By J. Lee Austin, MD
When our local Meals on Wheels driver and resident guardian angel named Linda needed a vacation, Kim and I volunteered to give her a much-needed break from her weekly mission of delivering food to the folks in need here on the peninsula. During our orientation ride with her to meet the recipients and learn the route, we discovered how genuinely concerned and committed she is to her people, going well beyond just delivering the food, always asking if they’re doing okay … always sincerely and in warm empathy for their less than optimal circumstances. It was a beautiful thing to behold; we could never thank her enough.

J. Lee is a contributor to Crystal Beach Local News, and is the founder of The Good Help Network, a reader-supported publication.

We knew we couldn’t possibly fill her shoes, but pledged to keep the flow of food going, on the three Fridays of her absence. We were prepared for the challenge of getting the many meals out to homes ranging from Port Bolivar to Gilchrist, when we learned that another couple had stepped up and volunteered to help us split the runs.

Little did we realize the magnitude of our good fortune in having the incomparable Mike and Bella Gilbert not only offer to share the task with us, but to also take the more challenging half of the route. Hugs for life to these guys.

On the final Friday, with the last run done and the satisfaction of successfully completing our mission, the four of us decided to celebrate with lunch at La Playita. It was here that we learned the Gilberts’ terrific story, coincidentally enough on the one year anniversary of their purchase of an iconic Bolivar business, the Latitude 29.2 Surf Shop. (For GPS nerds, the Longitude is 94.4 😉

Coming from a successful career in technology in Houston, the Gilberts adopted Crystal Beach as their new home, luckily for the rest of the peninsula. Founded in 1999, the “Ilander Surf Shop,” as it was known back then, was a very different animal from the store you see today. In the past it was an add-on combination of endeavors, including the surf shop, a convenience store and an auto repair/tire store.

Theirs was a Herculean task, but they had a vision. With heaping helpings of physical work, long hours and monetary investment (aka blood, sweat and tears), they converted the medley of businesses into a strikingly beautiful retail experience that would not be out of place in any cosmopolitan setting anywhere. Beverly Hills eat your heart out. Not literally, that would just be weird.

They took a shop that had a reputation for never being open, to one that took pride in being open for business all day, every day, all year round. As a vital part of the transformation, they carried an outdated inventory out the door and brought in a contemporary and dazzling array of apparel, shoes, beachy decorations, jewelry, surfboards and so much more … you can find everything from booming Turtlebox speakers to $1,000 Megaladon teeth. Actually they are out of these at the moment, thanks to an avid collector who bought all 5 pieces of their inventory. Note to self: bone up on ancient fossil investing.

Photo by Jacqueline Martinez on Unsplash

As if that’s not enough, they also provide surfboards, paddle boards and kayaks for rent right on the beachfront. They’re like Fun Central for Crystal Beach.

While you’re in the store viewing the merchandise, take a moment to appreciate the way they have decorated the interior and managed to build gorgeous display cases, shelves and racks, most of it custom and hand-made on site. Much of it is light natural wood, which imbues the shop with a clean, congenial ambiance. Mike’s eye for building beauty is truly impressive and Bella’s choice of product lines is top shelf. For non-artistic miscreants like yours truly, the attention to detail is like my envy squared or something.

Not only have they brought a first-class shopping experience to life here, they are providing much needed jobs to the area and are teaching young folks the nuts and bolts of running a real business, and a fun business at that! Godspeed to the Gilberts.

I can recommend without reservation these dynamic, friendly folks as a must stop on your next trip here. As a matter of fact, if you visit them at the beginning, middle and end of your vacation, you will surely triple your fun. And be sure to catch their apparel and foot wear promotion coming up on Labor Day Weekend. You can find them online at www.latitude29surfshop.com, as well as Facebook and Instagram.

Life’s a beach, so give it all you got,

~~ j ~~

“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

~~ Mark Twain