Mitch's Surf Shop

"He doesn't really do interviews," a shop employee told me after I told him about my blog and inquiried if the older man behind the front sales counter was the owner. "But you can still ask him."

"I don't really do interviews," the man behind the counter said in a polite, soft-spoken manner when I explained to him why I was there. But then he told me that I could talk to one of his shop managers and ask him anything I liked. When I asked if I could take pictures inside the shop he said "Sure, go ahead."

So I ended up talking to Carter, the shop manager on duty the day I walked into Mitch's Surf Shop in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, CA.  He confirmed that the man behind the counter was indeed the owner, Mitch.  He explained that Mitch (who asked that his last name not be used) was a very private and humble person who didn't really care for much attention or acclaim. But as he spoke about Mitch's background and his shop, I came to understand just how private and humble he was, because he had a lot to brag about.

BC Surf Shop

The 2015 Hurley Pro at Trestles was a memorable one.  If you were there, you got to see intense heats with world title implications, Mick Fanning's gut-check performance after two previous confidence-shaking events, a nostalgic Heritage Series Expression Session with some legendary surfers, and Kelly Slater's controversial 4.17 score in the quarterfinals that will be debated for a long time to come.

Besides watching some world-class surfing at the Hurley Pro, I took some time during a recent road trip to San Diego to check out some local surf shops and their original shop t-shirts. My first stop was in San Clemente, the closest beach town to the Trestles surf break where the Hurley Pro took place.  There I ventured into BC Surf Shop, which lays claim to the title of San Clemente's oldest surf shop.

Esteem Surf Shop

A surfer's surf shop in Pismo Beach, CA, Esteem Surf Shop offers a full slate of surf merchandise and services.  While it is a profit-seeking business, it prides itself on staying true to the sport of surfing, the surf community, and the role of the surf shop in surf culture.  But you shouldn't mistake its pride for hostility to novice surfers or even non-surfers, like local surfers protecting a favorite surf spot.  Esteem Surf Shop is welcoming to all people who seek the stoke of surfing, whether you're an experienced surfer, novice surfer, or just a fan of surfing.

El Porto Surf Shop

Located in Manhattan Beach, CA, El Porto Surf Shop is primarily a convenience and board shop for local surfers and a rental shop for surf tourists.  About 800 square foot in size, the shop lacks the polish of some upscale surf shops with their hardwood floors, wood display racks, and crisp A/C.  It also seems a little out of place in that it is stashed above a liquor store and accessed by stairs along the side of the building,  But El Porto Surf Shop isn't really trying to sell an image of surfing.  Without much pomp, it is simply trying to sell surfboards and board accessories and rent surf equipment.

Surf Concepts Surf Shop

You often hear that surfing is more than just a sport, it's a way of life, a philosophy.  In this respect, the name for a surf shop in Manhattan Beach, CA should resonate with surfers and surf fans: Surf Concepts Surf Shop.  Located a little inland on N. Sepulveda Blvd between Marine Ave and Manhattan Beach Blvd in a small strip mall, Surf Concepts Surf Shop has as wide and deep a selection of surf and skate merchandise as any corporate surf shop, but arguably with more knowledgeable, personalized service.  Its original shop t-shirt selection. my main interest however, is not as wide and deep as its other surf merchandise, but if you're looking to pick up something other than an original shop t-shirt, you can probably find it there.

Maui and Sons Surf Shop

In my last post, I explained why I usually don't write about t-shirts from surfwear brands and prefer to focus instead on t-shirts from local beach town surf shops.  In my opinion, surf shop t-shirts are the best kinds of surf t-shirts because they are almost always original, unique, and infused with the history of a local surf scene.  I rarely stray from this focus, but I did so in my last post, writing about the resurrected Lightning Bolt brand.  I justified it by pointing out the brand's fascinating history, its distinctive style separating it from today's major surfwear brands, and, most significantly, its lone U.S. physical presence as a surf shop in Venice Beach, CA.  Though Lightning Bolt t-shirts could be found in various retail outlets around the world, they were still original, unique, and connected enough to a local surf scene through a local surf shop.

For a second consecutive post, I'm going to make another exception for the Maui and Sons brand for pretty much the same reasons.  A major international surf apparel and equipment brand that can be found in retail store chains, local surf shops, and online retailers around the world, Maui and Sons has an interesting brand history and a distinctive style.  Most relevantly, it offers a local retail experience through a surf shop located, curiously enough, just like Lightning Bolt, in Venice Beach, CA (there must be something about Venice Beach.)

