[ad_1]
-
Nomad Surf Shop in Boynton Beach, Fla. Photo by SES.
-
The roof overhang that was part of a former gas station. Photo by SES.
-
The front half of Nomad Surf Shop. Photo by SES.
-
Framed photos and other memorabilia inside the store. Photo by SES.
-
Sandals and boards towards the front of the store. Photo by SES.
-
A portrait of Ron Heavyside (top, center) on the wall of the shop. Photo by SES.
-
The board room. Photo by SES.
-
The swimsuit wall. Photo by SES.
-
Nomad private label in the women’s section of the store. Photo by SES.
-
Nomad-branded apparel. Photo by SES.
-
Nomad Surf Shop women’s section. Photo by SES.
-
Billabong in the women’s section of the store. Photo by SES.
-
Salty Crew, Nomad, and Rip Curl product. Photo by SES.
-
Aisle of eyewear. Photo by SES.
-
The men’s section of the store. Photo by SES.
-
Nomad-branded hats. Photo by SES.
-
Salty Crew at Nomad. Photo by SES.
-
Vissla at Nomad Surf Shop. Photo by SES.
-
RVCA at Nomad. Photo by SES.
-
Billabong at Nomad Surf Shop. Photo by SES.
-
Skateboards and footwear. Photo by SES.
-
Vans. Photo by SES.
-
Volcom men’s display. Photo by SES.
-
Wall of shorts. Photo by SES.
Ryan Heavyside and Taylor Heavyside in front of Nomad Surf Shop. Photo by SES.
Nomad Surf Shop has mastered the art of specialty retail and legacy.
Its 8,000-square-foot Boynton Beach, Florida business, now 55 years old and one of the oldest on the East Coast, is one part museum that honors the man who started it all – the late Ron Heavyside.
The other part incorporates Nomad’s modern retail vision that includes private label prowess and experiential elements such as food and hospitality.
At Nomad, the words “custom” and “unique” best describe where they’ve come from and where they’re going.
“It’s one of one when you get it from us,” said Ryan Heavyside, the son of Ron, who runs the store with his brother Ronnie Heavyside and wife Taylor Heavyside.
They’re steering a business that’s up so far this year from pre-COVID figures, even as they see normalization from the big gains experienced during the pandemic.
Much of their success has come from private label – now totaling about 70% of the overall business – and it’s emphasized the most as the Heavysides look to further distinguish themselves as true specialty retailers.
“Anything that has our homegrown Nomad Surf Shop brand on it, that’s what moves the fastest for us no matter what,” Taylor said.
When COVID-related supply chain issues made it difficult to obtain product from California-based brands, the Heavysides looked to their own label to fill the store.
“Florida was wide open and everyone’s coming here, but we couldn’t get merchandise, so what are we going to do?” Taylor recalled of that time period. “We got together and said, ‘Let’s push the Nomad stuff.’ So instead of one (women’s) table, we have a whole wall, a table, and we merchandise our private label with other brands.”
The same can be said of the men’s side of the store where a wall and then some is dedicated to Nomad hats, pullovers, T-shirts, and boardshorts.
A few years ago, they introduced more sportswear, such as men’s volley shorts. Women’s will be the next to expand even more, particularly in swim.
A sampling of some of the Nomad-branded product on the men’s side. Photo by SES.
Brand Volatility
Much of the private label push was a response to COVID-related supply chain issues, but it was also a way to combat volatility among some of the heritage brands when it comes to mainstream distribution and markdowns.
Today, brands such as Roark, Katin, and Vuori have helped fill gaps left by larger brands that have either fallen by the wayside or are now distributed too broadly. The newer brands also help Nomad appeal to additional customer segments.
“The smaller brands have filled the gap (in the assortment) of your everyday brands that were really thriving but now have kind of fizzled out,” Ryan said.
“So those smaller brands, as long as they keep their distribution (controlled), it stays special. We like those brands, but there is always that growth (that brands chase) that makes you scared about where they go next.”
Smaller brands, Ryan added, are also easier to work with for fill-ins on inventory.
“The bigger brands these days, they’ve gotten a little scarier because of their markdowns online and outlets,” Ryan said. “Something may be marked down in California, but here, it’s still in season because we are always warm, so we don’t mark it down. But there’s a lot of price checking these days by customers. That’s a real battle for us and that’s where our own branded stuff has become really good filler.”
In women’s, the story is more a leveling of the playing field.
“For women’s, there really is no top brand anymore within the surf world,” Taylor said. “They all have found their little spot and stayed true to themselves.”
For Billabong, that’s the more trendy, fashion-forward consumer. For Roxy, that’s a surfer girl, who Taylor described as more conservative with their prints and styles.
“We’re in this cool spot, between Palm Beach and Delray, and have a diverse type of clientele that don’t just surf,” Taylor said. “So we do have stuff for our surfer girls and make sure to bring in your traditional Roxy, Billabong, O’Neill, and other things you would expect in a surf shop.”
“But I’ve also been trying to branch out into boutique-y types of things. I want someone to walk in our door – from the young teenage girl to the older lady – and feel like there’s something for them in here.”
That’s meant bringing in labels such as Jen’s Pirate Booty and the line Mochi from the Netherlands, for example.
Nomad’s food truck serves up all-organic açaí bowls, juices, and smoothies. Photo by SES.
The Nomad Repertoire
A big part of Nomad is the experience.
Visitors are encouraged to “poke around,” rather than “shop” in the compound the family’s operated since the ’60s – first as a TV repair store owned by the Heavysides’ grandfather. Their father received 75 square feet of that space to display Nomad boards in 1968. Over the years, Nomad absorbed the neighboring gas station, with the roof overhang where the pumps would have been still standing today, in addition to the former rock ‘n roll bar, Dante’s Den, that is now the store’s back half.
At the end of 2022, the Heavysides added hospitality to the Nomad name with the purchase of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom property behind the shop.
It was redecorated with black-and-white Nomad photos and surfboard décor.
“Our area’s old Florida, so instead of staying at a hotel you get more of an experience here,” Ryan said. “We’ve really focused on telling our story over the years. That property became available and with the growth in Florida, we really wanted to make sure we do our best to keep it authentic and rootsy.”
Ryan said the rental really began to take off at the start of this year, with plenty of booking inquiries.
Nomad also moved into food service a little over five years ago with its own food truck serving all-organic smoothies, juices, and acai bowls.
“That was another branch to our Nomad repertoire,” Ryan said.
The truck has traveled for special events, but they find it does best simply parked out front alongside Ocean Boulevard.
“It’s a cool add on that goes with our – I wouldn’t say growth – but what we’ve established,” he said.
Nomad’s dabbled in other opportunities, such as a pop-up called Nomad Surf Club in Delray, but upholding the legacy of a family-owned and operated business is more important than further expansion, Ryan said.
“We still surf. All that’s part of the experience,” Ryan said. “We’ve all grown up surfing and we try to remember why our business was started. At the end of the day, there are numbers, but you’ve got remember why you’re doing it.”
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at kari@shop-eat-surf.com.
[ad_2]
Source link