DATE: Monday, September 1, 1997             TAG: 9708310089

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  103 lines

SKATE SHOP KEEPS BUSINESS IN LINE BEACH OUTFIT STRESSES CUSTOMERR SERVICE TO STAY ONE STEP AHEAD.

Don and Pinky Drew had to tend to their babies behind the counter while ringing up surfboard sales. Even then, Don did part-time stints - everything from substitute typing teacher to Fed-Ex delivery man - so the couple could eke by.

``I didn't even know how to type,'' Don said, laughing.

Eight years later, the Drews have built one of the more successful mom-and-pop businesses at the Oceanfront: Corner 24 Surf Shop, which sells everything from the grungiest ``carpet'' sandals to the speediest in-line skates.

Their secret?

The husband-and-wife team adheres to a few simple concepts that have kept their business thriving amid cutthroat competition and high failure rates among surf shops. Their strategies, honed over the years, mirror those of other healthy, independent retailers.

In 1989, the Drews opened their first store in the old city firehouse at the corner of 24th Street and Pacific Avenue. But it took seven years before they felt comfortable opening a second shop - this one located in Virginia Beach's Great Neck community. The second store focuses more on in-line skates and skateboard equipment.

Pinky, who buys much of the merchandise, chooses cautiously. She likes things that teeter dangerously on the edge, which is what her young customers crave. But she'll only buy a few items at a time to test her shoppers' tolerance.

If customers snatch them off the shelves, she can re-order. But if they gag at her choices, she'll have only a few pairs of sandals, shorts or T-shirts to get out of the store.

She calls these bad sellers her ``dogs.'' ``Everybody has them,'' she said, staring disappointingly at a pair of yellow plastic sandals. ``If it doesn't work out, you mark it down and sell it quickly.''

The owners also have focused on several areas - in-line skating, skateboards and high-end body boards. Long ago, they decided to stick with these niche markets, even if rivals attempted to move in.

The owners' cautious choices paid off in 1993 with the explosion of in-line skating. By then, the Drews had an edge. Already, they had instructed their staff not only to sell Rollerblades and other skates, but also to make repairs and provide detailed advice.

Today, shoppers can rent in-line skates, buy used pairs or purchase new ones. They can also expect employees to be well-versed in in-line skating lingo and experienced in changing wheels and brakes.

Some of the Drews' competitors have dropped out of the in-line skating market. Wave Riding Vehicles, a large Oceanfront outlet, jumped into the arena but dumped the products after six months.

Selling in-line skates took too much effort, so managers at Wave Riding Vehicles decided to return to their core business, store manager Cullen Murphy said.

``In-line skates - that's where they really seem to do well,'' Murphy said of the Drews. ``I have no problem sending them business.''

Employee Patrick Ablang can immediately tell his customers which wheels will give them the fastest ride on in-line skates. He's expected to know this, since the Drews hired him for his know-how.

Ablang said the owners keep employees on their toes by sending them to clinics and demonstrations. The company's four full-time and six part-time workers also are expected to try out sample products and give their reactions to the owners.

The owners, however, steer away from hiring full-timers until they've worked limited weekly hours at the store for a long time. As for part-timers, the Drews recruit them from the community.

``We call it the Farm Team,'' Pinky Drew said. ``We know their parents, their GPAs. Within four years, they might be working full-time''

This tactic also has a side benefit: little, if any, employee theft.

On a recent summer afternoon, a shirtless surfer speckled with sand wandered into Corner 24. Inside, a pack of high-school teens cracked jokes, skated through the store and chatted with employees.

It's the kind of clientele that mall security guards might frown upon. But at Corner 24, customers come in fully clothed or almost naked, on feet or on wheels, grunged out or preppy.

The Drews take youths seriously, soliciting their recommendations and giving a few free stickers to regulars. They have good reason: teens are their main customers.

``Most people try to sell you what they think you should have - not what you think you should have,'' Pinky Drew said. ``You've got to listen to the kids.''

In return for their spent dollars, young skaters and surfers expect the Drews to hire knowledgeable employees and carry merchandise that meets their needs. Without these qualities, any retailer may find its shoppers to be unforgiving.

For example, Roger Fogg, a 16-year-old who likes to in-line skate, says he was disgusted when staffers at a new sporting goods superstore in Chesapeake stared blankly at him.

``None of us liked it,'' said Fogg, referring to his in-line skating friends. ``You couldn't talk to anyone. And they didn't know what they were talking about.''

But Fogg seems pleased to take his business to Corner 24. And the Drews don't seem to mind, either, even smiling as the sociable teen joined them for a photograph of the business owners.

``We're regulars,'' Fogg said. ``We buy stuff. We talk.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Don and Pinky Drew...

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