Interview with John Poppleton, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: We first saw stand-up paddleboarding while surfing in Kauai in 2009 and found it very intriguing. We were able to try it for ourselves the summer of 2010. We immediately fell in love with the motion and fluidity of a SUP board on the water. Believing that this was something we could do in Colorado, we launched Surf’SUP Colorado in the spring of 2011 with a small trailer of SUP gear and a lot of enthusiasm for the sport. The business quickly outgrew our garage.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Unlike a lot of general sporting goods stores, or even big-box stores that have added SUPs to their inventory to take advantage of the next big thing, we are a speciality stand-up paddleboard business. Our customers appreciate the depth of our knowledge, experience and passion for the sport of stand-up paddleboarding. We have over 50 different models of SUP boards in stock and have paddled every single model.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: The best part of our business is being on the water for hours every day, sharing our knowledge and our “stoke” for the sport with our customers. We especially enjoy paddling with the kids in our SUP camps and introducing families to a sport that they can all do together. The second best thing is “talking story” with our customers and new friends on the shoreline or at the SUP Shop. We are blessed to be a part of a growing Colorado SUP community and to bring a bit of the “aloha spirit” to the Rocky Mountains. We never dreamed that we would own a “surf” shop in Colorado and get to wear board shorts to work. That’s not work — it’s a privilege.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: The stand-up paddleboard industry is so new and experiencing such explosive growth that there are just not a lot of road maps to follow. Initially we were dead set against being tied to a retail location. However, we had so many clients asking for advice for their SUP-related purchases that it just seemed like the right thing to do. In retrospect, opening the SUP Shop may be the smartest thing we never wanted to do.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: We did not discover our inner “water man” until later in life. Our previous idea of a great vacation was a climbing trip to Montana or the Tetons or skiing 30 runs in a day. It wasn’t until our first trip to Kauai for our 30th wedding anniversary that we discovered that we really enjoyed the water. The contrast with our previous land-based recreation was refreshing indeed. And our new interest enabled us to find a whole new passion, career, and lifestyle with stand-up paddleboarding.
Profile
Business: Surf’SUP Colorado
Address: 14011 W. Quincy Ave., Unit D, Morrison area
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, and by appointment
Founded: 2011
Contact: 720-635-7873;
Employees: 6
