Noll opens flagship store in San Clemente

07 Jun '11

5 min read

Noll Surfboards is pleased to announce the opening of its flagship store at 1709 N. El Camino Real in San Clemente, CA. The store opening coincides with the re-launch of one of the first American surf brands. Noll Surfboards was originally established by Greg Noll in Manhattan Beach, CA, in 1951.

"Our goal is to return surfing to its roots," said Jed Noll, Greg's son and Noll Surfboards' CEO. "My dad is famous for being one of the greatest big-wave surfers of all time, but he was also one of the founding fathers of the surf industry." That era -- the 1950s in California and Hawaii -- was a foundational period for the sport and lifestyle, which blew up worldwide in the '60s.

"We want to bring back the essence of what surfing was all about back then: the freedom to explore what's possible, searching for the perfect wave with your friends, living out there on the edge. It's that vintage sense of community that remains part and parcel of the authentic beach lifestyle today."

"I can't think of a brand more steeped in the foundation of the sport than Noll Surfboards," said Garrett McNamara, one of the world's pre-eminent contemporary big-wave surfers and a member of the Noll Surfboards Team. "Greg has been an inspiration to so many surfers, young and old alike!"

The flagship store's inaugural event was attended by a host of surfing's elite, including surf-industry moguls Paul Naude (CEO of Billabong USA), Fernando Aguerre (co-founder of the Reef sandal company and president of the International Surfing Association), Jeff Kelley (founder and creator of the Sanuk shoe company) and Sparky Longley (founder of Rainbow Sandals).

Also on hand for the big bash were Dick Metz and Spencer Croul (founders of the Surfing Heritage Foundation) and surfers from all eras, including '50s pioneer Warren Harlow, '60s competition star L. J. Richards, '70s star and surfboard designer Malcolm Campbell, and current big-wave surfing legend Rusty Long.

Naturally the Noll family and members of the Noll Surfboards team (including McNamara) were there to celebrate the grand opening in style.

"I'm proud of what Jed and the team have accomplished here," said Greg Noll, Noll Surfboards' Chairman of the Board. "We've been thinking about doing this for many years, but we never could create the right circumstances to make it happen on the scale we wanted. We had to make sure we did this right. Now we've got a great team in place, and the stars seem to have aligned for us."

"Our flagship store is a wonderful tribute to the history of the sport, but it's also a peek into its future," said James Edwards, Noll Surfboards' COO. "We wanted give customers a genuine experience they wouldn't soon forget -- and a reason to come back again and again!"

In that spirit, the Noll Surfboards store is a combination museum, art gallery, event center and local surf shop. Entering this unique surf shop, customers are immediately surrounded by one-of-a-kind memorabilia, hand-crafted wooden surfboards, and freshly designed apparel and gear. In short, they find themselves at the center of surfing history.

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