Two businesses, one location – all the summer fun

A long time surfing instructor and a new full-service concierge have teamed up to bring the Cape Region a one-stop shop for all things related to fun in the sun.

Opened Memorial Day weekend, Rehoboth Beach Surf Boarding School and Coastal Beach Services are sharing a building on the Forgotten Mile in Rehoboth Beach.

“I’ve been looking for a place for a long, long time,” said Pete Zabowski, Rehoboth Beach Surf Boarding School owner, who offers lessons as far south as Bethany Beach.

Coastal Beach Services is a full-service concierge with an extensive collection of rental equipment. The business will help plan events and rent virtually anything a person going to the beach might need.

“We were both talking to the landlord at the same,” said Kevin Craig, Coastal Beach Services owner. “It made sense to split the space. We really complement each other.”

The businesses are located on the Forgotten Mile, 20717 Coastal Highway, in Rehoboth Beach Plaza. The building’s most recent tenant was Pottery Place, but for the past few seasons it’s been vacant.

Zabowski said the building is perfectly located for both operations. He said it gives Boarding School clients a centralized location to park, and it gives Coastal Beach Services a good point to distribute from.

Zabowski said he’s been surfing since he was 15, learning, he said, on the northside of the Indian River Inlet. He said he started teaching over a decade ago while working at Rehoboth’s Quiet Storm and his life has revolved around surfing ever since.

“I’ve traveled all over the world surfing,” he said, listing Puerto Rico and Hawaii as places he’s lived chasing waves. “Most of my vacation time has revolved around surfing.”

In addition to surfing, Zabowski offers other water activities, including stand-up paddling, and kayak tours and rentals. He said he and his staff offer tours of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, Trap Pond and Little Assawoman Canal.

Craig said he’s been operating the concierge service on a much smaller scale out of his garage for the past couple of years, with clients mostly coming through word of mouth or through his contracting business, KC Home Improvements. He said it was time for the service to expand because there’s a need for a service like this in the Cape Region.

It’s hard to remember, or fit everything in the car when packing for vacation, he said. Coastal Beach Services will be a one-stop shop for all the stuff needed to make trips less stressful and more enjoyable.

Coastal Beach Services is also offering wedding preparation services. Craig’s business partner Karyn Anen, director of sales and marketing, will be in charge of this service. Anen said planning a wedding can be stressful for people who don’t know the area or the vendors to contact.

“They need a local person to find reliable, first-class service,” she said.

Craig said the hours of operation through the month of June will be noon to 7 p.m., Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday through Sunday. Come July, he said, they’ll be open seven days a week.

For more information on the RB Board School go to rbsurf.school or call 302-745-5804. For more information on Coastal Beach Services go to coastalbeachservices.com or call 302-270-0169.