For Kailua resident and surfer John Ingari, opening Gnarwall Surf Shop six years ago was a passion project come to life.
Now, due to slim margins and “not enough skin in the game to hire out,” the surf shop at 315 Uluniu St. will be boarded up by the end of the month when its lease expires, according to Ingari.
“It’s been an uphill battle. I’m wearing all the hats. … We outgrew our current space, and even though I’ve been looking for another spot, the stars haven’t aligned yet for the next brick-and-mortar store,” he said. “Over the past month, I’ve notified our more than 400 surfboard consigners, who were given options to come get their boards or take the buyout offer, in which we’ll donate. Our goal is to not be left with inventory.”
Ingari is most proud of staying true to the biz’s mission “to support local shapers and our beloved community.” He said he’s worked with more than 20 local shapers and “has donated countless boards” through different organizations, schools and events to sponsoring kids in the community.
“Each time was so rewarding on a spiritual level. Being in relationship with all the surfers who chose Gnarwall’s has been really rewarding,” he said. “Because of where I live and surf, the military community has been just awesome. … I’m very hopeful that I get to continue to meet people in that nature.
“If I meet someone new to island on the military base who is interested in surfing, I help get them into the community the right way – welcoming them, so they’re not feeling like they can’t have some point of entry. It’s really awesome that we’ve had that ability to meet each other in this environment. … I’ve taken some guys out who were intimidated getting into surfing and now I can call them surfers. They can paddle out, ride a wave, they know proper etiquette.”
Ingari said since starting the business, he’s taken 36 days off in total.
“Learning the ins and outs of business was challenging, going from a nobody in the industry to where I am now with great relationships and reputation,” he said. “It’s a lot to take on. I put myself in that role to educate and sustain the business and it’s not feasible for one person to do that.”
Part of the education piece is the reality that local shapers have to work two-to-three jobs to make ends meet in Hawai’i, he said. “Other surf shops sell out on imports because margins are better on an import board from China, then they are on a locally made board. It’s grown to a level that even some experienced surfers can’t even tell the visual difference of the boards they’re buying. There’s a lot of tricks in the market. We’ve neglected the local aspect of the whole economy of the surf industry.”
“For my shop, I wanted to not do the same thing, to not entertain the margin of imports, but support local. I believe there is a desire amongst the surfing community to support local if that education were out there at a greater level. … There’s still a lot of opportunity for the surf industry to come together.”
Looking ahead, he’s excited to grow his family, find financial stability and, of course, surf. Ingari, who previously trained and worked as a biomedical engineer, said, “I consider myself a surfer, not businessman.”
According to him, Gnarwall Surf Shop had one of the biggest surfboard selections on island.
“People would come in and their jaw would drop – it was loaded with surfboards from corner to corner,” he said. “When that reputation got out, for the surfers, it was a total candy store. For non-surfers it was treated like a museum.”
For updates on boards for sale, check out the shop's Instagram:
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
