Board Certified

It’s All About Lake Essentials and Accessories at Pro Wake Surf Shop

Writer / Lois Tomaszewski

Photographer / Kari Lipscomb

If Mark Richards, the owner of Pro Wake Surf Shop, builds it, he is faithful that people will come. The “it” he refers to is his plan to make Syracuse, Indiana, a destination for folks embracing the lake lifestyle, and those looking for something to do, no matter the season.

Richards moved into the former Lakeside Fitness off of State Road 13 on Harkless Drive and set up a boat dealership there. The dealership disbanded at the Syracuse location due to inventory complications caused by the pandemic.

“We were not sure what we wanted to do with this building,” he says.

In 2021, however, he renovated and reconfigured the layout of the 13,000-square-foot building to include a multilevel, high-quality surf shop, and production spaces for his businesses. The Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce members got a preview of the space in March when Pro Wake hosted the annual chamber banquet. Those attending were also the first to hear of his plans to revitalize the business climate in the town, with which he has a 50-year connection.

Pro Wake Surf Shop is the first step in the plan. The idea came from his wife Patty, Richards says. “She kept pecking at me,” he recalls. The idea was to do something similar to Ron Jon Surf Shop and other nationally known surf shops that market their locations as destinations.

Richards says his business ideas and projects usually come about from one of two sources – God or his wife. “When she suggests something, I have to go bigger,” he says.

The shop carries a line of lakeshore-living-inspired clothing, swimwear, totes, sunglasses, sandals and other apparel that can transition from being on the water to coming ashore for dinner. The Richards did 10 months of extensive research by visiting surf shops, and applying their standards to the design and the product lines.

“I wanted to make sure to bring brands here that were not in this area,” Richards says.

Popular brands available in the shop include Billabong, Sandbar, Oakley, Phase 5, Roxy, Vissla, and Snapper Rock, among others. The extensive line of swimwear includes sizes for infants to adults, and other products for children, women and men. Pro Wake Surf Shop has board shorts, shirts, beach towels, jewelry, boat shoes, totes, skin-care products and much more.

Customers can also purchase any of the long boards, surf boards or eFoil boards in stock. Pro Wake also takes custom orders, Richards says. Their website features an extensive list of products and offers online ordering.

In about 18 to 24 months, Pro Wake will offer a different experience at this location than simply a well-designed and high-end surf shop. The footprint of Richards’ business will increase by more than double the current building. He is adding on to the north end to offer a double-track FlowRider indoor surfing space, a splash pad, an arcade and a restaurant. All activities will be open to the public year-round for a fee.

Lake Wawasee draws people to Syracuse during the late spring and summer, Richards says. He is designing his indoor space for people to enjoy even in the winter. He describes his concept as “one stop for a day’s activities,” designed to turn Syracuse into a year-round destination.

Richards has a personal relationship with the lake and the community. His grandparents owned a cottage on the north shore where he learned to ski on the lake. For much of Syracuse, things have not changed very much through the years, Richards says.

“There’s a lot that is still the same from 50 years ago,” he says. “It was time to do something different. I got tired of seeing the streets roll up in October. In spring you don’t know what restaurants are still open, and which businesses survived or which will be back.”

At the March 2022 Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber banquet, Richards told attendees that he was appreciative of the “incredible feedback received about making this dream come true. I am also fortunate enough to have incredible people who work for me.”

Pro Wake Surf Shop is located at 1309 South Harkless Drive in Syracuse, Indiana. For more information, visit prowakesurfshop.com.