7th Street Surf Shop Rides a Long Wave
By Ryan Gerace
At the 7th Street Surf Shop staff actually do surf, and love the beach lifestyle year-round.
Whether you are a frequent visitor to Ocean City or a local, odds are you have heard of and/or visited Ocean City’s iconic surf store. Now with four locations on Asbury Avenue and the Boardwalk, the 7th Street Surf Shop has long been a hub for surfers of all ages.
But it’s much more than just a store for surfers. The 7th Street Surf Shop carries merchandise and apparel for people of all ages, even those who have never attempted to ride a wave.
A visit to their website, 7thstreetsurfshop.com, will immerse you in the “7th Street Lifestyle” with images and Instagram posts of the staff in action, plus a selection of original apparel for men, women, and children as well as clothes from popular brands. Clothes range from tank tops, shorts, and bathing suits for the summer months to sweatshirts and sweatpants for cooler weather.
For surfers, this is a one-stop shop for everything you could possibly need before heading out into the water.
Every person behind the counter is an experienced surfer and they are always more than happy to help you pick out the right equipment and attire before hitting the beach.
“The 7th Street Surf Shop is such an authentic shop,” states long-time employee Rob Kelly on their website. “You walk into the shop and there are people behind the counter that actually surf.”
The shop is unique in that, despite an ever-changing industry, it has kept that “grassroots” feel. It is still very much a word-of-mouth shop that is trusted and referred by so many surfers and locals in the Ocean City area.
The feel and lifestyle that customers experience can be described as a passionate team atmosphere. Everyone who works at 7th Street is part of the “team” and are all connected through the shop and their passion for surfing.
The original shop on the Boardwalk is located right at the 7th Street surfing beach, which was the only surfing beach back 1986 when it originally opened. The owners, Larry and Becky Friedel, have been at the helm of the 7th Street Surf Shop since its opening and have made it more than just an average surfing apparel store.
One of the greatest things about 7th Street Surf Shop is that it offers surfing lessons to people of all ages. They have taught thousands of people from young kids to senior citizens who want to learn the basics of surfing.
All lessons are taught out of their original 7th Street Boardwalk location. Group and private lessons are available during the summer.
For those with children interested in surfing for the sheer fun of it, 7th Street Surf Shop runs a Surf Camp every week, all summer long. The surf camps are for ages 9-16. Campers learn the basics of surfing as well as about the Atlantic Ocean and how to have fun in it safely.
The camps and lessons are run and taught by the employees of the Surf Shop.
If you are down in Ocean City and are looking to rent surfboards, paddleboards, wetsuits, or skim boards, 7th Street Surf Shop rents out all of those things for hourly, daily, and weekly rates. The daily and weekly rentals can also be delivered to you and picked up as well for a small fee.
The 7th Street Surf Shop remains an iconic store and landmark in Ocean City. Locations include 7th Street Year Round Shop, 720 Asbury Ave.; 7th Street Outlet, 654 Asbury Ave.; 7th Street Boardwalk, 654 Boardwalk, and 11th Street Boardwalk, 1118 Boardwalk.
Be sure to stop at one of their stores this summer to sign up for lessons or to browse their many different items for sale.
Learn more and book rentals or lessons at 7thstreetsurfshop.com.
Ryan Gerace is a recent graduate from La Salle University with a Master’s in Strategic Communication. Born and raised in Linwood, NJ. He enjoys cooking, baking, and community events.