Lightning Bolt Surf Shop

On my road trips, I seek out a few specific things: epic surfing, peaceful beaches, cold beer, surf shops, and, above all, original surf shop t-shirts.  These t-shirts are the kinds of t-shirts that can't be found anywhere else but the surf shops that make them.  Not only do they capture the spirit of surfing, but they also express the identity of a particular surf shop and embody the vibe of the local surf scene.  Only with rare exception will I stray from this standard and review t-shirts from surfwear brands or other sources.

For several reasons, I'm making one of those exceptions for Lightning Bolt, a global surfboard and surfwear brand based in Venice Beach, CA.  For one, Lightning Bolt has a fascinating brand history, from its birth in Honolulu, HI in 1970, to its rise to fame on Oahu's fabled North Shore in the 1970s, to its disappointing decline in the 1980s, and up to its recent rebirth in the 2010s.  Second, even though Lightning Bolt apparel, especially its t-shirts, can be found in some national retail store chains, local surf shops, and online stores, it has a single physical presence in the United States, a surf shop on Venice Beach's Pacific Avenue, a street that runs just one block parallel to the famous Venice Beach boardwalk (outside the U.S., however, there are Lightning Bolt retail outlets.)  Third and last, the brand has a unique style that distinguishes it from the major surfwear brands of today.

Main Street Surf Shop

You can find Main Street Surf Shop deep in the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA.  Located near the intersection of Main Street and Balboa Boulevard not far from the Balboa Fun Zone and the Balboa Pavilion, Main Street Surf Shop is a niche surf shop.  Although it carries a wide selection of brand name surfwear and surfwear  accessories, it has a rare retail angle involving a unique slice of surf culture, the sport of skimboarding.

15th Street Surf Shop

15th Street Surf Shop is a small retail, service, and curiosity surf shop in Newport Beach, CA.  Located steps from the beach between Newport Beach Pier and Balboa Pier, its main retail focus is surfwear, surfwear accessories, and beach gear.  Only about 700 square feet in size, it's densely packed with merchandise racks, sometimes requiring some tight maneuvering.  Still, it sells quality merchandise, offers some useful services, and, most interestingly, doubles as a surf museum.

The Frog House Surf Shop

Located on the Pacific Coast Highway on the north end of Newport Beach, CA near the Santa Ana River jetties surf spot, The Frog House is a surfer's surf shop.  Literally in the first 20 minutes I was in there checking out the shop's t-shirts and waiting to talk to the owner, a surfer came in to have new fins put on his board, another surfer bought some wax, another one brought in his board to have a ding fixed, and another asked about trading in his board for a discount on a new one.  If you're all about surfing, The Frog House is definitely a surf shop that won't let you down.

Offshore Surf Shop

Offshore Surf Shop is a small but busy convenience surf shop in Carlsbad, CA.  Located a few steps from the entrance to Frazee Beach on Carlsbad Boulevard, it is only around 400 square feet big, but it feels a lot bigger because of its high ceiling, its displaying of merchandise on its tall walls, and its spacious patio area. Founded all the way back in 1970 by Barbie Baron, a young female professional surfer before the coming-of-age of women's professional surfing (or for that matter the advent of international professional surfing), Offshore Surf Shop is a very tourist-friendly and surfer-convenient surf shop.

Warm Waters Surf Shop

Named after a local Carlsbad, CA surf spot, Warm Waters Surf Shop is located on Carlsbad Village Drive between Carlsbad State Beach and Interstate 5 on the east end of the main shopping district. It's a little more polished and upscale than your average surf shop.  About 800 square feet big with high ceilings and cool A/C, it has hardwood floors, wood rafters, wood top display tables, and wood display cases on the walls. All the merchandise is neatly arranged and creatively displayed.  Whether you're looking for surfwear, surfwear accessories, surfboards, or surfboard accessories, you know when you walk into Warm Waters Surf Shop you are going to find some high-quality merchandise.  But it's also reasonably priced.

Carlsbad Pipelines Surf Shop

Carlsbad Pipelines Surf Shop is a surf and skate shop in Carlsbad, CA.  Located at the intersection of Carlsbad Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive in downtown Carlsbad, it is a block away from Frazee Beach.  It's a medium-sized surf shop at around 1200 square feet.  With its main doors open, a side door open, and a large tree in front providing shade, the shop is as fresh and cool inside as the weather outside.