Jack O’Neill, founder of the storied surf brand. Photo: O’Neill
The flagship O’Neill Surf Shop in Santa Cruz has shut its doors for the last time. The closure, first announced at the beginning of the year, and finalized on Tuesday, ends a run that lasted for two and a half decades.
“We have enjoyed being a part of the downtown Santa Cruz community for the past 25 years and look forward to seeing our customers at our other O’Neill Surf Shop locations,” said O’Neill Surf Shops Retail Division General Manager Tanner Beckett in a statement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “Our relationship with our customers and employees is important to us, and we plan to offer our downtown location employees employment opportunities at our other surf shop locations.”
O’Neill was founded in 1952 by surfing pioneer Jack O’Neill, a larger-than-life figure known for his trademark eyepatch and beard. His first surf shop was located on the Great Highway in San Francisco, but in the 1960s moved to Santa Cruz, where O’Neill became instrumental in the popularization of neoprene wetsuits for surfers (Jack claimed to have invented the technology himself, but others have attributed the accomplishment to physicist and Manhattan Project scientist Hugh Bradner). In the years since, O’Neill has become a bastion of the surf industry, with the 110 Cooper Street location in downtown Santa Cruz proudly advertising that fact.
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“Thank you, downtown Santa Cruz for 25 years!” read an Instagram post from the shop, on the day of the closure. “Today is the last day of business at our downtown Santa Cruz location. We look forward to seeing you all at our other locations in the Santa Cruz area.”
