The founder of Ron Jon Surf Shop, Ron DiMenna, died on Sept. 6, the company announced Sunday. He was 88 years old.
Sad day. Spent many a day, in the summer, at this place. Of course, back in the 70’s it was much smaller. I discovered Sex Wax there, rented dune buggies and of course the T-Shirts were bad a$$. I didn’t care for the massive growth, to be honest. It was a charming, local Cocoa Beach spot for many years, early on. Like everything, it became a tourist trap.
When I married my wife Sharon I bought a backyard pool sign that read “A big kahuna lives here with his surfer girl”. Still have it to this day.
DiMenna founded the company by selling surfboards from the trunk of his car in 1959. He opened a small Ron Jon Surf Shop in 1961 on Long Beach Island on the New Jersey Shore. Two years later, he moved to Florida and opened a small Ron Jon surf shack with a dirt floor at Canaveral Pier.
Today, the lifestyle-apparel and board-sports-equipment retailer has stores in seven locations in Florida, including Cocoa Beach and Key West, in addition to its original location in New Jersey. There are additional stores in Maryland, Alabama and South Carolina.
