Our History
I get asked about our history all of the time, so here we go:
The water has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up like a fish, spending as much time in the water as I could. The beaches of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware were my proving grounds. College kept me at the beach, and college graduation took me to sunny San Diego. I'm a SCUBA Diver, wakeboarder, wakesurfer, paddler, and surf a longboard when I get the chance.
As my wetsuit needs grew, I realized that retailers didn't care enough about wetsuits, and the employees were clueless. Go to a surf shop for a surf suit, pick from one small rack, and don't ask any questions. Go to a dive shop for a SCUBA suit, pick from an even smaller rack, and don't ask any questions. That was around 2001, and with the help of some great friends, I started Wetsuit Wearhouse.
Like all great garage startups, the corporate office was my rented bedroom in Pacific Beach, CA. The warehouse was my buddy's (free) storage shed a few miles away. Thanks to our customers, WW quickly grew and we moved from the shed to the upstairs of another friend's greeting card warehouse. Eventually, we landed in a larger warehouse in El Cajon,CA. It even had a kegerator!
In mid-2005 it became apparent that we had to make a move. The business was growing exponentially and so were California's commercial real estate prices. We needed a big and affordable warehouse that was close to a FedEx shipping hub. We have a HUGE East Coast customer base, so my hometown of Hagerstown, MD was a no-brainer. Wetsuit Wearhouse relocated to Maryland in 2006. Unfortunately, the kegerator didn't fit on the truck - that hurt.
Fast forward to the summer of 2012, we picked the hottest week of the year to move into our incredible 21,000 sq/ft warehouse right near the Potomac River in Williamsport, MD. We also opened our first retail shop in the same building.
Wetsuit Wearhouse has grown to be the largest wetsuit specialty shop on the planet! We stock over 25,000 wetsuits and accessories year round, so we've got you covered no matter what! It's been a wild ride and we couldn't do it without our awesome staff and our awesome customers.
Thanks for reading!
Chris Moleskie - Founder, President, and CEO
October 8th, 2015 Update: The kegerator is back! Thanks Grandma for the fridge!
The water has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up like a fish, spending as much time in the water as I could. The beaches of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware were my proving grounds. College kept me at the beach, and college graduation took me to sunny San Diego. I'm a SCUBA Diver, wakeboarder, wakesurfer, paddler, and surf a longboard when I get the chance.
As my wetsuit needs grew, I realized that retailers didn't care enough about wetsuits, and the employees were clueless. Go to a surf shop for a surf suit, pick from one small rack, and don't ask any questions. Go to a dive shop for a SCUBA suit, pick from an even smaller rack, and don't ask any questions. That was around 2001, and with the help of some great friends, I started Wetsuit Wearhouse.
Like all great garage startups, the corporate office was my rented bedroom in Pacific Beach, CA. The warehouse was my buddy's (free) storage shed a few miles away. Thanks to our customers, WW quickly grew and we moved from the shed to the upstairs of another friend's greeting card warehouse. Eventually, we landed in a larger warehouse in El Cajon,CA. It even had a kegerator!
In mid-2005 it became apparent that we had to make a move. The business was growing exponentially and so were California's commercial real estate prices. We needed a big and affordable warehouse that was close to a FedEx shipping hub. We have a HUGE East Coast customer base, so my hometown of Hagerstown, MD was a no-brainer. Wetsuit Wearhouse relocated to Maryland in 2006. Unfortunately, the kegerator didn't fit on the truck - that hurt.
Fast forward to the summer of 2012, we picked the hottest week of the year to move into our incredible 21,000 sq/ft warehouse right near the Potomac River in Williamsport, MD. We also opened our first retail shop in the same building.
Wetsuit Wearhouse has grown to be the largest wetsuit specialty shop on the planet! We stock over 25,000 wetsuits and accessories year round, so we've got you covered no matter what! It's been a wild ride and we couldn't do it without our awesome staff and our awesome customers.
Thanks for reading!
Chris Moleskie - Founder, President, and CEO
October 8th, 2015 Update: The kegerator is back! Thanks Grandma for the fridge!