“I’m a Carolina Beach local through and through”

Oral history of surf champion and tourism entrepreneur Tony Silvagni

North Carolina is home to countless vacation possibilities, each offering their own unique experience. But when looking for beach getaway, you’re guaranteed to find charming beach towns sprinkled along the eastern coast. Tucked behind the coastal hub of Wilmington is Pleasure Island, home to Carolina Beach. Depending on the time of year, visitors will either encounter a quaint town just for locals, or beginning in early spring, a vibrant, bustling tourist destination.

Blending in among the many local faces is professional surfer and Carolina Beach native, Tony Silvagni. When he is not traveling for competitions, you’ll likely see him somewhere on the island running his thriving local business, the Tony Silvagni Surf School (www.surfschoolnc.com/). Though he started teaching lessons himself with just two soft top boards in 2008, the business has grown exponentially over the last 11 years. Now, he offers a variety of surf lessons, and has expanded to offering surf parties, equipment rentals, and merchandise sales. The town of Carolina Beach honored Tony last year after he won gold in the 2018 ISA World Longboard Surfing Championship, as well as presenting him with a key to the city to recognize his major contributions to the community.   

Tony:

Carolina Beach means so much to me, it will always be my home. This is where I fell in love with surfing, where I even caught my first wave. I can’t even describe that feeling but all I knew was I wanted to chase it for the rest of my life. The best part about where I am now is that I get to help other people experience that feeling as well. There was never really any question whether or not I would end up here. I have had the chance to travel a lot, but there’s nothing like coming home. I grew up going to Jubilee park and was in the first graduating class of Ashley High School; so needless to say, I’m a local through and through. The community we have here is a big part of why I enjoy my work so much. The local community is tight-knit, full of great people and businesses, and I feel lucky that I get to be a part of that.

I have dedicated my life to surfing. It’s natural to me, and it’s my passion, so when I got older, my mom suggested I use all my experience and knowledge to teach lessons, and that’s how it all started. I officially created my surf school in 2008, and we grew so fast we had my mom answering the phones in the beginning. I didn’t realize there was such a market for surf lessons and rentals until we experienced the demand. We began to expand our services, and I created different programs, such as surf camps, private one-on-one lessons, group lessons, kayak tours, chairs and umbrella rentals, and rentals on bikes, boards, folding tables and coolers. We offer complementary set-up and break-down for the beach services and pick-up and delivery for the boards and kayaks.  I had to learn a lot along the way about operating my own business. It hasn’t always been easy. We struggled with capital, with buying all the equipment, and especially living in a seasonal town, having limited “off season” income can be a big struggle. One of my biggest hopes for my business and for all of Carolina Beach, is more year-round sustainability. Not only will that help me sustain my business, but it would also give me the ability to find more permanent workers instead of seasonal employees. While we offer most things year-round, I think tourists tend to stop coming when it stops feeling like summer, but the beach has things to offer all year. Actually, this year is the most business we have ever had in late September and early October. It’s been very nice.

Through this business, we get the chance to interact with so many different people, which I really enjoy. One of the most rewarding aspects of this business for me is teaching. I’ve worked with all skills and abilities, from someone who is legally blind to a person with autism with no verbal communication. While we offer everything for all ages, we mostly have people ages 6 to 12 that take swim lessons and participate in surf camps. For surfboard and other equipment rentals, the customers are usually adults. I think this is the trend because adults are more willing to come in and learn, and some teenagers seem to think they are “too cool for school” and won’t put themselves in that vulnerable situation. We sometimes get customers who come in after watching a few Youtube surfing videos and expect to be able to catch waves immediately. But we are very transparent with our customers, and try to give them good advice and set reasonable expectations. We also get some people who have surfed once or twice in a completely different environment and get frustrated with our tide schedules, because there are times when the waves are just not going to break. The thing is... surfing is 80% about wave timing and only 20% about the surfer, so it’s a very important point to get across.

I’d say my business is serving 90% tourists and 10% locals. We see people coming for short trips from places like Raleigh and Charlotte all season long, and lots of people coming down from the north in the summer. Carolina Beach does have a significant local population though, so we really enjoy the off-season and repeat business from them as well. Our main goal as a business is to provide high quality customer service, so it’s important to me that I hire friendly, knowledgeable, and responsible employees. I’d like to eventually employ some members of the next generation of local surfers. 

In season, we have more than enough demand, and even though we could keep growing, I want to keep it small enough to where I can handle it and make sure we provide high quality service. Right now, we don’t see the need to put more money or effort into analyzing our competitors or marketing, because I am happy with our level of business. We don’t ask for reviews, so our 5-star rating means a lot to me because those are the genuine opinions of our actual customers. I teach my staff to handle any negative feedback graciously and always “kill them with kindness”. You can get a vindictive review every once and a while but I think our reputation speaks for itself. I’ve learned that people tend to gravitate towards what is convenient for them. They often look for close, quick, and easy. I think the key to making a business sustainable is offering something that is so worth it that they want to drive over that bridge to come find us.

As far as Carolina Beach goes, there is a lot of positive growth here. I think the more money and effort that is invested into the town, the more it will grow as a year-round destination. Especially if those that visit make sure to support local businesses and we practice sustainable tourism; then we can continue to develop Carolina Beach in a positive way. The goal is to benefit both the locals and tourists, and I think this transition will do exactly that. Tourism is such a powerful tool, and it drives so many coastal towns just like ours, and I’m proud to represent our town to the rest of the world.

Oral history written by:  
Sara Thomas and Keilyn Luers, Sustainable Tourism students at NC State