Tom Brown's love affair with surfing and his wife both began at St. Leo University in Florida. That was in 1969. Brown, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, graduated from St. Leo in 1973, married his wife, Deni, in 1974, and went on to build a highly successful nine-store business known over the East Coast as 17th Street Surf Shop.

As a vice president for Thalheimer's department store in Richmond, Brown jumped at the chance to buy the first 17th Street Surf Shop when he heard it was for sale in 1992.

"I bought it in 1993 from an investment group," said Brown, who lives in Alanton with his wife. "It originally opened in 1970 at another beach location."

Their three children, Corey, Kelly and Tyler, all worked in the family's stores throughout their teenage years.

"I originally bought the shop because I've always loved working with young people," Brown said. "I really liked the carefree lifestyle of surfing and I've always enjoyed working in young men's apparel."

As customers walk in the store, colors and prints from the tees and shorts visually jump out to greet them. Boards of all kinds around the 17th Street store, both surf and skate, easily keep up with the eye-popping color schemes, as well as shoes, sunglasses, accessories and more.

"We have our own lines of surf and skateboards, as well as a variety of brand names," said Brown, gesturing around the store. "The tremendous growth of our women's business is something else I've experienced over the past 16 years."

Brown's is the largest volume surf company in the mid-Atlantic, with locations in Kill Devil Hills and Wilmington, N.C., along with Hampton Roads-area stores in Newport News, Greenbrier, Chesapeake Square, Kemps River, Lynnhaven and Red Mill.

"We're faring better than other surf shops in California and Florida because their economy is worse than ours," Brown said. "We've got about 85 percent of our customers with us still."

Their success has everything to do with her husband's sense of the industry, said Deni Brown.

"We're working six months in advance for the holiday season and Tom is so great at anticipating," she said, rifling through women's bathing suit separates. "He has that ability to anticipate what kids want. It's an amazing business in that sense, that it's so youth-driven."

Hot items, besides the ever-popular surf and skateboards, are Vann sneakers, Electric sunglasses, women's sundresses, men's brightly colored bathing suits and rash guards for men, women and children, she added.

The Brown's still enjoy their work, surrounding themselves with sharp, knowledgeable employees like Bob Irizarry, director of stores, and Julianne McGinty, manager of the 17th Street location.

After the years of success and notoriety, what keeps Tom Brown motivated?

"My son, Tyler, for one thing," he said. "I'm so excited to turn it over to him one day. And the friendships I've made over the years, for another. I love the vibe of the industry - it's ever-changing, moving forward."