New Shop Sign by Ian Balding

Article and photos by Tyler Hustrulid

Ian Balding, best known for his hand shaped wooden surfboards, carving a sign for Coastal Urge's new Bald Head Island location. Photo by Tyler Hustrulid.

By now, you have probably heard that Coastal Urge has two new locations opening this month on Bald Head Island. And if you are one of the lucky few who has had a chance to swing by the new retail location at 12-B Maritime Way, you may have gotten a sneak peak at the beautifully carved wooden sign hanging over our front porch.  That sign was created by Wilmington’s very own Ian Balding.  Now you are probably asking yourself, “Why does that name sound so familiar?” That’s because Ian has been lighting it up on the local paddleboarding scene, taking a place on the podium at both the Blockade Runner Wrightsville Beach Biathlon held in March and the 2nd Annual Intracoastal SUP Cup held just last week. When he’s not training for the next race, Ian hand-shapes some of the most elegant wooden surfboards out there, one of which hangs over the door inside Coastal Urge’s Wilmington store.

I was fortunate enough to be able to swing by Ian’s workshop a couple weeks ago to observe him hard at work on the Coastal Urge sign. Below is a short slideshow offering a glimpse of him practicing his craft and the final product.

To learn more about Ian Balding and his hand-shaped wooden surfboards, search for Ian Balding Custom Surfboards on Facebook or check out his blog.