About

​Our story

Erie Shores Beach Life is co-owned by the husband-and-wife team of John & Erin Hinkel. John is a fifth generation Clevelander, who along with Erin loves to travel to coastal destinations. We both have memories of being brought to Put-In-Bay and Marblehead in our childhoods, and now take our children there. We just find the water and the sound of waves so peaceful. Our hope is that Erie Shores Beach Life will help you feel connected to the beaches of Lake Erie, wherever you may be.

 

What you are seeing is the first phase of our store. It is often said that the best way to start.....is to start! Our long term vision is to prepare you for a day at the beach with beach apparel, beach accessories and ways to keep your drinks cold. After a lot of planning, we are starting our journey with the Erie Shores themed t's, sweats and rain jackets, and thank you for coming along!

 

All products bought & printed in Lakewood, Ohio

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Story of photographs

Every photograph on the website was taken by John personally. They are from Put-In-Bay, Virginia Beach and Tybee Island in Savannah, Georgia. I don’t have any formal training, which may well be apparent (!), but I’m always looking for nature views to remember. It’s almost like a voice in my head says, “this is a good shot, take it!”.  These photos remind me of where I’ve been, and where I would like to go again!

 

Thank You, Gorilla

John earned his MBA from Case Western Reserve University, and my entrepreneurship class was taught by Richard Osborne, aka The Gorilla. (He was big on nicknames, and mine was Guinness) When I finally decided to start Erie Shores Beach Life, the first thing I did was pull all my notes from his class. He laid out a step-by-step path, and I have tried my best to follow it. The Gorilla has since gone on to that big classroom in the sky, but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge him and the lessons he shared.