Reinventing Oneself in Sayulita

Perhaps you dream of picking up and living a different kind of life elsewhere, or perhaps, like Marilee Woolace, owner of Quiverito Surf Shop, you have reinvented yourself in another location. Five years ago, Marilee was living in Portland, Oregon and had a successful career with Nike as a graphic designer. “I was living what is supposed to be the American dream. I had the car, the house, a good job….everything I was supposed to have. And I still found myself thinking, ‘this is it?’” Marilee confided.

In June of 2010, Marilee came to Sayulita for a week-long work inspiration trip. They stayed at Villa Amor and Marilee got the opportunity to meet Sayulita locals and immerse herself in the town. “Everyone I met was so sweet. Josue from Aaleyah’s, Ceci and the other girls from El Espresso, the people at Don Pato’s. I told Nick Sherman, a Sayulita local, that I thought I wanted to move here, that it would be a very cool place to live. He told me I could do it,” Marilee shared.

All the pieces came together for Marilee, and only a month later, she bought Quiverito Surf Shop from Josh Labovitz, current owner of MexiFit. “To me it felt like such a gift from Josh. It gave me a chance to live a lifestyle I knew I wanted, but never knew how I would get it,” said Marilee.

She sold everything she owned, quit her job, and in September of 2010, only three months after coming to Sayulita, Marilee moved here to live her dream. She came up with a five year plan for Quiverito, stating, “My goal was to build it up as much as I could. I wanted to make it bigger and better than when I bought it, without ruining the essence of what Josh created.” And she has done just that, adding surfboard and standup paddle storage and personal storage lockers for rent. She also has 23 classic/vintage one of a kind surfboards.

Marilee hasn’t regretted her decision even once to reinvent herself and move to Sayulita. “I don’t ever have to wear shoes if I don’t want. Actually, I don’t think I wore shoes for three months once. It is little expressions of freedom like this that make up for not living the American dream,” she shared.

Now it is time for Marilee to pick up and reinvent herself again. She plans to stay in Mexico, but wants to move inland and begin a new adventure. Quiverito Surf Shop is for sale and as Marilee so perfectly puts it, “I want to hand this dream to someone else.”

Since the publication of this article, Quiverito Surf Shop has since sold and is still open for business in Sayulita.