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I know what
you’re thinking: “Big deal! Surf shops come and go all the time.” But it’s not
very often — especially in our trying economy — that existing shops
expand into a second location.
That makes
Barewires Surf & Skate owners Adam Holloway and Brian Smith extra psyched
to announce the opening of a second Barewires location in Spring Lake, NJ, in
addition to the original Barewires Surf & Skate in Long Branch. Adam and
Brian took a unique approach for the new Barewires — they knew they
wanted to do something different from the gritty, skate-focused original
location so they focused on smaller, less mainstream brands like RVCA, Patagonia,
Ezekiel, Insight, Nike 6.0, and Chemistry Surfboards. “We want to thank
brands like RVCA, Patagonia and Ezekiel for taking a chance with us,” Smith
said. “We got a lot of feedback that this area was oversaturated in terms
of surf brands, but people like Paul Kane with RVCA and Jimmy Pasch with
Patagonia understood our vision and supported us.”
The Barewires
Spring Lake crew has also shifted their attention to smaller independent labels
like AMBSN out of San Clemente and Rhythm, an Australian surf company based on
the Gold Coast. Barewires Surf & Skate in Spring Lake also possesses a
distinctive vibe, which Holloway and Smith worked hard on, spending a lot of
time on the layout of the store. “It was important to us to make the
store look really nice, in addition to it being a great surf shop,” Holloway
said. “Creating a shop with a cool atmosphere and core knowledge was
important — and just because it’s a surf shop doesn’t mean it
shouldn’t look nice.”
Holloway added, “We feel like we have a lot to bring to
the community in terms of knowledge and experience. Brian and I grew up
here, we surf here, and we live here. We want Barewires to be a shop that
has something for people of all skill levels. Everyone is welcome.” With photos
from ESM Chief Photographer Donald E.
Cresitello and groovin’ surf art from North Jersey artist Ronnie Jackson on
display and original Barewires surfboards from the 1970s on the wall, you won’t
find a similar shop anywhere around.
The Barewires Spring Lake grand opening on Saturday, June 5th was a
smashing success, with local luminaries like Brett Schillaci, Rob and Jeri
Cloupe, Ed and Abbey Zito, Jason Donoghue, Rich Morbee, Geoffrey Myers, and
Chris and Michaela Carhart on hand to peep Barewires’ sleek new digs.
Cresitello also reports that something must be in the New Jersey water, as “the
party was flooded with little kids… at least 10-15 of ‘em throughout the
night!”
Stop in and check out the new Barewires Surf & Skate at
219 A Morris Ave. in Spring Lake, NJ, give ‘em a call at 732-359-7780, or send
an Internet high-five their way by visiting www.barewiresurfskate.com
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