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Ossies Surf Shop was started in 1998 on the headland at Otter Rock. The name “Ossie” came from the original owners son, whom the shop was named after. For two consecutive summers Ossies Surf Shop at Otter Rock provided surf rentals, espresso, and ceramic pottery to the visitors of Newport, Lincoln City and surrounding areas. Otter Rock has long been knows as a great summer surf spot. Otter Rock gained notoriety in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest as a result of an annual longboarding contest called “The Cowabunga Classic”. Today Otter Rock is known as the Wakkii of the central Oregon coast, a great place for beginners and experienced surfers alike to enjoy the Pacific Ocean swells year round.
In September of 2000 Dan Hasselschwert started a middle school surfing club at Waldport Middle School. While looking for equipment for the middle school kids Dan met the owners of Ossies Surf Shop:
“When I met Jason and Pam, the original owners of Ossies at Otter Rock, they were not planning on operating their Otter Rock surf shop the following summer. They had about 30 wetsuits, 10 surfboards, and a few bodyboards in their garage that were collecting dust. Jason and Pam agreed to allow the middle school surfing club use their equipment. At that same time my girlfriend Kelly (Mosbacher) had just graduated from Western Oregon University. She was looking for a summer job while waiting for her teaching license. Kelly and I came up with the idea of renting surfboards for the summer. Kelly liked the idea of making her own hours and working for herself . We sat down and ran some scenarios to try and decide if the surfboard rental idea would be successful. After careful consideration we decided to open Ossies Surf Shop at Agate Beach.
For those of you who visited Ossies Surf Shop at Agate Beach during that first summer, you remember our bare bones start. We had a 400 sq. ft. area with 10 surfboards, 8 bodyboards, and 25 wetsuits. There was a display case full of surf wax and a cash register, nothing else. Kelly and I had originally planned on operating the surf shop for one summer, until Kelly got a teaching job, then we planned on spending our summers traveling and surfing. The response from the community towards Ossies Surf Shop was incrediible! Our little surf rental operation far exceeded our original expectations and customers started requesting more than just rentals. In an effort to meet our customers demands we started to carry leashes, booties, gloves, and wetsuits. As the summer progressed we continued to bring in new products. This continues to this day. Today Ossies Surf Shop offers everything you need for an Oregon Surfing experience. Our customers range from beginners looking for surfing lessons or surf rentals to Oregon coast born and raised locals who have been surfing Agate Beach and Otter Rock for 20 years.
The owners and employees of Ossies Surf Shop sincerely appreciate all of the community support we have received, and we try to give back to the community whenever possible. Some of the ways we have given back to the community are by starting middle school surf clubs, giving free surfing lessons and 75% off rentals for the surfing clubs at Newport And Waldport Middle School, a free middle school surf contest, donations to Boosters Club, donations to Newport High Cheerleaders and more. We look forward to being a positive part of the community that has been so positive toward us now and in the future. Ossies Surf Shop at Agate Beach in Newport Oregon, the best place to surf on the central Oregon Coast, thanks you for your support yesterday, today, and in the future.
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