Kayaking, Partying & Profits

After 5 and Surf to Summit fulfill orders right out of the company’s Santa Barbara headquarters. Taking a page out of Lillian Vernon’s book, After 5 makes frequent use of product-personalization to help make its merchandise stand out.

“We make a product, we build it here [at the company’s Santa Barbara headquarters], then somebody knocks it off and gets it made in China for much cheaper,” he says. “But China can never compete with our personalization. That keeps us from being undercut by cheaper versions.”