PEOPLE | CULTURE | HAPPENINGS
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Roy Tuner in 1980, two years after opening Surf City Surf Shop in Wrightsville Beach.
20
WBM
ONY BUTLER well remembers his first exposure to Wrightsville Beach surf-ing
culture.
“I was a 13-year-old country boy who had just moved to the beach,”
he says. “I walked into this surf shop, and this voice comes out of
nowhere and says, ‘Let me know if I can help with anything.’”
The voice belonged to Roy Turner. He extended the invitation to everyone who walked
through the doors, from teenage wannabes to experienced wave riders. The sentiment
went well beyond helping a customer find merchandise. It was a genuine offer to help
anyone interested in becoming part of the local surfing scene.
“I always tried to treat everyone like we’re equals, whether you are a 13-year-old look-ing
for a surfboard or a 30-year-old,” Turner says. “All I tried to do is set a good example
and then be there for them. That’s what you do in a community.”
december 2017
T
COURTESY OF ROY TURNER
Roy Turner created a swell at Wrightsville Beach
Building a Surfing
Community
By SIMON GONZALEZ