“Sure, you can snorkel the Huron River,” says Rachael Kasper. Her kids do it all the time, and so, on occasion, do Rachael and her husband David (“people call me ‘Scuba Dave'”), who own iSnorkel. “We find old historical bottles, fish, turtles–lots of turtles,” she says. Though the Huron River snorkeling fan base is of a cultish size, iSnorkel is about to double in size.
It’s what Scuba Dave calls a “clicks-and-mortar” store–all the benefits of a traditional retail store and an Internet outlet rolled into one. “Most retail stores that survived the recession are click and mortar. We have a worldwide selection base, Internet prices, and you’re putting local people to work in your community.”
The couple started iSnorkel three years ago after selling their Huron Scuba store on Jackson Rd., which they founded in their basement in 1996. They both scuba dive, and he teaches it at EMU, but they wanted to retrain their focus on the more user-friendly part of the business. It’s not just snorkeling equipment, though they claim that 90 percent of people at least give snorkeling a try. Their inventory covers “anything for fun in and around the water” (except scuba-specific equipment, which they leave to the two area dive shops): sun shirts, wetsuits, life vests, inflatables–well … go click on it. That’s what the website’s for.
You don’t even need fins for snorkeling, though it’s nice. For slightly under $50 they’ll set you up with a basic mask and snorkel. You can get them cheaper at Walmart, Dave says, but don’t. “We don’t sell real budget stuff. That leads to people having bad experiences. Poor fit, blisters, salt water up your nose.” Rachael declines to name brands, saying, “Most snorkelers will not recognize brands–you want to go someplace to trust people.”
Though customer friendly, a trip to iSnorkel isn’t the Main St. shopping experience. It’s in the light industrial area north of the Baker Rd. truck stops. Asked if he wants to give directions for readers unfamiliar with the area, Dave’s faith in the Internet kicks in: “Nah, people can just map it,” he says easily.
There isn’t really a showroom, just their friendly office (usually also staffed by customer-service person Kelly Robson, her infant son Ryker, and a dog). The “light industrial” designation allows them to use 10 percent of the space for retail. Rachael laughs and says they actually use far less than that. Their “retail space” is whatever part of the office they happen to be in when “we stand up and hold stuff out”–plus a changing room. Just as often, though, Dave says he’ll open the door to the warehouse and walk people through everything he’s got–“unless it’s a family with a bunch of kids or something.”
The warehouse is about to double in size. This December, they’ll start pouring a floor in the 3,000 square feet of adjoining space. They expect the work to be done by spring. The office won’t change: customers will still be able to lounge around while inventory is brought to them.
While in that office, check out their collection of Megalodon shark teeth that Dave and Rachael have collected over the years off the coasts of the Carolinas and Florida. Some are the size of an adult male hand, and Dave estimates they are two-and-a-half to five million years old. “People who watch [Discovery Channel’s] Shark Week will know what I’m talking about.” He periodically donates their finds to the U-M Museum of Natural History but usually has some around.
iSnorkel, 1136 Baker Rd., 253-2461. Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sat. & Sun. iSnorkel.com
