HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. – Amidst a standing room only crowd of surf industry royalty, city royalty, family, friends and past and present employees, Huntington Surf & Sport celebrated its Grand Opening on Wednesday, May 25 at the corner of PCH and Main Streets in Surf City USA.

Among the dozens of dignitaries in attendance were Vans GM of North America Doug Palladini, Firewire Surfboards President Mark Price, Duke’s GM Brett Barnes, Peter “PT” Townend and Vans’ founder Steven Van Doren who was serving breakfast to all attendees. Luminaries included Stance President John Wilson, Reef President Jeff Moore, O’Neill’s Steve Ward and Pat O’Neill, former Surfing Magazine Publisher Bob Mignogna, Volcom President Kevin Meehan, Salty Crew Co-Founder Jared Lane and former professional surfers Taylor Knox and Jeff Deffenbaugh. City of Huntington Beach royalty included Robert Handy, Chief of Police, Mike Eich, Junior Lifeguard Chief, and Mike Baumgartner, Lifeguard Chief. Special guest speakers included Hurley founder, Bob Hurley, legendary Huntington Beach High School surf team coach, Andy Vendone, and the first employee that Aaron Pai hired after purchasing HSS in 1979, Greg Osthus. Hurley spoke at length about how HSS has captured the essence of the sport and acts as a “curator” for all generations of surfers. He also confirmed that HSS was the first dealer for Hurley-branded surfboards, with Aaron Pai fronting him $2,400 for eight surfboards in 1979; giving him free creative reign.

Verdone discussed the many surf trips that he and Aaron have taken to the world’s most exotic locations, and how HSS has cultivated a “family” atmosphere that makes the store welcoming for everyone. Osthus shared several stories (past, present and future) about how Aaron constantly pushes the retail envelope and continues to evolve HSS into the premier specialty retail destination. Greg mentioned how he was the young surf rat wanting a job back then and his 12 year-old son represents the new generation of kids that will be taking over soon.

Aaron Pai opened the ceremony by describing the recently completed renovations to the iconic store which included “blowing out” all of their front-facing walls on Main and PCH streets some 15 feet and adding more than 3000 square feet of retail space. A massive wetsuit room and flagship stores for Vans, Volcom, Hurley and Channel Islands and allows Huntington Surf & Sport to offer the largest inventory and best selection of hardgoods on the West Coast. “We have physically built out and remodeled the majority of our Main and PCH location and, most importantly, the next generation of Pai’s—Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn—have taken the helm,” said Aaron Pai. “So with the Pai kids taking over and leading…this was a major remodel of both ‘physical structure and positive energy’ that I am stoked on!” Aaron also discussed learning to surf at Waikiki and the Huntington Pier, and being taught the true “Aloha Spirit” and importance of family from his Grandma Choi. “Because of HSS I have surfed around the world—Tavarua, South Africa, Australia, the Menatawais—and have had some amazing and unforgettable experiences,” said Aaron. “And I am so happy that Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn have already started on this incredible journey!”

The ceremony concluded with the cutting of three red ribbons at the store’s main entrance representing the past, present and future of HSS. Aaron’s mother, who originally loaned him the money to purchase the store, cut the first ribbon representing the past. Aaron cut the second ribbon representing the present. And Aaron’s sons Taylor and Trevor cut the third ribbon representing the future of HSS. And with that, the store was opened to the public for all the surf industry, surfing community, friends and family to enjoy and see.

Press Contacts:

Mike Kingsbury, Mary Doherty, MKM

Mike@teammkm.com; Mary@teammkm.com

(714) 375-2188

HSS ANNOUNCES GRAND OPENING ON MAY 25 AT 8AM;

NEXT GENERATION OF PAI FAMILY TAKING THE HELM OF ICONIC STORE

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. – Huntington Surf & Sport has completed a major renovation at its downtown (Main and PCH) location and is set to formally unveil its new look on Wednesday, May 25 at 8am. There will be special guest speakers, while Aaron Pai along with two others will cut three ribbons representing the past, present and future of HSS to the surf community, industry, friends and family. Information is available at www.hsssurf.com/.

The Huntington Surf & Sport Grand Opening is really important because of two significant and distinct factors. “We have physically built out and remodeled the majority of our PCH and Main Street location and, most importantly, the next generation of Pai’s—Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn—have been taking the helm,” said Aaron Pai. “So with the Pai kids taking the helm and leading…this is a major remodel of both ‘physical structure and positive energy’ that I am stoked on!”

