Rider Shack Surf & Skate Shop

Knowledgable staff — great service and value. Easy parking. Legit rentals in case you need a real surfboard (not popouts) while visiting Venice /​Santa Monica. Aloha

I brought my surfboard twice to repair dings here. The job they do repairing is perfect and they charged me less than what other places rated the repairs for. Now I am 100% sure this is my go to spot for ding repairs or any material I need to buy in future.

Got a killer used board here for a good price and the staff was awesome in helping me pick it out. Going to come back here soon and help my brother find a board. Amazing shop guys, keep it up!

Roots… Local and Family Owned. Super friendly… from the owners to all the shop rats.
What can I say, I remember Jeff and his wife when they started in a little shop down the street. Even though they have grown in size and brands they carry (which is good for variety) they keep it real and down to earth. No hype and no hard core «I surf better than you» vibe. Just easy going local peeps that want to help you on your surf stoke — at any level. I support these guys.
Great new and used board selection. Great selection of wetsuits. Nice amount of apparel for men and women. If you don’t see it they can probably get it.
Surf Repair — quick turn around.
Prices are what they are… fair. The service is why I like coming here. I never feel like they are trying to make a sale…
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Awesome place. Bought a second hand board here the other day. Service was incredible and I’m extremely happy with the board. They were helpful choosing and even offered to repair a small ding at a discounted rate. Fully recommendable.

Bought 2 pairs Rainbow’s from this place. One was priced reasonably and the other pair I ended up getting for my girlfriend was in the $ 5 bin! Saved over $ 50 because of this delightful establishment

Awesome surf shop. Over my years of surfing I’ve always seemed to return here for their killer used surfboard deals and wax as it’s close to me. Guys are super helpful and super knowledgable with what they’re selling.
All four boards I’ve bought here I still have, three I purchased used and one I purchased new. Recently took in a board for ding repair and it was back to me in two days — surf shops usually have horrid wait times.
Their wetsuit selection is very limited as they only carry rip curl wetsuits.
Overall, great shop with wide selection of boards and great staff. I’m always happy to support this local business.

Great selection of both new and used boards, with some really good prices on gear.
I picked up a… Lost Lazy Toy here, board works SO well. The advice Jay gave me was dead-​on correct. Very stoked on the store and it’s staff. Friendly and helpful.
This is a classic surf shop in the best sense. Don’t miss.

Great surf shop with a very gnarly staff, good vibes & great deals on great products. Wide variety of stuff & if you can’t find they order it quickly. Super chill spot for everything you may ever need. Great job Jeff!!!

Years ago, I used to work in a surfboard factory just two blocks away from Rider Shack owner Jeff’s original location when he first opened. He was and continues to be a conscientious and honest man whose first concern is the satisfaction of his customers. His business has grown into a well-​stocked and soulful surf shop. It is the only game in town. I say this because there are other surf shops on the westside, but their staff employees and managers are sadly ignorant of surfboard construction, and the nuances of performance surfing, longboarding, etc.
Rider Shack has employees that know their stuff, and when I ask an important question about a particular design or method of construction, they know the answer — they don’t just make it up (like Jack’s Surfshop employees do). Also, the staff is friendly and without airs of superiority (like other surfshops I’ve known) — just honest, friendly, and knowledgeable assistance. Simple, but so rare these days in this industry. Rider Shack is the best, thanks to Jeff at the helm.

I took my daughter to Rider Shack so she could upgrade from a foam board on her 13^th birthday. We had the most amazing experience. Not only did Jay pick out a perfect used board (rusty!), but he also taught her how to wax it.
Riders is a pretty large store with ample stock. The feel is like a small town. Other customers would chime in as well as other employees. I can’t wait til we need something else surf or skate related!

Jeff and his crew are great! Your go to place for lost surfboards!

I am not a surfer or a skateboarder, but really like this place. The staff is easy and kick back. Very helpful as well. They have a good selection of fun swim wear and other beach accessories. One of my favorite surf shops.

GREAT service, quality and variety. In fact, the newbie surfer I was with had no idea what he needed to get started, and the worker took the time out to not only tell him exactly what he needed (without any pressure or upselling), but even showed him how to wax his board. Of course, like any other local store these days, the prices are higher than Amazon. But, duh, you already knew that. You go for the personalized service, not the price tag.
Bottom line: Support your local businesses, and sometimes you’ll be amazed.

Love this place. Went in here for the first time today based of a rec from a local at the Venice pier for ding repair. I took my fish that got destroyed by Virgin Airlines in for an estimate.
Will was super nice and helpful. The quote was way cheaper than I expected even with color matching.
Also they are a little backed up right now so the turnaround time is 7 – 10 days. I’ve heard of places where the turnaround time is much longer and ding repair is way more expensive. The owner was there and he was cool and friendly.
The space is big and I plan on going back. I’ll post an update and show pics of the repair when it’s done.

I’ve been to many surf shops and have to admit, I hate them all — besides this one. The owner Jeff is a super cool dude that really knows a thing or two about customer service, competitive pricing, and repeat business tactics (this is the only local shop I’ll ever shop at again).
He bought a Becker long board from me at more than what I figured I’d get low balled for on CL. This was shocking to me since ZJ’s tried tearing me a new new one on the same board.
Can’t believe I’ve missed this place all these years. They even do repairs — No more dealing with negotiating with the knuckleheads at Aquatech!!!

I’ve been going to the Rider Shack since 2008 and have bought several boards and wetsuits there. I’ve also had many ding repairs done by them. They offer a great service at a good price. Despite the fact that I only go in periodically, the owner usually recognizes me and is really pleasant to work with. It’s hard to beat this place.

As of a couple of years ago, the staff had no knowledge of surfing or surfboard design and function. I think they’re still trying to get up at Sunset and Venice Breakwater.
Today, I spoke with the owner, Lacey. Whoa, what a bad ‘tude.
The boards are ridiculously overpriced. I had to chuckle when I saw they had a 5’6″ shortboard on clearance for $ 700. Or a used 6’0″ for $ 400, fins not included. Did Kelly Slater ride it? LOL

This store rocks. Jay stayed past closing as I asked him about 10 different boards. He went through each one, asked a ton of questions about my surfing abilities and dialed in a board that was perfect.
I’m loving life on the Lost Sub Scorcher 2 he recommended. Would have never guessed I’d be riding a 6’1 daily a year after coming off a 9’2 longboard.
These guys are legit and won’t rip you off by selling a board that isn’t a good fit. Definitely make time to go in person if you’ve been researching boards that are good for SoCal waves. They’ll get you dialed on something that’s short and catches waves where you’ll be surfing.
Ps. I think his name was Jay, cool haircut. Might have been Jake. But solid advice all around.

The people who work here are great — really friendly and helpful.
I got a used board here for a really reasonable price and it was in excellent condition. Jeff has also been really helpful when I was looking for a wetsuit — they didn’t have my size at the store and he called me personally to update me on the status.
I definitely prefer to shop here than at the chain surf shops!