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University students
By Rosemarie Bernardo
can grab the grades
and a surfboard
Star-BulletinThe University of Hawai'i at Manoa is best known as a place of study, but its OK to slack once in a while. Between classes, students can actually shop.
The University Surf Shop, at the Campus Center, offers popular logo brands such as Faith, Hurley, Da Kine and Billabong in items from backpacks to surfwear to floral-print slippers.
"We try to push Faith more than anything else," said store owner Tony Moniz.
The logo name Faith comes from Moniz's Christian beliefs. A pro surfer and five-year owner of the wholesale enterprise Faith Riding Co., Moniz wanted to expand his business when he decided to open a retail surf shop in January 1999.
"It's convenient for the kids," said store manager Bobby Olmstead. They don't have to hunt for park- ing and they can come in between classes, he said.
T-shirts, hats and board shorts are among the shop's top sellers. Used surfboards, sold on consignment, usually go for $100 to $300. And sunscreen and surfboard wax are also sold here.
Billabong bags and sterling silver necklaces and bracelets are some of the accessories available for women. Prices are comparable to any surf shop.
New students discover the store at the beginning of each semester when they have to validate their student identification cards at a nearby office, said Olmstead.
The store is busiest around Valentine's Day and Christmas, when the studious don't have time to scour the island for presents. Instead, they stop in for last-minute gifts, said Olmstead.
The University Surf Shop is at Campus Center Room 213, 2465 Campus Road. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Call 941-7873.
We love high culture -- theatre, dance, music cinema --
but weekends are also made for shopping. Shopping Fanatic
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