BANKS JOURNAL AT THE SURFJACK
There’s nothing on Earth quite like Hawai’i. It’s a beautiful place filled with the purest of pures. The people, nature, food, culture, waves, and all the rest (the list can really go on and on) hold a special place on this planet. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Oahu. Honestly, it felt like I received the royal treatment during my stay. I don’t mean that literally, but something about the genuineness and love on the island felt foreign, something that I’ve never quite experienced on the mainland.
Those who have been fortunate enough to spend some time there possibly understand what I’m talking about here. You stay there long enough; you really do lose track of time.
Rewinding a bit, the potential project at The SurfJack Hotel was mentioned to me earlier on, and it sounded a bit out of our realm. There’s no negative connotation to that either. If anything, it sounded somewhat intimidating. The idea of being attached to a hotel threw me off a bit, but sounded exhilarating at the same time.
Fast forward roughly three months, we’re officially attached to The SurfJack Hotel in Honolulu, serving up coffees and slinging our garments, vintage, and all the rest. We simply can’t take all the credit though. Our close buddies at Olive & Oliver left us a head start to a smooth, successful launch. They also left behind three talented baristas. If you ever have the chance to pay us a visit, keep an eye out for Bronson, Vinny, and Onya. They’re absolute experts at what they do.
Would you believe me if I mentioned that we moved in and flipped the space in one single night? No surprise, that’s what we did, because that seems to be our style. We wrapped it at 5AM I recall. We each got one to two hours of shut eye, and then made it back to the shop at 7AM to test the waters. Something felt special about this new space.
Being there, I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Thinking back to it now, things being more settled, the transition feeling so translucent as well as the delightful energies within one another, made the opportunity feel as if it was meant to be. I'll be the first to say, we aren’t coffee experts or snobs, but I do believe that we are experts in the love and dedication we put into our crafts. If or when you check The SurfJack Shop out, we hope that you feel that and can take it with you.
Say Aloha to the baristas, and grab a coffee while you enjoy your stay at The SurfJack.
Mahalo
- Words and images by Jeremy Knies