How a little shop on Well Street ended up posting wetsuits all over the UK

Back in 2022 we opened the doors on Well Street with a simple idea. A proper surf and skate shop for Porthcawl, run by people who actually surf here. Chris had spent more than 25 years in the industry and a lifetime in the water at Rest Bay, Coney and further afield. Emily kept the whole thing standing up. Between us we stocked the shelves with the gear we'd want ourselves and opened up for anyone who fancied honest advice over a hard sell.

For the first while, that was it. If you wanted a wetsuit you came in, tried it on, and we told you the truth about whether a 4/3 would see you through a Welsh winter (it will, with boots, gloves and a hood).

Then people started asking if we posted things out.

At first it was the odd bar of Sex Wax to someone who'd moved away and missed the shop. Then wetsuits. Then full orders going to people we'd never met, in parts of the country nowhere near the sea. So we built the shop online properly. Same gear, same brands, Patagonia through to Rhythm, Futures fins to Hydro Flasks, only now you can price it up from your sofa at 10pm.

Here's how it works now. Order online and we'll post it, usually out the door within a day or two. Or choose click and collect, order online and pick it up next time you're passing. Local surfers still wander in for the chat and the conditions report. Everyone else gets the same shop, delivered.

The newest member of the team doesn't do much for the online orders, in fairness. Coco, our cockapoo, mostly supervises from the middle of the floor and greets anyone who comes through the door like they've brought a ball. If you pop in and she's asleep in a patch of sun, step around her. She's earned it.

None of this is very glamorous behind the scenes. The website runs on Shopify, and an old surfing mate of ours handles our Shopify SEO, which is why more of you find us on Google these days rather than by accident. We'd rather be in the water, but somebody has to make sure the parcels turn up.

If you've not been in, the door's open six days a week. And if you're miles from the coast, the website's open 24/7.

See you at Rest Bay, or in the shop!