SLO County’s newest surf shop sells everything from wetsuits and boards to metal dinosaurs
San Luis Obispo County’s newest surf shop is located in a quiet corner of Cambria.
Cambria Surf Shop opened in early October at 4015 West St, just to the left of the end of Center Street off Burton Drive.
A Cambria Historical Society plaque by the shop’s front door identifies the building as the circa 1880 Allen Porte House and identifies former property owners including George Proctor; George and Birdie Allen, and Joseph and Marcella Montano Porte.
Store owner Bill Bookout said he purchased the property for $567,500 from the owners of the We Love Rocks store, who bought it in 2020 from neighbor Christopher and Dinah Lee of the Gallery of Wearable Art. They bought it about 20 years ago from the pioneer Porte family.
Bookout, who also owns surf shops in Avila Beach and Pismo Beach, said escrow closed on the property in August.
Part of what inspired Bookout to buy the former home of Marcella “Grandma” Porte, he said, was its “amazing” history, location and his love of the community.
Bookout and his wife, Vickie, live in Arroyo Grande, but he hopes to someday buy a home in Cambria.
“This is the most amazing place,” Bill Bookout said.
As soon as he arrives in Cambria, he said, “My attitude changes. I relax. I love the people here, the local artists.”
“I do a lot of diving and surfing here,” along with jade hunting, the sports enthusiast added.
New surf shop opens in Cambria
The new Cambria Surf Shop’s inventory extends beyond surfboards and wetsuits.
In addition to rentals of electric bicycles, e-scooters, kayaks and more, the store sells goods including fishing gear, Big Sur jade and wall and garden art such as roof-high metal dinosaurs.
Bookout is expecting a delivery soon of 20 pedal kayaks that he hopes to sell at the Cambria shop.
The offerings at Cambria Surf Shop are similar to those at his two Pismo Beach Surf Shop stores — located at 470 Price St. near the Pismo Beach Pier, and 160 Hinds Ave., Suite 102 — and Avila Beach Surf Shop, 51 San Miguel St., near the Avila Beach Pier.
Bookout plans to open a second Cambria Surf Shop in a former home at 1561 Main St. near Cambria Vineyard Church and Re-Create Thrift Shop,
However, he’s been dealing with various San Luis Obispo County building requirements at the site, which now boasts a herd of dinosaur and alien sculptures, for more than a year.
New SLO County store attracts customers
Bookout opened Cambria Surf Shop on West Street on Oct. 6, making his first sale — a metal flower with a hummingbird painted on it — the same day.
Since then, he said, “I’ve had more people in here each day than at my downtown Pismo location.”
Patti and Steve Weber of Pleasant Hill, who are regular visitors to Cambria, bought a rock-studded frog on Oct. 11.
Patti Weber said the town is “a feast for your eyes,” adding that they love browsing in the area’s antique stores.
Also on Oct. 11, Bookout sold a medium-sized metal T-rex sculpture to George and Michelle Paganini of San Jose.
They plan to put the dinosaur “on a dining table under a canopy in our backyard,” George Paganini said. “We’ll be able to see it from just outside our slider.”
The Paganinis said they visit Cambria a couple of times a year, and go to the Monterey Peninsula area more frequently, because George is a golfer.
However, he said, “The prices for stuff here are so much better!”
What’s next?
According to Bookout, there’s more work to do on the West Street store, such as building a low fence using bricks that he carefully removed from a patio area alongside the structure.
He found an antique shotgun shell and the historical society’s marker during the dig.
Bookout said Cambria Surf Shop on West Street will be the final acquisition in his local chain of stores.
“I’m done now. I want to relax,” the self-described workaholic said.
By the end of October, Cambria Surf Shop on West Street will likely be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. For now, he said, the store is open when he’s there.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 12:43 PM.
