A Surf Shop Far from the Beach
On a sunny Saturday morning in Culver City, Salt Surf shop was virtually empty, with only the crushing sound of a blender from the açaí stand right next door bringing in noise.
Upon first entering the small and very trendy brick and mortar shop in Culver City, the first thought that occurred to me was how extremely indie and colorful the store was. It was every millennial instagram photographer’s daydream. The walls were decorated with cool and artsy surf magazines and newsletters, as well as neat surfboards, color-organized shirts and sweatshirts. There were candles, incense, skateboards, wetsuits and wheels. It looked like the perfect spot for any surfer or skater alike and then it finally occurred to me ask, “Why have a surf shop so far from the beach?”
This is a point which sales associate Jon quickly touched upon, by expressing that the brand is very inclusive and wants everyone to gain interest in surfing and surf culture. There are tons of surf shops lining the Venice boardwalk, Santa Monica beach, Newport, San Clemente and places where the quintessential California surfer would find themselves. Salt Surf has two locations, on in SoHo and another in Culver City, so they can reach a crowd that would not particularly be at these surf locations and allow them to gain an interest.
Jon himself is a snowboarder from Tahoe who decided to work for Salt Surf because he was really into fashion and enjoyed the clothes they sold there. Their signature logo is “Nice and Cool,” and you can find this printed on many of their shirts, boards and a decorative neon sign in their fitting room. Jon found himself very interested in the “vibes” of the store and the message they were sending out.
While working at Salt Surf over the past few months he has picked up surfing and created a valuable friendship with some of the other sales associates there.
“It really is a community,” he says. “The surf community is open up to everyone and it is really sick how welcoming everyone was and helpful in trying to help me figure out how everything works.”
Jon also noted that the Culver City Platform holds a lot of other retail shops and businesses, which brings in a very eclectic and diverse group of people. This is exactly the kind of crowd Salt Surf wants to attract and why they thought of the Platform as the perfect location, because a wide range of people can get into surfing and surf apparel.
