THEY have been their own bosses for barely a week, yet Merewether surfers Mick Adam and Tim Dickson have already discussed how the roster may change at their store Slimes when the waves are pumping.
"If it's big weather at Merewether, he can come late, if it's big at Dicko [Dickson Park], I can come late," Adam says.
"It's cool we can do that."
After working at Slimes for eight and four years as assistant manager and manager respectively, Adam and Dickson have bought the Newcastle West business - the exclusive supplier of Mark Richards surfboards in Newcastle - from Paul Green, who will focus on his Central Coast store.
"To Paul's credit, he gave us first option in buying and there were a few other guys once the word got out who tried to gazump us, but he's a cool guy," says Adam, 62.
Members of the Merewether Surfboard Club, Adam and Dickson surf most days together and decided to go into business because they are "in sync".
"We've never argued in the last eight years we've been together. When he asked me to go in, I didn't hesitate," Adam said.
He and Dickson have a reputation as "big wave" surfers and on May 23, when a low-pressure system brought 5-metre waves to Merewether, a photo of Dickson at his local break went viral.
Adam and Dickson have always known each other through the surf but were formally introduced by Adam's close friend Richards on a surf trip up the coast.
"MR picked us up to go to ... let's just say left hand point up the coast, it's secret. That was our full surf session that day and I remember pinching all Tim's lollies," laughs Adam.
Adam has known Richards, who he labels as one of the world's best surfboard shapers, since their days as primary school kids taking on Merewether's breaks.
When Adam was barely at school, he began sweeping floors and putting together skateboards at Richards' dad Ray's business on Hunter Street, which began as a used car yard before branching into surfboards.
Adam brings more than 40 years' experience to surfboard retail, a job he's never grown tired of.
"Surfing is not work, it's a lifestyle," he says. "Tim and I turn up to work with a bounce in our step."
Dickson, who has a business degree from the University of Newcastle, was half way through a civil engineering degree when he began to flounder.
"I had started working in Slimes and I thought I don't want to do [the degree], I want to be in surfing in one form or another," he says.
He had been pushing Green to sell the store for a year however the process was delayed by COVID-19.
Adam owes his Slimes job to Richards who, when closing his store at 755 Hunter Street in 2012,agreed to sell his boards at Slimes
"When he shut up shop I was there and he told me I'd get a phone call from Paul that he should give me job. To be honest I didn't want to - I didn't think I could after so many years working for Mark and his mum and dad, but Paul picked me up and I'm glad he did," Adam says.
Dickson and Adam say Slimes will continue as normal under their ownership, though they do plan to be more involved a community level with local businesses and boardrider groups.
"We won't change much, though, if it ain't broke, don't fix it," says Adam.
Local support for the new owners of the store, which stocks 400 surfboards, has been wide and included a call from Rhys Smith, who owns Sanbah at The Junction, where Adam's surfer son Jesse is employed.
"I knew it was there but I didn't realise how much - as soon as we bought it, the amount of people who just said 'Thank you, locally owned', says Adam. Adds Dickson: "Surfing is a tight local community and a crew at the beach, we are all close."
Dickson and Adam, who have both won multiple Merewether Surfboard Club titles, say the pandemic led to record sales.
"Guys were just going, 'Great, I can surf!' and anyone who had thought about trying it did," Adam says.
Everyone was surfing, adds Dickson, "and we had a great winter for waves."
Dickson expects a few years of hard yards before trained managers can allow he and Adam to "wind down our hours and surf more".
That suits Adam, who has grown a reputation in the past five years as being the only surfer in Newcastle that catches waves year-round without a wetsuit.
"I was in a hurry one morning when the surf was good in the middle of winter, I didn't have time to put a wettie on, didn't want to miss it," he explains. "I went out in boardies then again later that day and I grew to actually like the real cold, icy feel."
Adam describes his business partner as "super smart" with operations.
"I grew up in the age of no computers, there's a lot to learn. Tim's as good as anyone on the floor talking but good at everything across the board," Adam says.
Crediting Adam for his willingness to adopt new systems, Dickson says Adam brings unrivalled experience.
"Not many people have worked in retail surf for 45 years, also knowing MR's boards inside out. He's a genius at anything you need fixed, all the things I can't do."
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