Ron DiMenna, who opened his first Ron Jon Surf Shop at the age of 24 in 1961 in New Jersey and went on to open several more stores across four states, has died. He was 88.
According to his online obituary, DiMenna passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday in Florida. DiMenna, inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 1998, began surfing at a young age. At one point, DiMenna wanted a custom surfboard from California. To get one, his father suggested he buy three, sell two at a profit, and keep the third for free.
And thus was planted the first seed for the original Ron Jon Surf Shop. DiMenna, a Marine veteran, started selling surfboards out of the trunk of his car in 1959 before opening his first location in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in 1961. For years, he sold surfboards out of his tiny outfit before he’d eventually open the famed location on the Jersey Shore.
DiMenna’s business soon grew into a surfing empire, drawing thousands of surf enthusiasts. His original location on Long Beach Island is currently a four-level surf emporium, featuring one of the world’s largest surfboards, measuring a whopping 24 feet long.
In the ensuing decades, Ron Jon Surf Shop opened 13 stores across the country in Alabama, South Carolina, Maryland, and Florida.
According to Florida Today, Ron Jon Surf Shop bumper stickers and T-shirts are sold worldwide, thanks to licensing agreements with stores in Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. Its flagship megastore in Cocoa Beach is also one of the world’s largest surf shops.
Along with his wife, Lynne, DiMenna also championed numerous causes, including the founding of Surfing’s Evolution and Prevention Foundation, which aims to keep Florida beaches free of trash and pollution.
“The entire Ron Jon family mourns this loss,” Michele Goodwin, President, Ron Jon Surf Shop, said in a statement. “On behalf of our Board of Directors, management team, and employees, we extend our deepest sympathy to Ron’s wife, Lynne DiMenna. Ron was known as a free spirit, and his love for the beach and the sport of surfing endured throughout his life.”
