Surf System Book

Authors: Joseph C. Dunn, Steve Pezman 100 pages

The roots of what is now known as "lifestyle retail" trace back to a couple of iconoclastic surfers from the early 1950s: Hobie Alter and Dick Metz. The former perfected the craft and art of surfboard manufacturing (and later, catamaran design); the latter mastered the craft and art of selling the products that eventually came to define the surf lifestyle. What started with a few surfboards for a handful of brave riders gradually evolved, thanks to the insight, creativity, and hard work of Metz and his fellow beach lovers, into a retail brand that today defines beach culture. In "Lifestyle Retail," Joe Dunn tells the story of the Hobie Surf Shop, from the early boards of Dana Point and Honolulu to today’s offerings that showcase swimwear, sportswear, boards, watersports equipment, and accessories that illustrate a well-lived life, surfer-style. With a foreword by Steve Pezman, editor of Surfer's Journal, and many photographs from the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center archives, it is an inspiring account of how Dick Metz and a group of beach enthusiasts built a successful business around their passion for the surf lifestyle.