The five time SIMA Retailer of the Year has completed extensive renovations to the store, including “blowing out” all of their front-facing walls on Main and PCH streets some 15 feet and adding more than 3000 square feet of retail space. A massive wetsuit room and flagship stores for Vans, Volcom, Hurley and Channel Islands and allows Huntington Surf & Sport to offer the largest inventory and best selection of hardgoods on the West Coast for surfers to check out the latest products and equipment.

The all new Hurley store within HSS is simply amazing, and featured Hurley family members participating in the design and construction. Attendees at the Grand Opening also will see a mind blowing Volcom store (within the store) and the bigger and better surfboard room is a surfer’s dream along with a new and larger Java Point Coffee Bar. “I’m super excited on the product mix, innovations, and stoke that’s being poured into the foundation of HSS,” said Taylor Pai. “There’s no greater time to introduce and provide the best to consumers with everything surf.”

Aaron grew up surfing at the pier and his sons Trevor and Taylor were raised in the same water and surf every day in front of the store. They all love surfing Tavarua, the Mentawais and their home break of Huntington. “Every morning when I go to work, I feel blessed to work with my sons Trevor and Taylor and my daughter Ashlyn, said Aaron. “I’m so stoked that all of my kids (including Lindsay) love the ocean and live the surfing lifestyle. Special thanks to my wife Sher for all her loyalty, dedication and behind the scenes work.”

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Aaron learned to surf at Waikiki and the Huntington Pier, and was taught the true “Aloha Spirit” and importance of family from his Grandma Choi. In 1978 the 23 year-old northside pier rat was hired out in the water on the northside by Huntington Surf & Sport as its first employee, earning $2.25 an hour selling wax, T-shirts and surfboards. The following year, Aaron borrowed some money from his parents then purchased the surf shop. After moving directly across from the pier in 1990, the Pai family began to shape HSS into a one-of-a-kind surf shop that continues to redefine the specialty retail experience. And now the next generation of Pai’s led by Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn have taken the reins.

“I got into this business in 1978 for the love of surfing,” said Aaron. “I wanted to surf for the rest of my life and even today with Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn, it’s all about our love for the sport of surfing and sharing it with all the guests who come through our doors.

For over 30 years HSS has supported the Huntington Beach High School surf team, and local rippers from Timmy Turner to Brett Simpson and Courtney Conlogue. And among the Pai family’s most heartfelt achievements is the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, a surfer’s version of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Annually, tens of thousands of visitors walk among the hand and footprints of legendary surfers from Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton to Sean Collins and Lisa Andersen and experience a little slice of our surfing culture from years past.

Aaron and the Pai family love the local surf community. Aaron helped organize and was a featured speaker at the “paddle outs” for the late Andy Irons, a former World Surfing Champion, and for the late Sean Collins, a pioneering surf forecaster and legend among legends in the surf world. HSS has supported the National Scholastic Surfing Association, the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards and the Huntington Beach City Surf Contest for over three decades. In August of 2002 Aaron was selected by Surfer Magazine as one of the 25 most powerful people in surfing alongside Laird Hamilton, Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Sunny Garcia and other icons of the sport of surfing.

The shop prides itself on a huge selection of hard goods and surfboards by all the top shapers. According to legend, in 1979 Aaron fronted the money to Bob Hurley, another northside surfer, so he could shape eight Hurley Surfboards for the store. “Needless to say, I was blown away at his belief in others,” Hurley told Surfline.com. “He was the first dealer for Hurley Surfboards and I am forever grateful. Aaron and the crew believe in surfing and they believe in people.”

Aaron, Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn are part of a close knit family who love the ocean and live the surfing lifestyle. Trevor and Taylor are solid surfers, divers, fishermen and true watermen. “Because of HSS I have surfed around the world and have had some amazing and unforgettable experiences,” said Aaron. “And I am so happy that Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn are about to embark on this incredible journey!”

“We want to thank all the Surf Industry and all the Surf Brands, customers, friends and family for all your support! Brands like Hurley, Volcom, Vans, Channel Islands, Salty Crew, ROARK, RVCA, O’Neill, Reef, Billabong, Quiksilver to name a few,” said the Pai family. “We are so blessed…and so grateful for the Huntington Surf & Sport crew past and present. We’re so thankful to the people of Huntington Beach and humbled and honored to be part of this great community!”

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Press Contacts:
Mike Kingsbury, Mary Doherty, MKM
Mike@teammkm.com; Mary@teammkm.com

(714) 375-2188

When Pierside Pavilion was being built across the street from the Huntington Beach Pier in 1989, Aaron Pai knew he would have a battle on his hands — not to keep it out, but to get his business in.

“We fought hard to get into this location,” said Pai, the owner of Huntington Surf and Sport. “We fought a huge corporation with tons of stores.”

