by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Workspace: Aqua East Surf Shop
Many Beaches surf shops have sprouted up over the years, yet while several have become pillars of the community, Aqua East has become one of the most recognized by Northeast Florida locals and visitors.
Longtime owner Sandy Forsyth founded the original in 1973 just east of its current 696 Atlantic Blvd. location, but outgrew the space. Then he outgrew his second space, a 5,000-square-foot building he built (now a Blockbuster Video) and moved into its current 18,000-square-foot home in 1988 while offering the same surf and skate gear and attire.
Forsyth passed away in 2005, but the business remains in the family under the multi-partnered ownership of his children and wife, and while his presence has been missed, the business hasn’t missed a beat.
“It’s a great job,” said CFO Shauna Forsyth Moore. “I do have a lot of fun doing it.”
Forsyth Moore grew up in the shop, working from high school to the present, and has seen its continued growth — even today with a remodeling job going on.
“We’re giving it a little bit of a facelift,” she said. “It hasn’t had one since it opened in 1988.”
With surf and skate gear, clothing, shoes, accessories and more, both of Aqua East’s stores — there’s one in St. Augustine, too — carry “just about everything” as Forsyth Moore puts it.
The Jacksonville store has around 45 employees, she said, with their busiest times generally around Spring Break, the time just before Christmas and, of course, the summer months.
“People tell me they come in here every year before school starts for back-to-school clothes shopping,” she said. “And there’s one grandmother who told me she comes every year to buy her granddaughter a bathing suit.”
The grandmother isn’t the only one, as many locals have continued to frequent the shop for their beach attire, including one item in particular that leads the way in sales.
“Flip flops,” said Forsyth Moore. “Thousands of them.”
The family and shop have long been entwined with the community, holding regular surf contests and camps along with frequent support of the Beaches Habitat program to build homes.
The efforts and work of her father will continue, she said, through the business she said will stay in the family.
“My dad built it from a little, tiny shop into this ... we’re just continuing his work.”
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