Meet Bri Young | Surf Instructor & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bri Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bri, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
We prioritize our local community of young women and female surfers. We’ve created a space that is inclusive and open to community building events and creativity.

Our surf camps and retreats are designed to empower and encourage women through surfing together and learning new skills. Our goal is for women to leave Outer Surf feeling more confident and inspired than before they walked through our doors.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Outer Surf was created on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2018; A year after I started an all girls surf club called Outer Babes. The business began small with a couple girl surf camps and myself running private surf lessons. Little by little it grew from word of mouth. This past summer My husband and I opened the doors to our first brick and mortar on the beach road in Nags Head, NC. We now have a boutique surf shop with locally made goods and art as well as Outer Surf gear. We host all of our surf camps as well as community events out of our shop. We just started offering all inclusive surf retreats as well.

Unlike other surf schools in our area we are primarily focused on females and the local community. Of course we offer surf lessons to both residents and visitors of all ages and genders, but our mission is to give back to our own locals and encourage women and young girls to pursue a passion for surfing. Another unique aspect to our surf camps and surf retreats is the incorporation of art including painting, journaling, drawing, music, ect..

I got to where I am today with the business through pure passion, a desire to give back, and taking risks. After working for a few different surf schools in my travels I wanted to start my own where clients were made to feel like family and surfing was introduced as an art and way of life rather than just another activity to cross off the bucket list while on vacation. I love all aspects of surfing, including how boards are made, different styles of surfing, the healing powers of the ocean, and the healthy lifestyle it brings. I wanted to share this joy with other people.

I think Outer Surf is growing organically at just the right pace. Enough growth to encourage us to take risks but not too fast to face issue we aren’t ready to handle. Everything I’ve learned about business i’ve learnt through the journey of Outer Surf. As we grew so did my research and the need to seek advice from other business owners I respect and admire. Running Outer Surf has not been easy but it has given me purpose and has been worth every challenge and learning curve.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would first wake my bestie up to see the sunrise on the beach. On the way there we would stop at Ashley’s espresso parlor to grab some coffee to go. Ideally the waves would be glassy and beautiful and we would follow sunrise with a surf session. Next stop breakfast burritos from Ten O Six. We would then swing by Outer Surf to hang with the girls for a bit. I think most of our mornings and afternoons would look like this. For one or two of the days we would head down to Hatteras to surf, fish, and hang out. Stopping at Real Watersports for a shop and Watermen’s retreat for a sunset on the sound dinner and music. On a day the surf is bad we can go to one of the many skateparks in town or take the small boat out on the sound for a fish. At night we would hit up Swellsa Brewery for a beer and to catch up with some good friends. For a sweet treat we would go to Surfing Spoon for frozen yogurts and say hey to our friend’s Jesse and Whitney. I can’t forget vintage shopping and Acai bowls at Mom’s Sweet Shop and a good venture through Nags Head Woods.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout out my husband Riley Young for fueling the fire. His encouragement and belief in my wild dreams has led me to start Outer Surf. He is a driving force behind the business. He does everything from handy man work at the shop to instructing surf lessons and encouraging my artistic endeavors.

Website: www.outersurfnc.com

Instagram: @outersurf

Image Credits
Katie Slater Mike Leech Ricardo Cabrera