Nearly three summers ago, Andrew Mullin took over ownership of Wai Nani Surf, Paddle & Pedal in Wayzata. The company was originally created 11 years ago under the ownership of Holly Evans, however, when she moved to California, Mullin was asked to take over the ownership. “My daughter begged me to take over this business; I knew it was a great way to stay active and to be a part of the community,” he shares.
Mullin has lived near Lake Minnetonka for nearly 27 years with his wife and two children. He has been a member of the Wayzata City Council for eight years, now leads marketing at GEOSYS full-time, and runs Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal for 90 days out of the year.
This upcoming summer the company is thrilled to announce that they are expanding their business to two new locations. Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal is now located in Long Lake, Excelsior, and Wayzata. “We are really excited to expand from one location on Lake Minnetonka to two. I look forward to offering more classes and more variety of classes to our customers,” says Mullin.
Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal is currently a family-owned business that offers paddleboards, kayaks, bikes, and e-bikes for customers to rent, in addition to merchandise. The business also allows the public to take a diversity of lessons including SUP Beginner Clinic, SUP Sculpt, SUP Yoga and Paddle, Yoga Flow, or customized private class.
“Wai Nani means 'beautiful waters' in Polynesian, and Lake Minnetonka is a Sioux word that means 'big water', so it is our job to help people wander the big, beautiful waters of Lake Minnetonka,” Mullin explains.
Kelsey Thompson is the lead SUP Yoga and Fitness instructor for the company. Thompson first visited Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal in 2019 when she was leading a group of individuals on paddleboards in her own private LLC. A year later, Thompson joined the Wai Nani family to create her own yoga, fitness, and custom classes for the public.
“My favorite part about Wai Nani is being able to get out onto the water, connect with the elements, and create a community while having fun on the water,” she shares.
Lake Minnetonka is known to be a large community within itself. Each summer, individuals will drive in from different states to experience the lake for the summer. One aspect Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal prides themselves on is working with other local businesses, and offering brand new equipment each season. “Every single year we have brand new equipment. People often come to Wai Nani because they know we offer top-quality equipment that is brand new every season,” says Mullin.
If you want to rent some boards or join a class this summer, Wai Nani highly encourages visiting their website to book online a few days prior to the day you are planning to come because classes book up quickly. They have an easy sign-up process where you can choose the location and date you want to book and can sign the waivers and pay online. Currently, Wayzata is the only location where classes are being held, however, continue to check online to find updates.
Thompson is eager to share the passion she and Mullin have for their business. “I am hopeful that in the future we will be able to expand Wai Nani further. I would love to get more people onto the water and see if they can reframe their idea of what fitness is. There is nothing better than being able to connect with the stillness of Lake Minnetonka at an 8 A.M. yoga class.".
