New business gets Ballardites on water, keeps owner in flip-flops | Business

This is shaping up to be the summer of stand-up paddle boarding in Ballard with at least four businesses offering rentals, tours and lessons for the fast-growing water sport around Shilshole and Golden Gardens.

Joining Surf Ballard, Salmon Bay Paddle and Northwest Paddle Surfers is Stoke Harvester, the brainchild of former Surf Ballard co-owner Shawn Jennings.

“We are the small kids on the block,” Jennings said. “For us, it’s a way to introduce people to the sport, our products and also get more people interested in becoming members of the [Ballard] Elks.”

Jennings and partner Jasmine Hartsook launched Stoker Harvester last winter as an online-only shop for surfers, skaters and more. The company will begin offering stand-up paddle boarding rentals, tours and lessons out of the Elks Club on Shilshole June 10 and will be expanding to Magnuson Park soon after.

Stand-up paddle boarding, or SUP, is a Hawaiian sport where the rider stands on a long board and paddles it over the water’s surface.

Jennings first tried stand-up paddle boarding in 2007 while he was working at Cheka-Looka surf shop in Fremont. The owner told him to try out a few of the long boards that had taken over the shop’s stairwell.

“Once I was out on the water, I immediately understood the appeal of SUP,” Jennings said. “The ocean is 2.5 hours away. Sometimes it’s blown out, flat or your schedule doesn’t allow for the trek. With SUP, you can take advantage of all the water in Seattle. You don’t need waves, you don’t need to drive that far.”

He said he started paddle boarding regularly when Cheka-Looka moved to Ballard and fell in love with the sport. When Cheka-Looka closed, he and Hartsook started tossing around the idea of an online store.

“I had grown quite fond of wearing flip-flops to work every day and wasn’t ready to trade them in for a suit and tie just yet,” Jennings said.

While Stoke Harvester’s SUP operation is small – six rental boards and a maximum class size of five –the sport is easy enough to pick up that Jennings should keep busy enough to stay business casual for the near future.

“I can give quick instruction on the beach and have you out gliding across the surface of the water in no time,” he said. “The biggest challenge is carrying the board to the beach.”

Once paddle boarders master flat water, they can try out racing, waves or rivers. There are lots of possibilities, including SUP yoga from Surf Ballard, Jennings said.

But, Jennings isn’t worried about the competition.

“With the way things are going, there is plenty of business to go around,” he said.

Jennings plans to give back to the community when Stoke Harvester SUP tours, rentals start June 10. Twenty percent of all proceeds from rentals will be donated to the Ballard Elks Club, and Elks Club members get 50 percent off.

Jennings, an Elks Club member himself, said the charitable organization provided $3.64 million in college scholarships last year, along with programs for veterans and children.