Sasee Gets Personal with Leigh Simmons: Surf Unlimited Mercantile

Leigh’s perfect way to relax is on the boat reading while her husband fishes, then pulling up to a restaurant and eating on the water.

She loves live music and traveling to cool venues. Amos Lee and Jack Johnson are her favorite artists and her favorite venue so far is Red Rocks in Colorado.

Surf Unlimited Mercantile is the oldest retail business on Ocean Isle – opened in 1980 and purchased by Leigh in 1997.

She moved to the Grand Strand two decades ago and she still “feels all of the stresses of the world fall away” each time she drives across the bridge to the island.

Leigh locally supports R.A.C.E. (Rescue Animals Community Effort) and her favorite breed is rescued – they have a Black Lab named Bobo, and a Pitbull named Sweet Tea.

She graduated college with a poultry science major and has 6 chickens along with a vegetable garden and grows lemons, bananas, and pineapples (Her house is called “Island Farm” but she believes “Island Zoo” may be more appropriate).

Leigh learned resilience and thankfulness in 2020 – learned new ways to do business during the pandemic and is so grateful for the loyal customers they always knew they had.

For 2021, she is most looking forward to seeing everyone’s sunshiny smiles.