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Categories: Men's Clothing, Women's Clothing, Sporting Goods [Edit]
2148 E 4th StThis place is truly fantastic! The best in Long Beach and surrounding areas.
Shelter, every so often has parties...and they are free. Seriously, a cool shop.
Problem! lately they have been closed when I go.
Okay...Fine...
I was trying to keep this place a sercet, but it appears that the Cat is OUTTA the bag!!!!
This place is freaking amazing. Seriously. Amazing. The owner is the nicest guy ever. I brought my sister to 4th street when she came to visit for some vintage shopping and whatnot. We stumbled on this place and we so impressed with the overall environment/feel/idea of this little shop. I am not a surfer so I just went directly to the women's clothes, and they have a small selection of really amazing pieces. I got a 70's mod felt dress here that I LOVE. I get compliments on it every time I wear it. My sister also bought the same dress and she went even bigger and got the houndstooth high necked coat, so adorable. The owner told us his wife hand picks each women's clothing piece for the store, so we compliment him on her style.
The surf side looked awesome! There was a surfer customer and he was in some deep surf-lingo with the owner that I didnt understand, but it really seemed like he knew what he was talking about...So yeah, if you surf, give this guy your business. Well worth it.
Shelter is what a true surf shop should be. At it's worst, Shelter shines like the noon day sun, right? A beacon among surf retail.... and a pillar of the community (no bs. Stop by late afternoons when the neighbors drop in to say hello).
Great boards, inspiring art, a cool place to just chill while talking surf story and the parties are always a blast. Valley kooks can go to the mall for exchanges and disposable fashion. Let Shelter reign supreme!
Sick Surfshop!!! I bought a few boards from Shelter.. The owner is the coolest dude ever.. He helped me out so much getting the right quiver.. I will def buy more boards from him , no question..
He also shipped the board super fast... stocked..!!!
What else.. Shelter is the BEST !!!! :)) good vibes..
I'd like to tell you a little about this surf shop on 4th Street in Long Beach. Now by looking at most of the reviews on this site, I'm mainly gonna echo their sentiments by saying how great this place is. I've actually never bought anything there, but went over there when they were having one of their surf movie parties. I met the owner, who is a really great guy, and he was so friendly and he introduced me to his wife and small baby girl who happened to be there too. As I was there, I looked around at the various things for sale in the shop-boards, clothes, shoes, and a few other things and liked what I saw. But mainly I was just impressed by the "vibes" that this place gives off. I mean, what kind of surf shop do you know of that throws surf parties and lets you come and watch surf movies for cheap and just hang out with the owners and other surf aficionados? I enjoyed my time there so much that I plan on coming back for another surf party in a week or so, and then actually buying something when I have some more cash. This place really does provide "shelter" from the storm of "commercialized" and "cold" surf shops scattered around Orange County and beyond.
I need to start off by saying that a reviewer who writes a scathing review, states that his review is unfair, and admits that he knows little of what he reviews should be sanctioned. Brian A., you are a troll.
You posed the question, "Where exactly do surfers surf in Long Beach?" Why didn't you just ask Graham, the owner, this quick and easy question while you were there? Perhaps you were too occupied accosting him about a spelling error.
Answer: Not Long Beach. The many surfers that call Long Beach home are unable to surf their home beach because it has no waves. Waves have not crested here since World War II. That's all due to a manmade breakwater built six decades ago. Nowadays, most LB surfers commute a half hour to Orange County or Los Angeles beaches.
Brian A., now you are probably asking in your typical sarcastic tone, "like WTF is like there a surfshop in like Long Beach if you can't like surf here? like OMG." It's simple: NOSTALGIA. What better way to reminisce Long Beach's glory days as the "Waikiki of Southern California" than a retro surf shop? There you can sense a ripple of the waves that used to grace Long Beach. Shelter is the only memorial to LB's once great surf culture and is a nice addition to 4th Street's Retro Row.
Shelter is like no other. You will not find the crass commercialism celebrated at OC shops. Instead, you get clothing and products created by local designers and companies. They even have art exhibit nights and mixers. If you're in the market for a beautifully crafted longboard or twinfish, look no further. The boards that Shelter chooses to bring in are top notch. Think "works-of-art." By the way, no shredders or potato chips here. The family that owns this board gallery is genuinely nice. I truly believe that if you have a problem with them, YOU are the one with the problem. Bottom Line.
The family that runs this shop is so very nice!
I came here one day while browsing the usual shops on Retro Row. The woman gave me the scoop some ill TOMS boots that would be coming out and needless to say I came back and bought them.
The women's clothing they have is very nice and refreshing!
This place is kid-friendly (my son knows this too well)
I will def. be back to make many more purchases and to drop by and say hello.
Flat out, the coolest surf shop I've ever been in. The best part about the shop is the owner, Graham and his family. Super friendly, totally open to talking about the boards, clothing and art on the walls. Just try and find one of the teenage punks at the mega surf shops down in HB to help you like this?
