During our travels in the last few months, several interesting things caught our eye in various stores in various places.
The Rise of Z Supply
We are seeing women’s boutique brand Z Supply at more and more surf shops. The brand even has a window at Jack’s in Huntington Beach.
Retailers tell us Z Supply sells really well, and was especially popular during the pandemic. Some have even put Z Supply on the wall. We’ve noticed it at Sun Diego and Hansen’s in San Diego County and Brave New World and a boutique owned by the Farias family in New Jersey. Bill Lammers, the owner of Brave, told us Z Supply has become one of the top women’s brands for the store.
Former Billabong Lead Designer and Amuse Society Co-Founder Mandy Fry is now the President and Co-Owner of Z Supply. We had a great video interview with her about her new role at Z Supply and about the brand’s strategy last year.
Z Supply at Brave New World
More Z Supply at Brave
Z Supply has its own section at the Sun Diego Fashion Valley store
Z Supply at the Wanderlust attached to the Billabong store in New Jersey
The Magical Ezekiel Pant
Bobby Abdel of Jack’s first told us about the crazy sales for Ezekiel’s Now Denim. He carries a big stack of them, and says once a customer buys one pair, they come back and buy several more because they are so comfortable.
I also noticed a large selection at Sun Diego, and I know Dave Nash. He would never carry that large of a selection unless they sold well.
And then in New Jersey, I saw the power of the pants firsthand. Jim Hennessy, the owner of the large, beautiful Heritage Surf Shop in Ocean City, told me he first learned about the pant while visiting Huntington Beach for a Vans event. He needed pants for a dinner, and asked Bobby from Jack’s for a recommendation.
Jim ended up loving them so much, he went back to New Jersey and asked his buyer to place a big order. They pants sold well in New Jersey, too. Jim told me they now buy 400 and 500 at time.
Amazingly, the day we walked into Heritage, Manager and Men’s Buyer Andrew Traa had just got off a call with a customer who had bought one pair of the Ezekiel pants in the store. Then he called and asked for several more to be sent to him.
Hearing three big industry retailers having so much success with a single pant style tells me it must be a hot seller.
Ezekiel Now Denim at Heritage Surf in Ocean City, New Jersey
The Heritage Ocean City Team: Cory Hennessy, Women’s Buyer Nicole Rotuski, Owner Jim Hennessy, Men’s Buyer and Store Manager Andrew Traa, George Lafferty
Heritage Ocean City is the largest and highest volume of the three Heritage stores. It has a separate women’s store and a huge surfboard section upstairs.
Hot Selling Women’s Pant
We noticed a women’s, high-waisted fashion denim and pant brand carried at the surf boutique Wanderlust Land & Sea and at the Billabong store in New Jersey. Both stores are owned by the Mesanko family.
Both stores carried a lot of the brand, called Rolla’s. And I mean a lot. When we visited the Billabong store, the team there was unpacking stacks and stacks of them. They aren’t cheap – Rolla’s retail in the $100 to $120 range, but shoppers are paying for the fashion and vintage styling.
Rolla’s at the Billabong store in New Jersey
A new shipment of Rolla’s at the Billabong store
Rolla’s on the front table at Wanderlust Land & Sea in Sea Girt, NJ
Surf Brands that Work in a Boutique Setting
We visited a really interesting men’s boutique during our travels that combined industry surf brands in a unique way in an upscale setting.
Sink R Swim on Long Beach Island, New Jersey carries a wide range of brands – everything from Peter Millar to Jetty.
In one room of the store, brands such as Katin, Rhythm, Banks Journal, Howler Brothers, Vuori, Faherty and Stance are grouped together and illustrates how some industry brands really thrive in a boutique setting.
Another part of the store has brands that appeal to older men such as Tommy Bahama, Johnnie-O and Southern Tide.
And then Jetty, has its own whole room with a very upmarket presentation.
The store also carries a wide range of books and accessories.
Rhythm and Howler Brothers at Sink R Swim
Banks Journal at Sink R Swim, which is on Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Katin at Sink R Swim
Faherty and on the right, Stance
The store carries a ton of Vuori
Jetty has its own room at Sink R Swim
A Slow Tide Section at HSS
A Slow Tide buildout also caught my eye at Huntington Surf & Sport in Huntington Beach.
I have never seen a whole Slow Tide section put together in quite the same way, and with such a big selection
A Slow Tide section at Huntington Surf & Sport
I also heard some funny stories about changing ponchos overall at Farias in New Jersey. Brian Farias told me on rainy days this summer, young men would come in and buy the ponchos and wear them as clothes on the street. “Then they’d go back to their rentals and play beer pong in them,” he said, laughing. Ponchos are now in a very visible spot on the store floor.
Changing ponchos at Farias Surf on Long Beach Island, New Jersey
