Cottage Industry
I’ve done a lot of driving this holiday weekend. And this is a first, my martini is going down while I write this Letter from Inherent Bummer as opposed to after. So hold on tight, it may get bumpy. Or fun. Who knows! I’m also simultaneously sampling Monday’s 12 Songs playlist from Timo Simmers and he’s really captured my heart so far — think Earl Sweatshirt, Title Fight and Zach Bryan together and it works...will share this with you Monday when we kick back into gear.
During my drives across the state of California the past few days I listened to a lot of podcasts while my daughter listened to David Attenborough narrate Blue Planet in the backseat. This is only noteworthy because I don’t normally listen to podcasts (I prefer to read), but they got me thinking about the big picture of business, culture, life and the arts. And surfing. And how good David Attendorough is at his job.
I thought deeply about our surf world while I drove bleary eyed across the desert, my phone buzzing itself into a dead battery fielding incessant emails about “Black Friday” deals and discounts and spam calls and texts. I haven’t dared open social media for fear of buying something unnecessary.
When I finally got to my inboxes and deleted the discount bargain bins promising happiness and deals, I had to smile. “What good are these sales? The surf industry has been on sale for the last couple years…”
We got too big. Everyone who timed it right cashed out and left us with their hangover. Which is fine, I always take my hangovers with pride. But this shit has been on sale for years. Black Friday is nothing special to the surf industry. We live on sale.
Just this week I changed into my wetsuit listening to my parking lot bros talk about how cheap they all got their wetsuits for last month, deep in a discount bin (all brand new wetties btw). You don’t need black Friday, just go to any surf shop on any given day and quality goods are sitting there on sale because no one is buying the gluttony of shit we made after the “Covid Surf Boom.” That and we’re not currently a “cool” culture. But who cares about that. We all get to surf, regardless of our industry status, we win.
So the reason I’m back home already after some long haul trucking with my family today, is I’m surfing in the first event of the West Coast Boardriders season tomorrow — something I long lauded as “cheesy” and a “way for old guys to never grow up.” But here I am, striking home early from Thanksgiving to shred a few for my adopted team. But I think I came up with a reason why I do this: Because it feels like coming home.
Tomorrow I’ll suit up for my adopted Seal Beach team and try to get them a 7. But mostly I can't wait to say what's up to everyone and talk some shit. Ask ‘em all how much they paid for their wetties.
Happy Thanksgiving, btw. I’m thankful I get to write these every week and you keep opening them. And while I have you, might as well give you a discount after all that (subscribers only, but if you subscribe in the next week you can get it too). Buy a hat or some slides. They're 25 percent off for you. Or don’t, I’ll still be here either way.—Travis Ferré
