In Pensacola, when surf culture was just becoming a recognizable part of the city’s identity, there was a small group of young surfers figuring it out for themselves, driven by a passion for the water and a willingness to build something from scratch. This week, Waterboyz celebrates 37 years, and that same spirit of grit and creativity still defines what the brand has become today.
At the center of that movement is Sean Fell, founder of Waterboyz, a business that has grown from a garage operation into one of the most unique surf and skate shops in the region. More than three decades later, Waterboyz is not just a shop. It is a reflection of persistence, adaptation, and a deep-rooted connection to the community it serves.
A Gulf Breeze Upbringing and the Birth of “The Water Boyz”
Sean Fell grew up in Gulf Breeze, immersed in a tight-knit surf community that would ultimately shape the direction of his life. Alongside a core group of friends like Kaipo, Dano, Mike, Paul, Ed, Brent, Matt, Joe, and Brandon, surfing was not just something they did, it was who they were.
“We were kind of like a little gang,” Sean recalls. “But we didn’t do bad things, we just surfed and had a lot of fun.”
The group came from different places. Some were locals, while others came from as far as Hawaii, California, and Mississippi. Many were part of the same surf team, competing together, pushing each other, and eventually living together during their college years.
After briefly pursuing a path toward dental school, Sean made a decision that would define his life. He walked away from that track and began shaping surfboards by hand at home. What started as a personal project quickly gained traction as friends began asking him to make boards for them.
“We were already writing WBZ on all of our boards,” he says. “That was our brand.”
What began as a group identity turned into a business idea, and Sean decided to go all in.
The Gregory Street Era: Wholesale Roots and a Community Hub
The original vision for Waterboyz was not retail, it was wholesale. In the early years, Sean focused on building surfboards and selling them to shops up and down the East Coast, even reaching markets in Texas, Puerto Rico, and California. As demand grew, so did the operation, eventually moving from the garage into a warehouse space on Gregory Street, across from the library, where the business operated from roughly 1991 to 1995.
That space marked a turning point. With more room to work, Waterboyz expanded beyond surfboards, bringing T-shirt production and screen printing in-house. To help support the business, they also began printing for local restaurants and businesses, adding another layer to the operation.
Eventually, they introduced a small retail component, giving locals direct access to their products.
But what truly made the Gregory Street location special had nothing to do with sales. In the back of the warehouse, they built a half pipe skate ramp. Originally, this ramp was only for employees. At the time, Pensacola had no skateparks, so word spread quickly. Kids began showing up, then more kids followed. Before long, parents were dropping their children off just to skate.
“It wasn’t even open to the public,” Sean says. “But people found out, and it just happened.”
The space organically became a gathering place, a collision of surf and skate culture that did not exist anywhere else in the city at the time.
Cordova Mall: Taking Waterboyz to the Next Level
By 1995, Waterboyz moved its retail operation into Cordova Mall. The shop was tucked into a unique location at the very end of the mall, next to Montgomery Ward, in a long, narrow space that many retailers overlooked. The store had a back door that led directly to the parking lot, and that detail made all the difference.
While Waterboyz benefited from mall traffic, its core customers, local surfers and skaters, could come and go without ever stepping into the mall itself.
“We didn’t really want to be in the mall,” Sean admits. “But we liked the traffic, and the back door made it work.”
It was a strategic balance between exposure and authenticity, and it worked.
Seeing the Future Before It Arrived
While many retailers were still thriving in traditional storefronts, Sean was already thinking ahead. He saw the internet coming.
In the early 2000s, well before e-commerce became standard, Waterboyz launched an online store and uploaded its inventory, becoming one of the first surf shops to do so.
“We were one of the very first surf shops to have all of our inventory online,” Sean says.
For a time, it worked. Online sales grew steadily between 2001 and 2004. But as larger companies entered the space with bigger advertising budgets, competition became increasingly difficult.
Still, the move proved something important. Sean was not just reacting to change, he was anticipating it.
Growth, Expansion, and the Weight of It All
As the business evolved, so did its footprint.
Waterboyz expanded beyond the mall, opening a second location in Gulf Breeze near Walmart, while also relocating its Pensacola retail presence to a space near Target. At the same time, Sean maintained a separate warehouse operation for surfboard production and screen printing.
At one point, he was managing three locations at once.
“It was a lot of traveling,” he says.
It was growth, but it came with pressure. Managing multiple operations, dealing with staffing challenges, and maintaining consistency across locations began to take a toll.
2007: A Reset and a New Vision
After Hurricane Ivan left parts of Pensacola damaged, an opportunity emerged. Sean acquired a vacant antique mall that had been heavily impacted by the storm. In 2007, he moved all Waterboyz operations into that single location, creating something entirely new.
The concept was simple. Retail in the front, a skatepark in the back, and surfboard production on-site.
“I wanted to create something that was more than just a retail store,” Sean says.
The result was a hybrid space that combined retail, experience, and community into one destination that gave people a reason to come in, stay, and connect.
Surviving the Crash and the Oil Spill
Just as things began to stabilize, the challenges kept coming.
The 2009 economic downturn hit, followed closely by the BP oil spill in 2010. These were two major blows to a coastal business tied closely to tourism and discretionary spending.
“It was like one after the other,” Sean says.
Sales dropped, and uncertainty grew, but Waterboyz survived, largely thanks to its early investment in online sales and its ability to adapt.
It was not easy, but it forced Sean to think differently about the future.
A Risk That Changed Everything: Cafe Single Fin
As online competition began to eat into retail margins, Sean knew something had to change.
Drawing from his background in the restaurant industry, he made a decision that many advised against. He added food.
With the skate park already in the back, there had been a small snack bar, but this would be something entirely different.
In 2015, Waterboyz opened Cafe Single Fin.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” he says. “It was kind of a Hail Mary.”
That risk paid off. Today, the café accounts for nearly half of the business, bringing in a completely new audience, including people who may have never set foot in a surf shop otherwise.
Their food is intentional, with whole and healthy choices and a focus on quality, locally sourced ingredients. The café partners with a local produce company and food wholesaler, while its coffee comes from a local roaster that sources beans from organic farms. The menu avoids fried foods and seed oils, instead using cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and offers a wide range of vegan options and substitutions to accommodate a variety of lifestyles.
Over the past decade, the café has had several head chefs, making the menu a true group effort. Many of the original menu ideas were inspired by the foods Sean and his team experienced and loved during their surf trip travels, bringing those flavors back to Pensacola.
Cafe Single Fin has transformed Waterboyz from a niche retailer into a true destination.
Looking Ahead
Today, Waterboyz continues to evolve.
There is a renewed focus on growing its online presence, refining its retail experience, and potentially expanding Cafe Single Fin to accommodate increasing demand.
The goal is not just to sell products, it is to build a brand people trust, a brand that represents something bigger than itself.
More Than a Business
At its core, Waterboyz is a reflection of Sean Fell, a business-minded entrepreneur with a deep love for surfing, skateboarding, and the community that surrounds both.
For years, he pushed for a public skatepark in Pensacola, long before one existed, because he knew the city needed it. Today, that vision has become a reality, and the culture he helped nurture continues to grow.
More than anything, Sean has stayed committed to the people, the surfers, the skaters, and the kids who are looking for a place to belong.
As Waterboyz celebrates its 37th anniversary, the story stands as proof that what started in a garage can grow into something that shapes an entire community and continues to welcome the next generation.
