In the early days of the wave pool space, many developments simply plugged in a big-name brand and called it a day. But as we’re discovering in everything in surf parks, success depends on how well a facility has fine-tuned the layers necessary to build a business. And let’s be frank, when it comes to your facility’s surf shop, there is no plug-and-play option, just like lagoon wave scheduling. Every square inch of space needs to be curated and calculated.
The surf shop at Lost Shore is a healthy example of what to do right. Keir Smith and Kim Travers have gone over the shop’s inventory with a fine-toothed comb, creating a retail experience that benefits from the muscle of the big brands, while also highlighting local flair. The result is a retail mirror of the local Scottish surf culture. It’s genius, really, and one of the best examples of a surf shop at a wave lagoon that we’ve seen anywhere.
WavePoolMag spoke with bright-eyed gear nerd Keir Smith to find out how everything from custom-made wetsuits to specialty Highland fleece makes the shop here a special retail pleasure.
WavePoolMag: We spoke with your partner Kim Travers last year, and I was fascinated by the way your shop has done a really good job of combining local goods with international goods. Why do you think that is important?
Keir Smith: Good question. I think it’s like, especially in the UK, if you look at surf shops across the UK, most of them stock the same brands. Every single shop you go in, it’s got this one brand, it’s got that one brand. I think to stand out in the industry, you’ve got to provide something different. If you don’t provide something different, you won’t stand out.
And where does the uniqueness of Scottish surf culture play into that?
I think before us, Scottish surf culture didn’t have an outlet—it hasn’t had a shop to be stoked on. So if you look at these brands, before they were selling online or surf spots, none of them had a shop to sell from. Customers have loved being able to come and try on something from one of these local brands, pick it up, and feel it for themselves. Although the industry up here is small, it’s growing, and I think what we do here is appreciated.
Tell us about your process. How do you find goods that are the right fit?
They tend to find us, to be honest. Most brands tend to find us. If it’s a brand we haven’t heard of, we’ll take a look at it, see whether it fits into the shop, and whether they understand how to work in the industry. That’s a problem we come across with some super small manufacturers—they don’t understand how to work with a shop. With a few brands, we’ve been on a longer journey with them, where we’ve had to coach them on how to work alongside shops. Then you get to a happy place where everything is great, and you have a good relationship with them.
What’s an example of a brand that has done really well in your shop?
We’ve recently picked up Surf Key, a Scottish-based brand on the north coast of Scotland, near Sandend on the Moray Firth. There’s good surf up there. They make fleeces with a little Highland cow on them. They’re super famous online, but they’ve never been stocked in a Scottish shop before — we’re the first. We picked them up a few months ago, and they’ve been absolutely flying ever since.
Why do you think people in your shop connect so well with that particular brand?
It’s made in Scotland. It’s inspired by Scotland. It’s local. You can now come and feel it, touch it, try it on. We’re the first place that offers that for a lot of people.
How about international brands—what does well for you?
Scotland can get pretty chilly in the winter, so it’s important for people to look after themselves. O’Neill is probably our most popular brand for wetsuits.
Tell us about the Gul wetsuits. You’ve curated a special back zip, Yulex design.
Yulex is the big story with our rental suits. The whole industry is moving towards Yulex or a variant of it now, like Oceana. Gul were the first guys to do it. They started making that suit two or three years ago and we’re the first to really push it in the UK. Now all the other brands are coming out with their own Yulex suits, but Gul were the pioneers.
How hard is your clientele at Lost Shore on your equipment? Are they tougher than the average surfer?
I’d say they’re the same as what you’d see in any surf school. What’s tough on the suits here is the wave pool. Same with the boards – it’s tough on all the kit. For anything to last in the pool, it’s got to be really durable.
I noticed that the knees blow out rather quickly on rental suits.
It’s a big, rough concrete pool. If you’re falling on your knees, scraping along the concrete, it does damage. We’re coming to the first cycle now, where all the suits will be replaced. They’ve been in use for one year. Nearly time to retire them.
Let’s talk rental fleets and surfboards. Rental fleets are expensive, but ideally, you earn that CapEx back. Surely you’ve had some boards that paid for themselves many times over. What’s your most rented board?
I think the Firewire shapes. They’re really spot on for the everyday surfer. We’ve got pretty much the whole fleet here at Lost Shore. They’re performance-based but forgiving. We’ve got everything in the shop from beginner boards to pro-level boards. They all see good use, which is great because it shows surfers are progressing and trying a range of boards.
You’re also working with Bell Surf, Stephen “Belly” Bell’s factory. How’s that going?
They’re new to wave pools, but the previous factory, Euroglass has been around for over 20 years, making boards. It’s a different name, but those guys are old dogs, really.
I saw you have high-performance PU shortboards, which are rare at a wave pool.
High-performance PU shortboards. We got them in for traveling surfers who are of a good standard and want low-volume shortboards. So when they fly in, they don’t need to bring their quiver. They can get from the airport, grab a five-minute taxi, and know we’ve got what they need.
I know your boards are in the repair shop a lot. What percentage of your fleet is being repaired at any given time?
It ranges, maybe 10 to 15 percent at any given time.
That’s good. I’ve been to other pools where the ratio is more like 50 percent.
It’s tough on boards. I think we’ve done a good job selecting constructions: the Firewire Volcanic, Bell Resilient Tech, and Torq Tech. If you hit the wall, you’re going to ding your board no matter what, but we’ve chosen constructions that help mitigate that. That’s something other wave pools can learn from us. Choose your board constructions carefully, and you reduce repair jobs. But don’t get me wrong, our repair guys are still kept pretty busy.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Getting to build it from scratch. We joined Lost Shore when the pool had no water in it. We had to wash it with brushes and mops. The shop was an empty shell. We built it into a successful business. That’s the most satisfying part.
Did you look at other shop designs or work with someone on the layout?
No, that was all me and Kim. Mainly Kim. We took inspiration from other shops, but it’s a work in progress. Every time you come back, the shop probably looks different. We’ve got plans to change it again next year. You’ve got to keep it changeable. If you build everything set in stone, it can hinder you down the line.
What’s your working relationship with Kim like? Are you different personalities?
For sure. Definitely different personalities, but that’s a good thing. We’ve both got our own strengths and weaknesses, and we play into that. Kim comes from a surf apparel background. I come from an instructing background. I used to run a surf school. We can draw on both experiences, and that ultimately makes the place stronger.
