Jack's Reopens in Dana Point After 14-Year Absence
So maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder.
Fourteen years ago, Bob Abdel closed Jack’s Surfboards in Dana Point, Calif., after a disagreement with his landlords over rent. But over the years, the thought of Dana Point without a Jack’s Surfboards just wore at the veteran seaside retailer.
So in late October, Abdel will reopen his surf and skatewear store in the exact location as in 1991. He signed a 15-year lease with the property owners he had clashed with and will be paying a rent similar to the one he paid in the early 1990s.
The 8,500-square-foot Dana Point store will be Jack’s fifth store. In May, Abdel’s company opened a 1,100-square-foot store in Corona del Mar, Calif., more than 19 miles up the coast. The company also completed an extensive remodel in 2004 of the 10,500- square-foot Huntington Beach, Calif., flagship store.
The Dana Point site will retail all the major surf and skate brands sold at Abdel’s other stores, such as Billabong, Quiksilver and Ripcurl. The store also will offer premium denim such as Blue Cult and streetwear by upand- coming brands such as Obey Clothing.
A major design difference between the Jack’s store in Dana Point and the other locations is that the hard-goods department, where surfboards and wetsuits are displayed, will be located in the middle of the store instead of at the back.
During Jack’s 14-year absence in Dana Point, the retail space was rented by Dive & Surf, a store owned by surf company Body Glove, based in Redondo Beach, Calif. Body Glove left after a disagreement with the landlords over increased rent and the space had been vacant since December 2003, said Randy Meistrell, Body Glove’s senior vice president.
—Andrew Asch
