Daddy O’s caters to skaters

GH’s new surf and skateboard shop located at Uptown

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Gig Harbor’s Jon Coulombe doesn’t hesitate when he’s asked if he’s received any playful ribbing about opening a surf shop.

“No,” he deadpans. “Westport is only an hour away.”

Coulombe owns “Daddy O’s Board Room,” a surf and skateboard shop that opened last month at Uptown Gig Harbor next to Galaxy Theatres.

“My family goes camping out at La Push, which is about three hours away,” he said. “And then there’s always the trip to San Diego once a year.”

Daddy O’s “boards” are mostly skateboards, which makes sense with the popularity of Gig Harbor’s skateboard park. Coulombe also plans to open an indoor skateboard park in the area.

The store carries clothing and wetsuits that are “sensitive to the economy,” he said.

“The clothes are what keeps the lights on here, and the skateboards are fun to sell,” Coulombe said. “I price things based on a parent’s perspective. I’m not selling expensive hoodies here.

“At Christmas time, I’m getting complete skateboards targeting 3- to 10-year-olds for about $75.”

Coulombe’s surfing streak goes back a long way. When his father, Kip Coulombe, was a young man, he lived with a bunch of French men in a house on the California coast.

“It was called the frog house,” Coulombe said. “All they did was surf.”

The Frenchman instilled his love of the ocean in his son, who remembers surf shops as “hangout spots” when he lived in the Golden State as a youth.

“Before cell phones, (the hangout spots) were where you’d find out where all the parties were,” Coulombe said. “But a lot of the small-town surf shops were like action sports garage sales.”

While he strives to keep the small-town atmosphere, Coulombe wants his store to be more mainstream.

He chose Uptown Gig Harbor because of the established attractions that already draw in youths, who can potentially persuade their parents to visit the store.

“While I have my roots in the old family surf shop, the mall atmosphere was the best fit for me,” Coulombe said. “I wanted a place that was friendly for parents to come to. This place needed a store like this.”

On the Web

Daddy O’s Board Room offers clothing, surf and skateboarding gear. For more information, visit www.daddyosboardroom.com.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.