A package arrived at my door in the normal way. I saw just the shadow of the mailman descending the driveway as I opened the door to retrieve it. I sat alone at the kitchen table in the afternoon sun to open the box. Inside were tshirts and related swag from Steezy Surfer. Now, I’m a fan of getting packages in the mail, so I’m fairly experienced with the process; Never in all my years of ordering have I received such well-scented goods. The shirts smelled the way one imagines a  preppy head shop on the beach might smell, also vaguely reminiscent of the way I remember the liner notes of my Madonna Like a Prayer smelling when I was in Junior High (oh how I miss the days of scented liner notes).

I buried my face in these soft, scented shirts and thought, “I must possess this smell.” So I immediately emailed Josh Krokenberger, the owner over at Steezy Surfer and implored him to release to me the secret origins of this magical scent. He wouldn’t budge, but he assured me that every shirt gets a quick spray prior to shipping so another whiff was always just an order away.

Krokenberger is all about details. From limited runs to thank you notes and freebies, Steezy Surfer is all about community. And in the era of big corporate brands with big corporate price tags, Steezy’s local surf shop feel is a definite draw. Add to this comfy, well-designed, American-made shirts that fit right, and you have all the trappings of a successful surf brand.

Krokenberger got tired of dropping dough on big name surf brands. He had a dream of starting his own, so he did. I’m all about chasing the dream. It’s hard work to build a brand and Steezy Surfer is just now laying their foundation. The company has plans to do some major collaborations with surf-inspired artists and hopes to be wholesaling to our local shops soon. One day you might even find yourself walking into a shiny, well-scented Steezy Surfer retail store.

Growing a company that’s branding is inextricably tied to personal attention is a complicated business (trust me, KCD LLC has been struggling with this for years) but I trust that young Krokenberger (he’s only 20) has what it takes to navigate this difficult territory. In the meantime, let’s support one of our own and buy some Steezy Surfer apparel, shall we?

You can purchase the shirts I’m wearing here and more  at steezysurfer.com and look for new designs this November. Worksurfkatrina readers get 20% off with the code: KATRINA. Who knows, you may someday even find a shirt designed by yours truly (if I can get Josh to hand over that secret scent, that is).

Chase the dream, guys, chase the dream.

Also, special shout out to my amazing photographer Scott Braun over at soulovisual.com for the new photoset… more to come. Stay tuned this week to hear all about how Isaac and the other men in my life are treating me.