It was 9-year-old Kevin Tighe’s dream to own a surf shop when he grew up.

Some 21 years later, 30-year-old Tighe is working with professional big-wave surfer Mark Healey of Haleiwa and a local startup mentorship program to modernize his original bricks-and-mortar goal — a company called Surf Shop Box. Launched in August, the subscription service sends members a box full of surf items monthly that include shirts, slippers, sunglasses, fins and other surf apparel or accessories.

The company is not a traditional shop, but that’s the point.

“We’re changing the way you retail your product,” Tighe said. “Our positioning is to become the purveyors of surf style.”

The startup has subscribers in 45 states and 10 countries. Tighe plans to use national and international products as well as Hawaii brands.

Tighe said the idea came after outdoor retailers hit a rough patch. Quiksilver filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Sports Authority and Sports Chalet announced they were closing stores last year. Tighe said he wanted to help outdoor retailers reconnect with customers.

“The industry was really behind the times, so they’re not really keeping up, as far as focusing heavily on retail instead of direct to consumer, which is kind of where everything is going,” he said. “It’s a great way to get the product back in (customers’) hands.”

Tighe said another service the subscription box provides is a marketing platform for smaller businesses.

“Either they have to be spending a lot of money on direct consumer advertising online or the retailers,” he said. “It’s a great marketing platform for them.”

In August, Surf Shop Box will send subscribers a box featuring local companies on the North Shore. Jon Pyzel, a board shaper known for shaping big-wave surfer John John Florence’s surfboards, is one of the artists featured in the August box.

Little Hands Hawaii, an organic sunblock company, will also be included. Company co-founder Rosalyn Ardoin said she hopes it will raise awareness of her product and what it means to have “reef-safe” sunscreen. Little Hands Hawaii doesn’t use titanium dioxide, a chemical that studies have linked to coral bleaching.

“There are tons of cool brands out here (in Hawaii) that we can connect with that are unique,” Tighe said. “Get them on the mainland.”

Tighe said the top five states where Surf Shop Box is most popular are California, Florida, Hawaii, Texas and New York.

The September Surf Shop Box will feature local photographer Zak Noyle and brands he supports. It includes a print of his photography and a shirt he designed, along with items from Da Fin and North Shore-based slipper company Hayn.

Noyle said the box was a great way to further his own brand, as well as give brands he believes in the opportunity to be discovered.

“I’m very lucky I get to curate a box by myself,” Noyle said. “It’s a great marketing opportunity for me and the brands I represent and work with.”

In June, Surf Shop Box teamed up with an organization called Sustainable Surf to create a “Deep Blue”-themed box to promote brands that create products from reused materials. Products included bags made from recycled kite sails and slippers made from recycled tires.

“Every product in the box was made through sustainable production methods,” Tighe said. “It’s a first step in thinking about the products you use.”

Honolulu-based Blue Startups, a mentorship and investment program, has been helping Tighe and Surf Shop Box since April, providing marketing, sales, product and financial advice.

The program also provides financial support to its startups. Each company gets $25,000 and up to an additional $75,000 investment.

Blue Startups has seen roughly two cohorts composed of several companies every year since it began, totaling 62 companies over four years. This is the company’s ninth cohort.

The program is a product of a public-private partnership, funded by Henk Rogers, who owns the rights to Tetris; private investors; and the state. Through investing, the state and Blue Startups have an ownership stake in each of the startups.

Chenoa Farnsworth, managing partner at Blue Startups, said the program selected Surf Shop Box because of the startup’s founders.

“We had a lot of faith in the team,” Farnsworth said. “They have a really clear vision of where the company is headed. We love the story. It makes perfect sense that the company has roots here.”