TOP OF THE HILL 2008
17
1st Shark's Surf Shop 813 Massachusetts St.
BEST SHOE STORE
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
BY HALLIE MANN hmann@kansan.com
Whether you're in love with your brown Ugg boots or you've worn your Sperry Top-Siders every day, the most popular shoes on campus can be found at Shark's Surf Shop. Students at the University of Kansas voted Shark's Surf Shop the best shoe store in Lawrence in The Kansan's Top of the Hill awards. Arensberg's Shoes was voted second and Famous Footwear was voted third.
Shark's Surf Shop is located in downtown Lawrence at 813 Massachusetts St. If you're walking downtown, the orange surfboard and giant display cases outside the store are hard to miss. Allyson Renick,
Lawrence freshman, likes to window shop on Massachusetts Street and enjoys looking at Shark's.
"They have a lot of great shoes for summer and winter," Renick said. "You can see a lot of what they have in the windows out front."
Renick said she got her Sperry's from there and enjoyed browsing the new shoes and clothes they had in the store.
Shark's stands out in Lawrence because of its style and selection of popular and varied shoes. Chris Cox, owner of Shark's Surf Shop, said that Shark's offered KU students a wide selection of products.
"At the time I opened the store there was no other store that had what we had or was
doing the kind of stuff we were doing in Lawrence," Cox said.
Shark's, which will have been open 20 years this February, has brands such as Lacoste, Converse, Sperry, Rainbow Sandals and Ugg, which can be seen throughout campus.
Shark's also has in-house tanning. It features a 2M Touchless Tanning Booth that offers quick 10-minute tans.
Cox said that The Buckle was probably the closest competitor for Shark's.
Caroline Zeller, Topeka sophomore, was sporting a classic pair of Converse shoes from Shark's when she was interviewed about the store. Zeller said she would put Shark's as her first place store to shop for
shoes in Lawrence and would recommend it to anyone who hadn't checked it out.
"The atmosphere in the store is fun and relaxed, and all the employees are really nice." Zeller said.
Zeller has also purchased T-shirts and other clothing from Shark's.
"I think the reason students chose them is because their style caters to college students," Zeller said.
You can't throw a rock on Jayhawk Boulevard and not hit someone in a pair of Sperry's, Uggs, or Rainbow Sandals. Shark's Surf Shop has all of these brands for KU students to buy. In its 20 year run, Shark's surfer in the wheat logo has been a signal of a relaxed lifestyle and clothing in Lawrence.