Body Glove Swimwear | Popina Swim | Portland OR
Body Glove Swimwear for Women and Men is available in the Swimwear Downtown Portland Boutique and the NE Portland Swimsuit Boutique.
When you think of Body Glove, you immediately think Missouri, right? Although the South Bay region of Los Angeles is actually considered the home of Body Glove, the long story of the company actually traces back to a farm near Booneville, Missouri - a long way from their eventual home along the Pacific. It was there that founders Bob and Bill Meistrell taught themselves to swim and by age twelve had used their imaginations to rig a makeshift diving bell out of a wooden crate and descend into the depth of the farm pond. This love for the water eventually lured the brothers to Manhattan Beach as teenagers in the 1940’s.
Bob and Bill instantly took to the ocean, joining other pioneers of California surfing including the legendary Dale Velzy and Greg Noll to form the Manhattan Beach Surf Club. Cementing their credentials as true watermen, Bob and Bill became L.A. County Lifeguards, then scuba divers, then vital participants in the First Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Course (1UICC) - Joining the first group in the world to become certified scuba instructors. Together, they borrowed $1,800 and bought out Hap Jacobs to become partners with Bev Morgan in 1953 and develop Dive N’ Surf into southern California’s premiere retail store dedicated to surfing and diving while continuing to sur every day, lifeguard, and operate a commercial diving business. They eventually went on to expand the business to offer full lines of surfing and diving equipment, classes and apparel at multiple locations and thereby create a southern California retail institution.
Like modern day Einsteins for the ocean, the twins used their creativity and found a new insulating material called Neoprene and invented the first practical wetsuit, opening the cold California waters to year round enjoyment for surfers and divers, including early giants of surfing like Greg Noll, Mickey Munoz and many more. The suit “fit like a glove” and Body Glove was born. The Meistrells hired a marketing consultant, Duke Boyd. Duke asked about the characteristics of the suits and Billy said, “They fit like a glove.” And so Body Glove was born.
Popina Swimwear Downtown Portland (Pearl District, Westside, Beaverton, Lake Oswego) 318 NW 11th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209 503.243.SWIM (7946) Popina Swimwear NE | SE | North Portland (also serving Vancouver, Wa) 4831 NE 42nd Avenue (corner of NE 42nd and Alberta) Portland, Oregon 97213 503.282.5159
