Almeda Club’s Community Spirit Continues With The Jupiter Club

By Kami-Leigh Agard

This past January, local resident, Gina Jurlando, was presented a daunting undertaking—to take over ownership of The Almeda Club. Garnering over 11K Instagram followers since opening its doors in 2019, The Almeda Club gained neighborhood notoriety for not just converting an old Arverne bodega into an unconventional brick-and-mortar combination surf club/barbershop/retail hub, but also for how the space became the “it” spot for all-things community. Even, according to site, Terra Kaffe, attracting celebrities like Queens New York rapper (and long-time boogie boarder), Action Bronson, and actor, Jonah Hill. However, Jurlando is no slacker herself, and shared she’s up to the challenge to continue The Almeda Club’s rich legacy of community spirit, but under a new name, Jupiter Club, which officially opened on February 20.

Carrying on the torch of The Almeda Club’s community spirit, Jupiter Club is a membership-based surf storage and co-working space that triples as a venue for community programming, events and private surf locker rentals. Since opening, Jupiter has already hosted 15 events and loads more upcoming in April and beyond.

Symbolically, the club, is named after Jesse “Jupiter” Lyons, a local activist, skater and beach lover with a keen eye for avant-garde statement swag, including The Almeda Club’s brand. Lyons’ community/arts-driven spirit impacted countless individuals not just in Rockaway, but beyond. Tragically, in April of 2022, while living and working in Rincòn—a.k.a Rockaway South—then 41-year-old Lyons, suddenly passed away. As one individual who posted on Jupiter Club’s Instagram post on Lyons’ birthday, March 27, said, “He was truly kind, inclusive, nonjudgmental and a unique soul.”

Jurlando said, “Jesse was community personified. He used to come to Almeda Club’s barbershop to get his hair cut, plus, not just support, but drive many arts-centric events. The Jupiter Club hosted an event in March to celebrate his birthday. We commemorated his life with an art show opening and zodiac forecasting class. It was special because we were like, ‘Wow, it feels like Jesse’s really here.’ He’s not here in person, yet brought us all together. It’s been nice to meet so many people who knew Jesse and share our memories about him. Renaming the club, ‘Jupiter,’ is about continuing his legacy as someone who truly loved community.

“He made so many connections with so many different types of people. Jesse was a surfer, skater, artist and community activist. So, I think being able to continue on Jesse’s legacy with connecting and inspiring people to not only do better for their community, but also to make connections and to have fun and appreciate that we live in such a beautiful place, Rockaway. That’s the legacy we’re hoping to continue with the Jupiter Club.”

Jurlando is a Long Islander, raised in the intimate South Shore hamlet, Blue Point, boasting a population of roughly five thousand. Her husband, Tim Reckel, hails from a fellow small boating community, Mt. Arlington, New Jersey. As for what initially landed the couple in Rockaway, Jurlando said in one word—surfing.

She said, “I didn’t actually know about Rockaway when I lived on Long Island. And when I moved to Brooklyn and found out there was a surfing beach an hour subway ride away, I started coming out here just to surf. Then one day, my cousin called me about a houseboat for sale in Rockaway. So, we jumped on the opportunity to make Rockaway home.”

The couple fell in love with the 3,000-square-foot vessel, Sundance House Barge, then, commonly known as the “Rockaway Barge,” located at Marina 59 in Arverne. They renamed the houseboat, “Lucille II,” in memory of their beloved family dog.

When Jurlando and her husband committed to living on a houseboat in Rockaway, she hit the ground running—managing the since-shuttered Rockaway Brewing Company, and founding Yeasty Boys RBNY, a femme and queer focused beginner surf club and community service group, today boasting 350 members. She also is a certified surf therapy facilitator, and works as the events and partnerships manager for Oceanic Global, an international ocean conservation non-profit.

So, though Jurlando and her husband, Tim Reckel, moved to Rockaway just eight years ago, together they have built a strong community centered on their combined love of surfing, the ocean and arts.

She said, “Growing up on Long Island, then living in the city for many years, I missed the small community aspect. And once we discovered Rockaway, I became so enamored with the way people supported each other, and how the community is full of creatives. So, many people wear so many hats in their passion to help propel the community.

“I’ve done a lot with the surfing community in Rockaway over the last few years. And, so when Graham Hill, Almeda Club’s co-owner, approached me saying, ‘I see all the work that you’ve done in the community over the years. Would you be interested in running a brick-and-mortar surf club clubhouse?’

“I said, ‘yes.’ I was able to take over a space created with such a great relationship with the community. So, it’s been really nice getting to build upon what Almeda Club started. Jupiter Club is still a surf club with 24-hour access to surfboard lockers and showers, but we wanted it to be a bit more community focused. You don’t have to surf to come to Jupiter Club. We offer a space for anyone to host community and other special events, plus day or monthly passes for people who work remotely.”

Jurlando has also been an event planner and marketer for over 10 years, planning everything from weddings and small intimate gatherings to beach cleanups, surf etiquette classes and 500+ person conferences hosted at the United Nations. And with Jupiter Club, she wants to see organizations, collectives and just folks looking to host an event, to view the newly renovated indoor/outdoor space as an option.

Jupiter Club has already posted its event calendar for April. From samba classes, yoga to Yeasty Boys Spring Panel & Party with Raffle, Rockaway Art Room’s Found Object Mandala Class and more—for more info, visit: jupiterclubnyc on Instagram. To book a day-pass or monthly membership for surf lockers, co-working memberships, and for organizations and individuals looking to book the space for an event, email: JupiterClubNYC@gmail.com

The Jupiter Club is located at 69-62 Almeda Ave., and opens daily to the public, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and even later during evening events. Membership holders have full access to the space 24/7. For more info, including upcoming events, visit: jupiterclubnyc on Instagram or visit: https://www.jupiterclubnyc.com