The first shop I taught for had a decrepit, white Chevy van. Actually it used to be white; it had about as much white paint left on it as I have on me right now. It was a sad sight,…
Greg LasloJanuary 23, 2009
Between dives, get them talking about other trips and classes they have been a part of. You don't want to do all the talking, but it will be to your advantage to make sure the topics of the day are…
Donna AskewJanuary 21, 2009
We are a full-service dive shop serving Western New York State. That's the area near Buffalo -- we're 21 minutes south of Buffalo in Derby, New York. Point Breeze Dive Shop has been in business since 1970. Tony Anderson is…
Carole BloomquistJanuary 15, 2009
Robert Burns's well-known poem ends with the wish that we could see ourselves as others see us. What do you think customers would say about your store? Does the quality of your store match the quality of the equipment you're…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 14, 2009
It's a pretty good bet that if you gave us a list of topics that you would like to see covered in this magazine, an article about gift cards would be way at the bottom of your list, if at…
Barry K. ShusterJanuary 13, 2009
Take a look at the surf and ski industries. If you attended the surf expo that was going on next to the DEMA Show when it was held in Orlando a number of years back, you were struck that surfboards…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 13, 2009
I am going to open this article by making a rather brash statement: No one has ever walked into or called a dive store wanting to learn to scuba dive. When I say this in dive centers, I usually get…
Mike HillJanuary 12, 2009
Most people would agree that dive retailing really got its start in the early 1950s. Until that point, diving had not been a recreational activity. Throughout that decade, though, sport diving began to grow, aided by the publication of books…
Edward ReidelJanuary 12, 2009
Con ed provides fees and add-on sales such as manuals and ancillary gear, including dive lights and underwater photography equipment. But it doesn't stop there. Divers with advanced training are more likely to buy equipment and travel. And given the…
Alex BrylskeJanuary 12, 2009
