South Carolina, USA

Two California airmen were instrumental in kicking off the surf scene in the Folly Beach area around the summer of 1963. They opened a surf shop and got the kids onto boards but disappeared soon after, perhaps transferred to another area. Popouts from department stores like Sears were the sole equipment suppliers until McKevlin’s Surf Store opened in 1965. The surfing community grew so quickly that city authorities implemented controls and crammed all surfers into a two-block area. Injuries inevitably resulted, causing surfers to take legal action. Funds were raised, and an attorney took the case to State Supreme Court, where victory resulted in the reopening of all the good spots, providing surfers wore leashes. Ironically, the same lawyer became the attorney for the City of Folly Beach!

A steady stream of Californian servicemen kept drifting into Folly Beach, and they coalesced under various guises, such as the West Coast East Surf Club. They bought their boards with them, which helped keep the local surfers up to date with what was developing on the Left Coast. Local board manufacturing was non-existent and left to traveling reps with Noll, Weber, Hansen, and other boards to sell. West Coast manufacturers were constantly trying to get a foothold in the potentially huge East Coast market. McKevlin’s catered to the hardcore kids by stocking boards, wax, and cheese sandwiches, with a place to sit in front of a heater between pre-wetsuit midwinter sessions.