Copeland's Dive Shop, the oldest dive shop in Texas, is preparing to close its doors in the coming months after serving the Coastal Bend for nearly 70 years.
Co-founder Jim Copeland told me he will wait another 30 days for a suitable buyer before making a final decision on the future of the building, located on SPID between Weber and Everhart.
The family business was founded in 1957 as the "Pescadores Dive Club." Jim Copeland started the business after he got air poisoning when his tank was being filled by a local construction company, the only air tank option at the time.
"And at that point I said 'I'm gonna have my own compressor,'" Jim Copeland said.
His passion for outdoor sports quickly turned into a lifelong career.
"I loved the water and was interested in stuff under the water," Jim Copeland said.
His wife and co-founder, Saundra Copeland, paddled through obstacles to join him in the business.
"When we got married I didn't know how to swim," Saundra Copeland said.
The couple's daughters, Denise Schmidt and Debbie Pennington, worked at the store for over 50 years.
"I mean it started out pulling stickers and sweeping the sidewalk and it evolved into a lifetime," Schmidt said.
The family navigated multiple burglaries at their first location at Six Points and survived Hurricane Celia in 1970. Through it all, they expanded their offerings to include surfboards and ski equipment. Looking back at old photos, Saundra Copeland pointed out the store's Ski Chalet backroom, which was dedicated entirely to snow skiing gear.
"Corpus doesn't have anyone now. There's no place in town to buy ski equipment," Saundra Copeland said.
As this chapter of state history closes, the family reflects on building a first-of-its-kind business along the Texas coast.
"They started a pioneer type of career choice super young and we just kind of all did it together," Pennington said.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
