here now, we just thought the timing was right.”
Riordon describes the shop as “Southern California meets Cape Hatteras but lands in Assateague Island.” The couple hopes to cater to surfers by offering an upscale, healthy, relaxed atmosphere they feel fits the natural beauty of the island.
“Basically, we’re trying to create a little bit of a different retail environment,” Riordon said. “It’s not just you walk into a surf shop and you’re out, but you come in and there’s a feel, a vibe. Kind of a surf-chic vibe.”
On the surf shop side, visitors can choose from a variety of apparel, featuring some big name labels, such as Billabong or O’Neill, but the shop will mostly contain private label clothing featuring the surf shop’s name and unique logos, including a horse riding atop a surfboard.
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Sweeney also describes the shop as a boutique, offering surf jewelry, soy candles and all-natural soaps, perfumes and other beauty products.
The shop will also cater to beachgoers’ needs, carrying necessities, such as sunscreen, surfboard wax and boogie boards.
On the other side of the building, a coffee and smoothie bar will include what the pair describes as fresh, healthy beverages that fit their surf theme. They will offer professional surfer Laird Hamilton’s coffee brand from Hawaii and fresh fruit in their smoothies.
As for snacks, Riordon says they will sell acai bowls, consisting of the berry mixed with granola, different fruits and a variety of mix-ins, including honey and peanut butter.
“It’s a very healthy trend in California, and you’re starting to see it pop up on the East Coast,” he said. “It just goes really well with the whole surf community, and it just fits our vibe perfectly.”
The pair plan on offering rentals on bicycles, surfboards and paddleboards, and they hope to contract with instructors to offer surfing lessons. Sweeney also teaches private outdoor yoga sessions.
The married couple are not new to the surf shop business. Riordon owned and operated a surf shop in the Towson area for 11 years, and Sweeney ran the Brown Eyed Girl surf boutique in Annapolis.
“I’m extremely excited,” Sweeney said. “We’ve each been in the surf shop industry for a while now, but for him and I to do it together I think is awesome.”
Still the decision to open Assateague Island Surf Shop came as a surprise to her. Riordon had been eyeing the vacant building – once a five & dime store – for about five years, and he signed the lease in October while Sweeney was away doing yoga certification training in Costa Rica.
“I told him he’s very lucky I like surprises, because I came back from Costa Rica, and it’s like, ‘Hey, guess what we’re doing,’” she laughed.
The pair said they have already received several inquiries from local surfers about the shop. As of Thursday, the shop’s Facebook page already had more than 250 “likes.”
“The hype is great, and everyone is so excited to have us open,” Sweeney said.