Wild Flier — Local services in Ocean Springs

I was not impressed by this crew at all. After responding to one of their advertisements to bring out the kids for a family fun demo night to commence at 5:30pm, we were still looking for these people and this "shop" at 6p. I brought the kids, three ten year old boys and 17 year old daughter. The ad stated there would be beverages provided as well as the paddleboards to try before you buy Free Demos and fun for the wholefamily the ad said. No rsvp was required, no further details were given. When we found this crew and their vw bus which had two paddleboards on top, I received a plethora of excuses from Amanda that the ad wasnt right, to the excuse that sharing the Facebook post changes the content and we all know that isn't true, to its not a free demo, you name it. All the while I am standing there watching the kids disappointed looks on their faces when we all realize this was a scam. Even showing Amanda her own ad never once provoked an apology to me or the children. However she did follow all of this up with if we wanted to pay for lessons and set up an appointment she would be happy to do that. I don't think so. We then watched this bunch run around in their vw bus and try to scrounge up lessons from beachgoers and people they wanted to turn a quick buck from. This "shop" that supposedly exists is not known by any of the business locals there in the same marina so buyer beware. I should add that Amanda was also very rude to my kids who very politely asked her why she did not want to show them how to paddleboard. We left very disappointed and I left very angry, rightfully so. However, after watching them riding around in that vw bus trying to scrounge up a few bucks I was relieved. Since they obviously are not a legitimate business, what would have happened if they hurt one of the kids or a horrible accident happened? I could imagine trying to get a lawyer to chase their bus around to serve court papers.... Buyer beware...

Lots to not love about Paddles Up. The store is cute but puleaz do not touch the paddle boards that you practically run into when you walk in the door. "They're fragile." Alrighty then. Also, don't drive an hour plus to get there and expect to be able to use their bathroom. You have to use the port-o-let at the harbor, which is another mile away, and you have to get the key from Mr. Grumpyass in the bait shop. Had that been the worst of it, who knows how generous I'd be but the worst of it was the kayak. There is absolutely no service with these "outfitters." They dump your kayaks on the dock, which also serves as the fuel pier. They leave it up to you to get them in the water - and then get yourself into the kayak from the pier without falling into the nasty water, complete with dead fish and a healthy fuel slick. But the unforgivable thing was that the seat in my kayak was jury rigged in such a way that it was essentially useless. I didn't realize it until we had gotten out of the stinking harbor and into open water, which is where I stopped to adjust it, only to discover that there was no way to adjust it and the strap that normally supports the seat was knotted to the eyes on both sides. I soldiered on, but it made for an exceptionally uncomfortable trip. No excuse for sending me out with that kind of equipment. Oh, and the life jacket was well past its retirement date and useless in any case. Instead of a sport vest with multiple straps, it was the horse colar type with a single strap that is impossible to wear while you paddle and near worthless in the...

I recently visited this store with my daughter around July 18th when we decided to check out Ocean Springs while on vacation in Gulfport for a cheerleading competition. A lot of the stores seems a little “stuffy” for us, and the employees were not very welcoming. My daughter saw the painting on the side of the building and had to stop in. Janee is AMAZING and had such a wonderful vibe about her! She was welcoming as soon as you walked in the store. The first time we went in and it was quite crowded so we stepped out for a few minutes and went back a few minutes later to look at the merch. My daughter got a bracelet that can track a sea animal. Janee was so sweet towards her and engaged with her so patiently as my daughter was having a hard time choosing. We were really on the hunt for an Ocean Springs sticker since we collect stickers for our luggage. Janee made a great suggestion to us, it was the one store we never went in. She told us about the $5 money coins you could get by visiting the chamber of commerce. We purchased our bracelet and we did go get them to use! Thank you Janee for the warm welcome to...