A new surf shop opens in Rochester. Yes, Rochester. Neon Wave will move to Victor in January. (August 6, 2018) Shawn Dowd, @sdowdphoto
Surfing in the Rochester region? It’s not as far fetched as you may think.
Fred Rainaldi Jr., developer of the Culver Road Armory and High Point in Victor, recently turned his love of surfing and snowboarding into a retail concept called Neon Wave, a lifestyle boutique dedicated to surf and board in the Neighborhood of the Arts at 1328 University Ave.
More: Will surf/snowboards bring retail back to Rochester? It might be the start (April 2018)
Rainaldi, 37, hopes to ride the wave of experiential retail, which he sees as the future. The idea is to offer consumer experiences. He’s investing in a new surf and snowboard shop called Neon Wave, which opened this summer with fashions by popular brands such as Saturdays NYC and Burton snowboards.
But it’s more than just a retail store. It’s a shop where you can consult with experts and have a custom snowboard built. You may also relax and read a book from its extensive library.
The Rochester store is the temporary location of this new concept. Once the 2,100-square-foot shop next to The North Face at HighPoint is completed, the retail portion will move to Victor and the University Avenue location will turn into what Rainaldi calls a laboratory.
HighPoint’s retail space is situated along Route 96 with close access from Interstate 490. It’s in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, an area that Rainaldi seeks to promote.
The development already houses retailers such as Alex & Ani, Olive Garden, and Relax The Spa. Starbucks Café is in one of Victor’s original cobblestone homes built in 1836, and the colonial architecture of the new buildings pays homage to historical Valentown. The anticipated opening of the HighPoint store is January.
The region is rich with resources for outdoor sports enthusiasts, said Rainadi, who grew up surfing on Lake Ontario and snowboarding at Bristol Mountain.
“What’s one of our greatest resources? The Great Lake and Finger Lakes,” he said.
Rainaldi is not the only business owner to recognize the outdoor sporting potential of the market. REI, the company known for outdoors gear, opened last year at CityGate in Rochester.
First in Rochester
The 25,000-square-foot store is the first in the Rochester market. The company selected the Rochester region for expansion due to the level of enthusiasm for outdoor activities such as camping, running and hiking in this area, said manager Emily Copland. The store’s location by the Erie Canal is perfect for outdoor events, she said.
More: Outdoors retailer REI opens at CityGate (August 2017)
The Rochester region is flanked by retailers selling outdoors gear. There’s L.L. Bean at Eastview Mall, The North Face in Victor and EMS at Pittsford Plaza in addition to stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods. Sierra Trading Post opened last year in Henrietta.
L.L. Bean has been very successful since its opening in 2010, said Mike Kauffman, general manager of Eastview Mall. It is a destination store for many shoppers and a benefit to Eastview Mall, he said.
The REI store is also an experiential retail concept where it is a cooperative that enthusiasts join. The staffers at REI are knowledgeable enthusiasts in their fields and will share their expertise.
Reaching enthusiasts
Rainaldi seeks to bring the best experiences and brands to his Neon Wave concept. The lifestyle retailer offers culture camps to help sporting enthusiasts understand surfing in this region. Lake wakeboarding is trending. Surfers may surf behind a boat or ride the waves in season. People interested in the culture camps will find more information at thisisneonwave.com.
“There’s no perfect run,” Rainaldi said. “Every wave is different.”
He’s also bringing in brands that resonate with the surf and board crowd. Saturdays NYC is huge in New York City, where surf enthusiasts head to beaches on Long Island after a long workweek, he said.
He’s also introducing the line Outerknown by surfer Kelly Slater. It’s a luxury line of surf-inspired menswear that’s sustainable, with T-shirts, shorts, as well as button-down shirts.
Being a conduit for consumers through art, education and collaboration is the motto of Neon Wave.
“This is my fuel,” Rainaldi said.
MCHAO@Gannett.com
“A lot of people think we”re nuts. And we are,” Aurelien Bouche-Pillon said about riding the swells of Lake Ontario during a nor’easter. (March 21, 2018) Max Schulte
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