Surf's always up at McKevlin's

Manager serious when it comes to riding waves

Edward Fennell
The Post and Courier

Mark Gasque, general manager of McKevlin's Surf Shop, checks out one of the nearly 500 surf boards the shop keeps in stock.

Edward Fennell
The Post and Courier

Mark Gasque, 43, general manager of McKevlin's Surf Shop at Folly Beach, pressure watches some signage on the side of the building.

A sign on the side of Mc-Kevlin's Surf Shop at Folly Beach reads "Pop Outs" with a big red "no" insignia stamped over the lettering.

Translated, the sign means no machine-hewn, cheapo, cookie-cutter surfboards are sold there, McKevlin's Surf Shop General Manager Mark Gasque said.

It also might be said that Gasque is not a cookie- cutter businessman. A former machine and equipment operator for the city of Charleston for 20 years, the 43-year-old Gasque once dug 6-foot pits "so phone company repairmen could work comfortably." He has worked as a lumberjack and a surveyor "and at a few other places."

A McKevlin's employee for nine years, Gasque does just about anything and everything necessary to keep the business going. His duties include not only managing up to eight employees at a time, but also hand-finishing and repairing surfboards. On the day he was interviewed, he was pressure washing the sides of the building.

"Anyone who works here pretty much has to be a jack-of-all-trades," he said.

The shop carries wet suits, swimsuits, flip-flops, sunglasses, skateboards, skim and boogie boards, and anything you might need for the beach. Up to 500 surfboards are in stock at any time, and the store has a section for women's apparel and accessories.

"Girl surfing has exploded," Gasque said. "It's not a guy sport as much as some guys would like to think it is."

The surf shop was found-ed in 1965 by Dennis McKevlin, whose support for surfing and those who love it helped him get elected to Folly Beach City Council, and one of the councilman's sons, Teddy.

Teddy moved on to other enterprises and Dennis McKevlin died in 2005. The shop now is owned by Dennis' son, Timothy.

Gasque was a surfing enthusiast long before he ever thought about working for a surf shop, and said he occasionally has time to enjoy the sport. "Everybody who works here surfs," he said.

McKevlin's has served hundreds of thousands of customers over more than four decades. "We turn (sell) about 1,000 (surf) boards a year," Gasque said. He said customers come not only from all over the Lowcountry but from all parts of the U.S. and even abroad.

"We had a couple here from Holland," he said about a recent encounter.

Gasque enjoys meeting other surfers and sharing information and experiences about the sport and the making and maintenance of surfboards. "I love this job," he said, "Not too many people can say they love their job."

Asked what he dislikes, Gasque mentioned those unmentionable words again: "pop outs." He said pop outs, which he described as low quality, mass-produced machine-molded and shaped boards that are invading American beaches from China and Europe, are pushing out time-tested, hand-hewn, custom boards made in America.

"Corporations are taking over surfboards," he lamented. "You will end up with only five models," not the endless varieties created by local craftsmen to best serve individual surfer's needs, he said.

He said imported surfboards provide a poor-quality ride, and they don't hold up well to wear and "dings."

Folly Beach businessman Richard McIntosh, who frequents McKevlin's, described Gasque as a great guy and superb businessman. "He's overly qualified. He could run a Fortune 500 company," McIntosh said.

Gasque brushed off the compliment and said he's content to stay just where he is. "Being happy is more important than how much money you make," he said.

Reach Edward C. Fennell at efennell@postandcourier.com or 745-5560.