Jun 18, 2009 1:01 pm US/Eastern
Orr At The Shore: Ron Jon Surf Shop
Long Beach Island, N.J. (CBS 3) ―
Philly is the home of the cheese-steak.
And down the shore, Long Beach Island is the home of one of the most famous surf shops bearing a world famous logo. We're talking about Ron Jon Surf Shop and it all started in Ship Bottom. CBS 3 Meteorologist Kathy Orr reports from down the shore.
It's a blast from the past here on LBI.
Back in 1959 Jersey boy Ron DiMenna fell in love with surfing.
He bought three custom surf boards from California. Ron sold two outside the family grocery store. The profit from those two boards meant the third board was his for free.
And that was the beginning of "The Original Ron Jon" on LBI.
Ron bought more boards and his business grew. He began selling them from home all year round, even in the snow. Soon Ron was selling surfboards out of a trailer, then from a small surf shop.
Fifty years later the Ron Jon Surf Shop in Ship Bottom is the world's largest surf shop.
You don't have to be a surfer to be a Ron Jon fan. The store sells everything from bathing suits to boogie boards, sand pails to surfboards, lots of accessories and the most popular souvenir of all, the Ron Jon T-shirt bearing that famous logo.
Ron DiMenna doesn't do interviews these days and his business has grown well beyond LBI. Ron Jon stores can be found up and down the east coast.
RELATED LINK:
Ron Jon Surf Shop
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