Kahuna Surf Shop in downtown Orillia has changed ownership.
The previous owner of five years, Glen Sharpley, who owns and operates a Source for Sports in Huntsville, has sold the business to Tim French and his sons, Pierson and Tyson.
“We saw a 40-year-old business that has been in Orillia and a part of the downtown forever. We always thought it would be an interesting business to own,” said Tim French.
“We’ve been customers of it for as long as I can remember. My sons, Pierson and Tyson, both bought their first snowboards here and subsequent snowboards after that.”
French is one of the co-owners of the popular French’s Stand, a refreshment booth near Couchiching Beach Park.
“We’ve had the stand for 100 years. To have another what I consider to be a legacy business in Orillia is excellent,” he said.
“We are in the family-business business.”
French brings snowboarding experience to the business. His sons are also avid snowboarders, surfers and participants of other action sports that relate to the products Kahuna sells. French is also retaining all the staff from the previous ownership.
“That’s the whole beauty of this place. Although it’s a young group of people who work here, there is a significant amount of expertise in all the sports that we sell into,” French said.
Customers shouldn’t expect much change to the store, he said, as he wants to keep the same products and services that have made Kahuna a staple of the downtown core for the better part of 40 years.
“We are going to expand more into water sports, but have our core focus remain on skateboarding, snowboarding and the main products that have built this business into what it is today,” he said.
While many local businesses continue to struggle financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, French expects Kahuna will continue to thrive with the support of the local community.
“Retail may be troubled by the pandemic, but there are certain segments of the retail market that I think are strong, and this is of them,” he said.
“It’s got longevity, it’s unique in its atmosphere and offering, and you can tell that people still want to shop here.”
Action sports are growing in popularity during the pandemic, he added.
“They are sports you want to be doing in COVID. They are individual sports that get you outside and into a safer zone,” he said.
