Christen Noratel and Chris Frey are the heart and soul behind Soul Surf Creations, the handmade decorative surfboards that you’ve seen if you’ve checked out the vendors at local Worcester County, MD events. With a business that started as a result of a joke between friends, Christen and Chris have taken their talent and run with it, making unique products that beach lovers can’t resist!
About Soul Surf Creations
What makes the perfect decoration for a beach lover? A surfboard of course! However, Christen noticed that good quality, decorative surfboard art is hard to find and not affordable. Discovering the niche market after she redesigned a decorative surfboard for her friend, Christen and Chris started creating more.
The Soul Surf Creations are crafted in Christen and Chris’s home garage/woodshop. Originally the surfboards were decorative pieces to be hung as artwork, but the decor has expanded to include functional artwork—towel racks, wine racks, charcuterie boards, beer flights, clocks, wedding signature boards, growth charts, mirrors, coffee tables, and high top bar tables.
Christen and Chris have been Ocean City, MD vacationers and summer residents their whole lives. With so many cherished memories of the beach town, it’s no surprise that they’ve been highly involved in Worcester County events. Soul Surf Creations has been a vendor at Ocean City festivities like ArtX in Northside Park, Marlin Fest, and Jellyfish Festival. The Berlin Chamber of Commerce invites Soul Surf Creations as well to display their surfboards at local Berlin festivals. Plus, their artwork was displayed in Burley Oak Brewing Co. for the entire month of July.
Soul Surf Creations has sure made an impact on our town, but the town has made an impact on them as well. “We love working in the Worcester County community and meeting all of the great people who make it what it is!” Christen says, “For us, working on the shore/Worcester County area is like being welcomed into a family you didn’t know you had!”
The handmade surfboards will soon be available at Bruder Home in Berlin, MD! Keep an eye out for Soul Surf Creations at local events in town or order custom work from their Etsy shop. At Worcester County Economic Development, we can’t wait to see where they will be next!
