SURFscape expo returns to Huntington Beach this weekend
TiMo Tidwell remembers growing up in Hawaii, just minutes from the beach.
As a surfing grommet, he would take the plastic trays from Burger King and head down to Waikiki Walls to learn how to surf.
Now he’s hopeful his surf grip and apparel company TIOIT (pronounced “tight”), will take off.
TiMo and KrisT Tidwell launched the product last summer, and a great chance for promotion happens this weekend.
TIOIT will be one of dozens of vendors at the second annual SURFscape, a free consumer expo that will be held Saturday and Sunday in the Huntington City Beach parking lot between Huntington Street and Beach Boulevard, across from the Waterfront Hilton and Hyatt Hotel.
TiMo and KrisT will be showcasing an immersive 90-second video set to his music and featuring art from her paintings, as well as animation from his surf and skate video footage.
“We’re actually covering the booth floor with the grip,” KrisT added. “You can walk into the immersive experience barefoot to experience what the grip will feel like on your board.”
Added TiMo: “It’s going to feel like you’re actually surfing inside of the immersive experience.”
The couple, who live in La Habra but said they’re soon moving to Sunset Beach, have launched TIOIT after considerable planning. KrisT has gone through health issues caused by toxic mold poisoning over the last decade, which caused them to move from Hawaii to Southern California in search of treatment.
“It’s kind of what gave us the courage to be able to do it,” KrisT said. “We’re all in. We want to have a positive impact and tell people, no matter what your age, if you have to give it up for a time then get back to it.”
They’ve partnered with a New Jersey-based surf company called G Spot Sport on the grip, and that company has flown representatives to Southern California this weekend for SURFScape.
The grip is UV/water resistant, antibacterial and environmentally friendly, and it protects, refreshes and extends the life of a surfboard or skimboard, G Spot Sport founder Melissa Gronda said in an email. The company likes to call its protection feature a “surf condom.”
“We are so excited and grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Huntington Beach and this awesome surf community,” Gronda said. “Our TIOIT team has elevated us to make beautiful ride-able art and their exclusive surf designs are pretty tight!”
SURFscape will also feature booths from familiar surf brands like Rip Curl, O’Neill and Hobie. Put on by the Surf Industry Members Assn., it will also have aspects like film screenings, workshops and surf therapy.
“Bustin’ Down the Door,” a 2008 surf documentary narrated by Edward Norton, will play at 7 p.m. Saturday at Dwyer Middle School as a benefit for Maui Wildfire Relief. Tickets are available online for the screening, which will feature a question-and-answer session after with surfers Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, Shaun Thomson and director Jeremy Gosch.
SURFscape runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, in the city beach parking lot.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
