I ran into Wade (the owner) in the water down here about a week ago and he said they’ve already opened up the shop.
Scott- Just wondering if this has had any effect on F.F&F ?
Marc
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Scott- Just wondering if this has had any effect on F.F&F ?
that was my first thought when i saw this thread.
Oh Yes I would like to personally welcome ted wilson and crew(wade manager) to ventura it is a pleasure to have you here. welcome the chain store to town. can’t get Resin Research at fb, can’t get Walker at fb, and all my material suppliers have been very helpful .
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Scott- Just wondering if this has had any effect on F.F&F ?
Marc
kind of seems a little tactless to ask that here.
Yes, Wade is a very nice and helpful guy. He was very open to questions the first time i walked in the SB location. He’s helped me and my buddy with some fin boxes and fcs installs as well one on one which was a great experience cuz i all i had known at that point was what i had seen on a couple dvds. If anyone has been to the new location, it’s a rather large warehouse when most of the blanks are stored and a front kind of showroom-esque area where you have your fins and such. The place is like 5x larger than the SB location, but now it’s not within biking distance from my house. Oh well, i may as well pop into Harbor Freight and the 99 cent store when i go down there now. But i get my RR from FF&F. Support them both if you can in my opinion.
P.S. From the 101, take the telephone exit west (south) to transport. A right on transport and an immediate left.
FWIW Scott at Fins, Foam & Fiberglass has kicked in some nice stuff to help us out at Swaylocks raffle. It would be nice if some of us around here supported one of the generous sponsors.
I second that: Support the brother that supports us, Swaylocks. Theres only been a few guys in the retail / mfg world that have reached out to us in Swaylock world, FFF, Segway, Lockbox, Probox, Resin R. are ones that jump to the head of the class. I’m probably missing a few more,… take care of these guys, they take care of us.
-Jay
I second your second (is that a 3rd or a 4th? thruster or quad?) Anyway FFF is a nice shop, carries good stuff, and I will keep going there whenever I’m in town. Thanks Scott for being a Swaylocker and supporting the cause!
scott just got some really interesting blanks from walker-shortboard with perimeter stringers and high density foam rails and longboards with some cool stringer layouts and colored high density foam stringers-not exactly new but different.he’s always thinking of the little things that could bring about improvements, however slight…
Gigi from the Honolulu store transfered to the Ventura shop. She is the best. All the board builders on Oahu loved her because she knew her stuff. She would also turn us on to the best deals on partial rolls…
Our loss your gain.
Aloha,
D
I had no intention to “ruffle any feathers” here. It’s just an honest question with no hidden agenda.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been buying supplies from Scott since he opened and have been referring everyone I know to him. Scott’s been providing top of the line products and service from the beginning. And like he said, he’s the only one that sells Resin Research materials which are far supperior to other epoxies that I’ve tried.
Scott- Sorry if this thread came out “tactless”, it wasn’t meant to be.
Marc
One of the sad realities for Fiberglass Hawaii in Santa Barbara was the over priced rents. It is easy to say that both suppliers go the extra yard to serve their customers well. They will probably get more than twice the space for the same $. It’s also easy to say that Wade at Fiberglass Hawaii helps out the swaylocks crew up here. Hopefully there is enough room for everyone, but to pit one against the other on this forum is lacking. Why not just call the guy up and ask him? It’s so fitting that they don’t sell all of the same products. Good luck to both businesses!!
You’re taking this all out of context. If you think that I’m pitting one business against the other, you’re very wrong. It was just an honest question with no intention of stirring things up. This is a surfboard design forum, which seems to me to be the right place to ask such questions. Especially since the introduction of a new supply company does affect local boardbuilders.
It also appears that the person that is lacking is the one that is making more out of this than it truly is. Like I’ve said before, lighten up.
And just so we’re clear about this. I have nothing against F.H. or F.F.&F. Both have provided quality service and products over the years. And Wade and Scott have helped me out numerous times for which I’m very grateful. I do agree with you on this one; “It’s so fitting that they don’t sell all of the same products. Good luck to both businesses!!”
no worries mates I will not be going anywhere, not afraid of the corp giants! I have a good core customer base that supports me and appreciate what I do for them.
I’m not getting riled over this; I just read it wondering if you ever thought about how it might be perceived?
Really, you’re just asking Scott how Fiberglass Hawaii’s move to Ventura is affecting him. Do you really need to hear who likes who better?
It’s not really a fair shake, is it?
Walker foam and RR are not everyone choice either. A lot of those walkers were rejects anyway.
So now we’re getting somewhere. No? Or, should we not talk about competitors?
Rejects that kept putting food on the table for many shapers that could not get any foam to continue there craft .
Scott’s always been a heads-up guy and yes, hustled and get product when no one else had any. Besides, I love his choice of music, playing in his shop!
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Oh Yes I would like to personally welcome ted wilson and crew(wade manager) to ventura it is a pleasure to have you here. welcome the chain store to town. can’t get Resin Research at fb, can’t get Walker at fb, and all my material suppliers have been very helpful .
What’s more important is what kind of hardship Fiberglass Hawaii went through after Clark Foam went belly up? What was it like during the last 11 months? How did all of those guys survive? It’s humbling being run out of your own town. Work force rental space is becoming a thing of the past.
The landlord for the old Alpha Thrift store space wants $40,000.00 / month for it. New Chapala Street spaces are for sale for $700.00 / sq. foot.
Check out the freeway in the morning / evening commutes.
Well they should not have put all there eggs in the clark basket as I did not from the beginning. To me what is more important is the hardship it as a sole proprietor it puts on me and my family when these clowns come to town and try to under cut me all the way around the board in attempts to run me out of business in a town I live, work, play, and spend my dollars in. Well any way I think this thread needs to die before something is said that should not be.
I get stuff from FH in Santa Cruz and I’m glad the people there ‘made it through’…when I need that finbox or sanding disk or bottle of tacky, they’re the only one there. And they’ve been there for me in a nice way, usually.
That said, it was pretty f*&^ing tough going in there on Blank Monday and seeing that 12 or so blanks were already marked “Tyler H” (who had never even shopped there but had apparently been working the phones) and they were all the 10’1"Y’s and 9’10"H’s that I liked so much…I (as a small time guy ) got NADA. ZILCH. I was there, with cash, with a prior purchasing history, looking at 50 longboard blanks or more in the racks…and I didn’t rate. The official line was “We don’t know what’s going on yet”. Fine…my official line was, “I have money right here. You know me. Obviously some guys are buying this stuff - sell me a blank. All I want is a couple…I’m here RIGHT NOW.” But no.
I know Scott well enough to know that I never would have seen or heard something like that in his shop.
Epac - I hear you. Maybe this thread belongs in “Industry Talk”. But lots & lots of garage & even small shop guys read this forum first…Industry Talk is good, but sometimes irrelevant to 95% of the Sways membership… and (since I have absolutely nothing to gain economically from doing so) I’ll step up for Scott any day of the week…its a plug, sure, but an honest (no $$ involved) one.
I hope they both succeed, don’t get me wrong. Every board built domestically is a victory for people making a living at it, many of whom are friends of mine. FGH has always filled a niche that nobody else could touch…
But then there are the guys who have a one-off idea and truly go above & beyond. And that’s where you’ll find FF&F. All I can say for guys in the area, is check FF&F first and buy your crap there if they have what you need. If not, go down the road…