About Us

Even as a young boy selling lemonade to my neighbors, I knew I one day wanted to own my own business. What started as a childhood dream carried into adulthood when I attended the University of Alabama and graduated with a degree in Entrepreneurship and Small Company Management. With degree in hand and my new wife, Shelley, by my side, I started my first management job at Cook’s Pest Control. I later worked as an assistant manager at Foosackly’s in Mobile. During that time the oil spill happened, and I took an opportunity to work as a boat captain where I grew up. 

Knowing the job would come to an end soon, we saved as much as we could and began developing the plan for Coastal Outfitters. Having grown up on the coast, I wore a lot of the brands with which we started our store. I saw that, while many of these brands were being sold at bait and tackle stores nearby, there was not a premium retailer that specialized in them. I worked my last day of the oil spill in October 2011, took everything we had, and with lots of prayer, hard work, and many hours of help from generous family and friends, opened Coastal Outfitters November 19, 2011. 

It was more work than we had imagined at the beginning, for sure! For a while, we took all of the profits and put them right back into the store, slowly growing it one part at a time. After being opened a little over a year, we moved our store from the Eastern Shore Plaza to the Eastern Shore Centre.  Another year and, again, we moved for the second time across the street into the space we now occupy. In 2016 we  expanded into the old Zulu space next door. In April 2017 we opened our second location at the Destin Commons! Since being opened, we have also welcomed our four children, Heath in 2013, Hunter in 2014, Parker in 2017, and Remi Rae in 2019, who you may have spotted running around the store, hiding under the racks, or on one of those coupons in the mail! We are a family business and one founded on our faith in Christ. Having grown up in the area, we’ve put our roots down in this community and look forward to growing our business here with you on the Eastern Shore and along the Florida Panhandle.