The surfboards are all retro in style, but finely crafted by guys that have been shaping boards since before most of us existed. There were two balsa wood boards that I couldn't take my eyes off of, more like works of art, I'd don't know whether to surf it or hang it on the wall above my bed.
If you're looking for Hurley or Quiksilver, you're in the wrong store. All of the clothing here is created by local artists. You won't find any skulls or tribal designs on these tshirts, but the artwork is still cooler than anything you get from the big surf companies.
As if that was all you needed from a local surf shop, Shelter brings a curve ball with unique art from artists within the surf community. The openings are always the last staturday of the month and from what I've seen, much better artwork than you'll find in some other galleries around town.
"The floods are threatning
My very life today
You better gimme shelter
Or Im gonna fade away"
(The Stones were hip to it)
-----------------------------
"Look!" I screamed, "Bonzers!"
"A Hynson...a Hobie!"
"And look...a Noll and a quad fish!"
I couldn't contain myself. How wonderful for Long Beach but oh, the irony! So many unique and special boards here...and after several long minutes of listening to me describing venturi principles, water flow dynamics, fins, rails and rockers, my boyfriend slapped me hard across the face, told me to "Snap out of it!", I thanked him and we continued our visit.*
These are boards you normally wouldn't find within miles of LB, let alone South Bay, and therefore I was totally stunned to see such an amazing assortment of custom surfboards in this tiny emporium right alongside all the kitschy little shops of 4th St. selling used clothing, Goth, coffee and tattoos to an artsy clientele.
Shelter Surf Shop had invited interested parties to attend the "Surf-Knot" hosting of the artwork of Tyler Warren, a young and talented surfer/artist, and the bf and I went mostly out of curiosity than to seriously entertain any notion of hardcore surf interest. How happy I was to discover that here was a dedicated board shop that isn't interested in a pussified, glam-show serving of surf-inspired clothing and Ugg boots to people with more money than care to surf some incredible wave-riding machines. This shop is focused on the boards, not what you should wear. Graham Day, the owner, is an inspired man who knows his product and what he wants to do with this shop based on his love of the sport and not on any driven desire to attain fame or fortune. Fortune won't be found here in the LBC and infamy is usually as close as we'll ever come to any fame. Thankfully, he's in it because he wants to be.
This is a low-key, class-A operation selling quality surf gear and it's a shame that as long as that fucking breakwater remains squatting impassively offshore, there'll never be surf in this city (the irony). Yes, you can buy your beautiful new Twin Vee Rocket Fish here but Seal and Huntington Beaches gain our watery love and affection...
In addition to fantastic boards, they also provide the usual accoutrement of a wave warrior.
*Of course he knows he'd earn the handicapped placard were he to actually try that.
Finally a store on Fourth Street that isn't a junk boutique. Shelter is a true Mom and Pop operation complete with kids running around. Kind of reminds me of a country store out in the boondocks. Brought in my recently acquired MD board which I learned was shaped down here in Long Beach. Got some advice on how to repair the various dings and scratches and promptly bought a ding repair kit and was able to fix my board later that afternoon. The board selection is only filled with the highest quality boards and I sure wish I had the bread to bring home that beautiful wood stick that sits there asking for someone to bring her home.
Though I am not a skateboarder, you local asphalt jocks would like this place too.
Okay, I haven't actually purchased anything from this shop, but I'm definitely going back because I enjoyed stopping by. Dave C. totally has this place right- it's not at all your normal run of the mill shop. If you like Ando and friends (the work of artist Andy Davis), you'll find that kind of gear at Shelter. The retro-style boards are gorgeous and the store has a boutique feel to it *without* being pretentious. (I'll add that this alone sets it apart from a few other stores on Retro Row.) There's surf-inspired art on the walls and friendly, laid back owners. This is a down-to-earth family business!
This store is totally worth checking out, even if just to say hi and to see the art. It's a very welcome new member of our neighborhood and our local surf/skate community.
honey, i know nothin' about surfing, but i know cute-ass clothes when i see 'em. ahh, the power of window displays. the other night we walked by the closed store and i was intrigued by a sweet dress and coat. now, my man reigned me in and put me on a budget. boo! but i've real good these last few months, and it took a bit of finagling ala lucy ricardo, but he said yes to both! woo hoo! not bad price-wise (i've become exceptionally frugal now that my clothes come out of my allowance!), the store is clean and not overstocked (it's refreshing after walking in-n-out of retro row shops), and the owner was really cool. so while these other yelpers praise the boards, i will give a shout-out to the women's clothing that is NOT hurley, roxy, op-ish.
This is the best surf shop in the world. The owners are super friendly and rad... they promote rootsy artists, have original artwork on their shop t shirts from surfers like Tyler Warren, and a fine selection of hand shaped wave sleds. Check this place out.
This is hands down the best surf shop ever. Local artists, hand shaped sleds from local shapers as… Read more »
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