Almond Surf Shop in Newport Beach

It's been over three weeks since I've been back from California but I have to mention a very positive experience I had while I was there. Dave Allee & his Almond Surfboards & Designs has an extremely cool shop in Newport Beach, CA. For the last year or so, I’ve enjoyed following the blog and have always dug his clean shapes, so I thought I'd stop in & check the shop and boards out in person, glad I did.

His boards are so effing clean – I’ll never forget a windex colored noserider with a sanded glass finish. It was is if a blue haze hovered over the thing. The boards and the shop is a fresh blast for a medium that’s so desperately saturated. I want one, bad.


The shop itself is amazing. Just look at Leroy Grannis pictures of surf shops in the 1960’s. Rick Stoner, Hap Jacobs, and Joe Quigg’s shops had their own “in-house” shapes, some accessories, maybe a wetsuit or vest, and maybe some t shirts.



Fast forward to Newport Beach, 2010: Almond Surf shop you’ll find the same – their own shapes (and fins too!), own brands (no volcom/quickie/blah blah), the mellowest vibe, and a staff that knows its shit. They’ll be getting in some of those amazing made-in-Japan wetsuits as well. Step into ’66, or step into the now. I want one of these boards – bad.

Also during my visit I had the pleasure of meeting one of my dear readers; Erin – (aka worm? Am I remembering right?) – The woman has a super energy and offered the sincerest invitation to join with her and her buds for a warm afternoon surf at Blackies. It was glassy & waist high. And the reason I didn’t join was……no excuse sir, I had a case of the lames. A shame, I’ve never surfed there and it looks fun as hell.

It means so much to me when people read this blog, so when I randomly ran into a dear reader, I was floored. Thanks for reading, Erin, it was nice to meet you, we gotta work on the Yankees fan thing but whatever, and thanks for reading Musclecar Monday – add diversity? I hear you, I’ve been overly Ford-centric – but I do take requests, send them in!

In a world of Ron Jon’s and Jack’s surf warehouse box stores on one extreme, and designer boutiques featuring vintage clothes, treehouses, overrated and overly precious art and attitude on the other; Almond Surf Shop is the coolest surf shop this side of El Segundo and a very welcome break from the norm. Keep turning out the bitchin’ work folks, and if any of you are out here in the frozen waters of RI/Mass/New Hamster/Maine, buy all means gimme a holler, I’ll turn you on to the goods.

Thanks for your time & keep in touch.