Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our B.R.A. Retail Members almost every day. Be sure to scroll through the most recent article or use the Search/Lookup feature to find topics and keywords related to articles that may help you to lower costs, increase margins or create more remarkable customer experiences.

“A Snow Sports Federation Is Trying to Seize Control of the U.S. Olympic Surf Team” by Evan Quarnstrom via The Inertia

by admin | Mar 22, 2025 | Community, Competitions, Industry, News, Olympics, Surf

Caroline Marks thinks USA Surfing should still guide surfing’s Olympic future. Photo: ISA A power struggle is brewing behind the scenes of Olympic surfing in the United States. As the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) opens an application process...

“What Would We Do Without Surf Forecasting?” by Sam George via The Inertia

by admin | Mar 16, 2025 | Community, Competitions, Governmental Affairs, News, Opinion, Predictions, Surf

So how’d ya know it was gonna be like this? in this part of the world? Photo: Marcus Paladino A growing number of mainstream news headlines these days have been heralding what appears to be the current executive branch’s systematic dismantling of myriad federal...

“CARV Expo Shakes Up the Board Sports Industry With a New West Coast Trade Show That Promises to Be More Than a Brand Showcase” PR via Surfer Mag

by Doug Works | Mar 12, 2025 | Community, Industry, News, Resources, Retail Strategy, Skateboard, Snowboard, SUP, Surf, Trade Shows

Image of a vintage copy of The Surfer Quarterly over from when an issue only cost $.75 courtesy of Surfer Mag SAN DIEGO — CARV Expo, taking place June 20–22 at the San Diego Convention Center, will bring together board sports brands, retailers, athletes, media, and...

“From Family Legacy to Modern Success: The Island Water Sports Story” by Cheyne Cottrell (Co-Owner of Island Water Sports) via Trackfly blog

by admin | Mar 6, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Community, News, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Surf

Hi, I’m Cheyne Cottrell, General Manager and Co-Owner of Island Water Sports. My family has been riding the waves of the surf retail industry since 1977. This is my short story of how we navigated decades of challenges and expanded into new opportunities. I’ve also...

“Combined book and speaker review for ‘All In’ and its remarkable author (and record-breaking waterman/ ocean pioneer), Chris Bertish” by Doug Works (BRA Executive Director)

by Doug Works | Mar 4, 2025 | Book Review, Industry, Reviews, SUP, Surf, Surf Expo, Trade Shows

Leading up to the most recent Surf Expo Trade Show, George (BRA Chairman and owner of Modern Skate & Surf) and I were evaluating potential guest speakers for our Board Retailers Association (BRA) Surf Expo Kickoff Breakfast, which was slated to happen on Day 1 of...

“Examining Surfing’s Culture of Cool and the Point at Which We Abandon It” by Brian Souza via The Inertia

by admin | Mar 2, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, News, Surf

Surfing just has that “cool factor.” Photo: Kenny Morris//World Surf League “Cool is spent. Cool is empty. Cool is ex post facto. When advertisers and pundits hoard a word, you know it’s time to retire from it…I want to suggest, therefore, that we begin to avoid...