A new business in National City is riding the wave of a rebounding economy.
ISLE Surf and SUP is National City’s newest business, selling hundreds of paddleboards, surfboards and accessories.
The store’s co-owner, Marc Miller, said despite a sluggish economy, the surf and paddleboard industry is booming.
“Luckily, our primary products are surfboards and paddle boards,” Miller said.
“And luckily the paddleboard market has pretty much exploded across the globe, but specifically in the U.S., so it’s been a driving force behind the business.”
The ISLE Surf and SUP store is connected to the warehouse, which conducts most of the company’s business. The warehouse is used for all of ISLE’s distribution.
Miller said about 80 percent of ISLE’s business is shipping internationally with the remaining 20 percent to come from in-store sales.
With the store, Miller said, local customers can purchase everything that is for sale online in the store.
Miller said the ISLE brand is one-of-a-kind.
“We’re very unique in the fact that not only do we offer some of the most competitive pricing, we have quite an array of styles, colors, sizes that you just wouldn’t find anywhere else,” Miller said.
Surfboards and paddleboards are designed and tested and the prototypes are made at the warehouse. The actual boards are created offshore.
Miller left the mortgage loan industry 10 years ago to help his partner start the surfing company
Paddle boards and surf boards at ISLE Surf and SUP range from $300 to $1,000.
Miller said opening a store didn’t come easy.
“It’s definitely not easy to start a business for nothing.”
The store located at 340 W. 26th St. celebrated its grand opening on May 4.
