Wildwood – With a new CNC board making machine on the way, fin bar, countless handcrafted products, facility upgrades, and in-house clothing designs on the shelves, Kona Surf Company continues to expand at a record breaking rate, far exceeding expectations of what a local Surf Shop from the State of New Jersey can domestically accomplish. Now with vendors selling Kona Surf Company boards as far North as Canada, it begs the question, “What’s next for this local surf shop that once upon a time started in a garage in Wildwood?” According to Kona Surf Company Founder and Owner, Mike Sciarra, “We will not stop until Kona Surf Company is a household name in the surfing community not just on the east coast, but world-wide.” With bold management strategies, marketing and in-house manufacturing, Kona Surf Company has been taking risks in hopes of having multiple retailers selling their products along the east coast by 2019. “Our goal overall is to offer the best products in the business, and we do so by getting honest feedback by our local surfers,” said Chris Sciarra, owning partner and Mike’s son who has been handling a majority of the renovations and day-to-day operations. “We will continue to provide products that cater to our customers, and by bringing a good portion of our manufacturing in-house, it gives us (Kona Surf Co.) the ability to create our own products with our own personal flair and have a strong USA footprint,” said Chris.
Kona Surf Company continues to bring industry and jobs back to the Wildwoods, and with a majority of the manufacturing being brought in-house, more job opportunities will be made available in the near future. Kona Surf Company recently partnered with pro-baseball player Matt Szczur and his charity Szcz the Day, a charity that helps link willing bone marrow donors with terminally ill. On January 27th, 2018 Kona donated a paddleboard to the foundation that was sold on silent auction at a Szcz the Day Benefit held at Congress Hall in Cape May, NJ. Kona continues to be a steeple in the Greater Wildwoods community, and their charitable donations to organizations such as the Szcz the Day Foundation, North Wildwood Kids Christmas Party, and the Veterans of War surfing event, proves that Kona Surf Co. is doing more than just turning a profit.
“Wildwood is who we are, it’s where we’re from, and without the town, the beach and the waves they bring, we are nothing,” said Mike Sciarra.
Written by Ron Simone