A mainstay in Newport and Middletown’s surf and skateboarding scene for years, Cheyne Cousens was ready to take the reins.
After his father, Symon Cousens, who founded Elemental Surf and Skate on Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown more than 25 years ago, was ready to spend more time in the water and less in front of balance sheets, Cheyne Cousens moved back from California and rebranded the well-known neighborhood surf and skate shop Omen, an idea that began as more of a hobby in 2014 as printed-up T-shirts with logos and artwork he personally designed.
Aquidneck Island’s insular and radically independent surf and skate scene is steeped in a do-it-yourself ethos and an appreciation for the tradition that Cousens wants to ensure survives for decades.
Now in business for two years, Cousens says Omen is hitting its stride, selling mostly its own private label but keeping a strong inventory of well-known and established brands such as Vans, Spitfire Wheel Co., and the New Balance shoes that have become fashionable with the current skateboarding public.
The company has an informal “team” of more-advanced surfers who can be seen catching waves down the street in high-definition short videos posted to social media.
Sustaining a scene is about connections.
Omen outsources some of the production work with Taunton native, artist and professional skateboarder Anthony Shetler. And the company recently collaborated with nearby Rejects Brewery for a Double India Pale Ale officially launched in January.
Cousens was heavily involved in the yearslong battle with local officials to build a local skatepark in Newport after the only other option, Middletown’s Skater Island, closed in 2004.
“I’d say a majority of sales these days are now related to skateboarding because the park is finally up and going,” he said. “And I’m mostly selling Omen boards.”
Operating in a smaller space requires a thoughtful approach to the purchasing and displaying of inventory, Cousens said.
Surfboards, particularly the longboards that Cousens prefers, take up a lot of square footage.
“The surf products are pretty niche,” he said. “I’ve been trying to really curate a list of brands, what I feel are the cooler brands geared toward good surfers –unique but more specialized stuff.”
Popular are the fish-shape-style surfboards that are ideal in the smaller waves that the East Coast is often known for.
After the Elemental lease expired, Cousens was glad his landlords and operators of the popular Atlantic Grille next door were willing to save a spot for a surf shop in the beachside neighborhood that now demands some of the highest real estate prices on the island.
“They let us stay without jacking up the rent,” he said.
Cousens is taking another page from the playbook of his father, who ran a surf camp for decades at Easton’s Beach.
Cheyne Cousens will be partnering with local middle schools to create a program to introduce local kids to the fundamentals of skateboarding, even letting them take their board home as a gift.
Though it’s about keeping the scene alive for another generation, Cousens acknowledged the camp could be good for business in the long run, planting the seed in future Omen customers.
“I just wanted to keep involved with a shop to support the scene,” he said. “You need someone around on the ground level.”
OWNER: Cheyne Cousens
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Surf and skateboard company
LOCATION: 89 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown
EMPLOYEES: Three
YEAR FOUNDED: 2023
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
