If you’ll be surfing in Mexico any time soon (Sayulita specifically), be sure to check out one of the town’s newest surf shops, Quiverito. Although Sayulita is a tad saturated when it comes to surf shops these days, Josh Labovitz, Quiverito’s owner, is definitely doing something different and refreshing.
Take a quick glance into the shop, and you’ll immediately see something unique is going on. The walls are lined with retro and classic boards from shapers like Gordon and Smith, Stewart, Skip Frye, Herbie Fletcher, Al Merrick, Terry Goldsmith, Ian Zamora, and others. There are also a few modern boards in the mix, like Firwire, but you’re definitely not going to find racks of Quicksilver tees, shelves of Volcom wristbands, or counters covered in Red Bull stickers. The classic vibe led me first to believe the shop was a gallery, but then I saw a sign that read: “ALL boards for rental and sale.” My head tilted, I stared at a vintage Gordon Smith single fin and went, “That can’t be right.” But, alas, the sign did not lie.
The mentality at Quiverito is simple: Boards are meant to be ridden. When most board collectors would wince at the idea of you even touching their coveted Skip Frye, Josh says, “Like it? Take it for a ride.” When I asked Josh how someone with such a great collection of boards could let total strangers take them out, he said, “It’s definitely an exercise in dis-attaching myself from material things, but I figure, I ding them up myself every time I travel. Why not let other people enjoy them as well?”
Quiverito provides a really unique opportunity to save yourself the 80+ bucks in flying boards back and fourth (as well as peace of mind about dinging your babies) and the chance to ride classic shapes without having to shell out mucho dinero to pull them off the wall. The coolest part is that you can check the boards out on Quiverito’s website, pick one out, and reserve it before you ever get on the plane. Check the website out at www.quiverito.com.
