Corolla Surf Shop – Keeping Surf Culture Alive in the Northern Outer Banks

We were talking off camera.

Corolla Surf Shop opened in 1996, 30 years now.

Yes.

Corolla was a very different place in 1996, both in terms of guests who visited the area, tourism, as well as the local surf community.

So give us a little bit of history.

How did Corolla come to have its own surf shop?

Well...

Can't talk about Corral Surf Shop without mentioning Gary and Laurie Smith.

They started the shop 96 Corral Light Town Center boards, you know, started instruction, surf apparel, that sort of thing.

So.

kind of started as far as the retails, you know, like retail scene, surfing, selling boards with them.

Um, there were certainly surfers in that area beforehand.

Um, some of the old timers I've talked to that have actually come through from Virginia beach, sand bridge used to talk to the old stories, you know, drive down the beach the back in the day.

And like you would surf those areas, you know, things like that.

Um, cause you could drive, you know, all the way through.

Um, Um, so a few people probably were surfing there, but as far as established base where you could buy boards and stuff, um, 96 out there in a Crowley town center.

Um, and I started surfing there probably back in 2001 was the first time as far as just a visitor, um, around that area.

Um, First Hatteras, then up to Kerala.

But yeah, and then kind of settled down there working and officially became an employee there around 2006.

2006, and then when did you purchase the shop? So

that was 2018 with my three brothers.

Gary's definitely probably ready to retire, getting a little bit older, that sort of thing.

So I had actually been part owner with a few guys for a few years beforehand, and then the brothers kind of banded together and...

He kind of purchased it and run it now.

They all grew up surfing, obviously.