THE BOARD BARN
WE WERE BORN IN AMERICA'S OLDEST SEAPORT, RAISED IN THE ANTIQUE CAPITAL OF NORTH AMERICA AND LIVE IN THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH: CAPE ANN.
Philosophy: Quality Over Quantity, Every Day.
To be stewards of our environments, we have to get out of the consumer mindset. MORE does not equal better. BETTER equals better. We're not a big surf shop with hundreds of boards and 2500 sqft of retail space to fill. We never will be and we have embraced that. Each and every single brand and item is thoughtfully selected by us.
We carry multiple certified B-corporations, climate neutral brands, and small makers.
We're proud of the antique history in Essex and Gloucester's working harbors. Craftsmanship abounds here and we wanted to keep that spirit alive. Thus, the barn has a unique blend of paddle and surf-specific inventory sprinkled with a couple of not-so-ordinary, one-of-a-kind items. All of which are hand selected and things that "speak" to us. We hope they "speak" to you too.
Well-known, quality, brands: Almond Surfboards, Hobie SUP, Kialoa Paddles, Xcel Wetsuits, Robert August Surfboards, Pulse SUP, Jetty, IMSY Swimwear, HydroFlask, etc.
For any of you history nerds out there, here's some history on the building: The building sits on the corner of rt 133 and Southern Ave. It dates back 1740 and was moved to its current location in the 1800's. Joshua Burnham (The Burnham's are a big Essex family) owned it in the 1800's. We did a major renovation in the winter of 2020/2021 to give it a real foundation (which it never had) and, in the process, we got ourselves a new board room and more ceiling height! Many locals still refer to it as "Joshua's Corner" or "Burnham's Corner." We have a framed invoice signed by Joshua Burnham himself in the early 1900's when he ran a "general jobbing" business... whatever that means. For more on Essex, visit: visitessexma.com
“Thanks for being awesome! Super excited about my new board!”