The History Of British Surf Shops

Surf shops have been an important part of British Surf Culture for 50 years. In this article we explore their history and the influence they have had on us as surfers.

Surf shops are synonymous with surfing. They are often one of the first experiences you have as a new surfer and leave a lasting impression with that smell of surf wax, surf videos playing on a TV screen and racks of beautiful boards, that you hope one day you will be riding.

Back when I started surfing in the early 1990s, I vividly remember the excitement of visiting my local shop in Brighton - Ocean Sports - which at the time was a tiny shop with a basement of surfboards. 30 years later it’s a much larger store that caters for the hundreds of surfers along that stretch of the south coast.

The early British surf shops

Across the Atlantic, surf shops in the US first appeared in the 1950s, where they were typically basic set-ups for surfboard shapers to sell the boards they were making out the back.

The first surf shop in the UK is thought to have opened in 1963 in the Digey area of St Ives by Keith Slocombe. He then went on to open ones shortly after in Hayle and Newquay.

Shortly afterwards, in the same year, Bilbo Surfboards was being formulated in Newquay. Starting off with constructing surfboards in a garage, the business comprised of four surfers - Bill Bailey, Bob Head, Doug Wilson and Freddy Blight - who used a combination of Bill and Bob’s first names to name the company.

In 1971, Piran Surfshop opened in Perranporth by John Heath. He had been running a ironmongers in the town since 1946, but when that stopped making as much money he decided to diversify into surfing equipment. It expanded in size in the 1980s and you will still find it there today, now serving a new generation of surfers.

The rise of the surf shop

Over the years more and more surf shops started to open up across the country, as the popularity of surfing grew.

Typically these were in the coastal areas where people flocked to surf, including the likes of Newquay and St Ives, but also further inland.

Well-known surf brands that established shops in the early days included Tiki - who first had a shop in Barnstaple, before moving to Braunton - Circle One, who had a shop in Exeter and Zuma Jays who opened up in Bude.

Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, as surfing spread further afield, surf shops started to open up in places such as Wales and the North East of England.

PJ’s, owned by the legendary Welsh surfer Pete Jones, opened in 1979 in the tiny village of Llangennith on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. If you're ever visiting that beautiful part of Wales, then go see Pete and son James, as they will give you a warm welcome.

Saltburn Surf Shop started helping the North East surfers when it opened in 1986, near to the iconic pier in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. It's also run by another father and son team - Gary and Even Rogers.

Even in areas where the surf was less consistent, such as Sussex and Kent, there were surf shops opening to cater for the growing demand. These included Shore Watersports in East Wittering and the previously mentioned Ocean Sports in Brighton.

Up in Scotland, surf shops were a bit more sparse, but included the likes of Clan Skate, which was established in 1988 in Glasgow and is Scotland’s oldest surf, skateboard and snowboard shop.

Surf shops today

There are reportedly over 490 surf shops in the UK currently, a healthy level to reflect the rising popularity of surfing and other water sports. In an article we published on how many people surf in England, there are 189,000 people engaged in some form of surfing, according to Sport in England figures (2020-2021).

Surf shops today are in some ways very different from the first incarnations, with a focus on huge product ranges, including surfboards, wetsuits and hardware such as leashes, board bags and of course surf wax.

Clothing is a key focus of the modern day surf shop, with shops realising that there is a demand for people to wear surf branded tees, hoodies and more.

Many of the shops in popular surf towns are not only catering for the local surfing population, but also for the tourist surfers, who head to beaches across the country.

However many are still the heart of the local surf community, where you can head to for advice on buying a surfboard or wetsuit, or ask for tips on the best conditions for the local beaches.

And that includes our very own surf shop, based just outside Newquay. We love surfing and love to talk surfing, so please do come and see us if you’re in the area.


Photo: Tiki Surf Shop. Photo courtesy of Wavelength Surf Magazine