To rally community support, Pai stood at the corner of Goldenwest Street and Pacific Coast Highway asking people to sign his petition. Hundreds signed it and Pai brought it to the mayor.

Twenty-six years later, Huntington Surf and Sport not only has a lease, but the current building owner, commercial real estate firm Theory R Properties, is renaming Pierside Pavilion after the shop, which sells surf clothing, surfboards and related gear.

“Everyone knows it by Huntington Surf and Sport and the Surfers’ Hall of Fame,” said Gary Daichendt, who founded Theory R Properties in 2002. “Their business is extremely successful and family-oriented. They’re just a great family.”

– Ashlyn, Taylor and Aaron Pai are the owners of Huntington Surf & Sport. (Scott Smeltzer / Weekend)
The renaming is part of a $10-million renovation that has been more than five years in the making for Pierside Pavilion, which houses Diane’s, Fred’s Mexican Cafe and other retail businesses.

The renovation, to be completed in summer 2017, will include converting the former theater into office space, expanding out the storefronts and building a 30,000-square-foot tower that will house office and retail space and a restaurant with ocean views.

Pai said he is honored to have Pierside Pavilion renamed after his business.

“What an iconic building to have our name on,” said Pai, who now owns four Huntington Surf and Sport stores, all in Huntington Beach. “We’re on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. We consider it the epicenter of the surfing world right here.”

Aaron Pai, owner of Huntington Surf & Sport, looks at a photo of his son Taylor surfing at the company’s office in Huntington Beach on Tuesday. (Scott Smeltzer / Weekend)
In many ways, Huntington Surf and Sport is synonymous with the history of surfing, housing the first inductees of the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2002, the means of honoring legends of the sport in the form of handprints and footprints extended to the sidewalk outside the shop.

“Surf runs deep in Huntington Beach,” Pai said. “There’s really nowhere else like it in the world.”

Pai, who moved to California from Hawaii at the age of 1, was surfing at Huntington Beach when he was approached about working at a new surf shop called Huntington Beach Surf and Sport, which at the time was on 15th Street at Pacific Coast Highway.

A year later, Pai went from being the store’s first employee to becoming store owner when the previous owners wanted out.

“I always wanted to run a surf shop,” Pai said. “I dreamed of it as a little kid and in my teens. I even went to Orange Coast College to learn business.”

His father, a structural engineer, and his mother, a teacher, lent him the $60,000 to buy the business.

“I was 23 years old — scared, so scared,” Pai said. “That was a lot of money for them because they scraped for every penny.”

It was a family business from the moment Pai purchased the surf shop in 1979, which back then was a shack that sold a few surfboards, surf waxes and clothing.

His parents worked with him behind the scenes to grow the business. That help continued even after Pai vacated the 15th Street location in 1994.

His father designed many of the Pierside Pavilion shop’s elements, including a rock archway where an octopus sculpture is still perched and the mezzanine that houses the store’s Java Point cafe.

Surf memorabilia and a large photo of his son Taylor catching a massive wave in Newport Beach decorate the shop. On a recent day, a long-haired man was scraping wax off a surfboard not far from a table of neatly folded sweatshirts.

“The love of the sport is built into the foundation and into the walls of the store,” Pai said.

Now Pai’s children, Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn, help run the business.

“We would walk through the surf shop every morning at about 5:30 a.m.,” said Taylor Pai, 26, who recalled going to work with his father as a boy. “You could smell the wax and the rubber from the wetsuits. Then we get to go surfing. We get to do that to this day, which is pretty special.”

Today’s surf consumers are more into customization, Taylor Pai said.

“There’s a lot more creativity and innovation between surf brands and surf culture and the young kids, whether it be shaping your own board or coming to the shop to talk to our staff about surfboard design and what goes into a surfboard,” he said.

Buying local is another retail trend, said Ashlyn Pai, 24.

“And that’s on our side,” she said. “We’re not a franchise or a chain. We are family-run and us sticking to that … provides a long-term steadiness.”

Aaron Pai said he still feels the same excitement when seeing new surfing products come through his store as he did when he started the business nearly 37 years ago.

“We’re just lucky and fortunate enough to be able to make a living and live the surfing lifestyle,” he said.

http://www.latimes.com/socal/weekend/news/tn-wknd-et-1206-surf-and-sport-20151206-story.html

The iconic Pierside Pavilion, which sits across from the Pier on Main Street & Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, will be rebranded the Huntington Surf and Sport Building after its largest tenant: Huntington Surf and Sport. The Huntington Surf and Sport Building is in its final expansion with plans to construct over 27,000 square feet housed in a 4-story building. The new expansion will be attached to the existing Huntington Surf and Sport Building and will house high-end retail on the ground floor, a 2nd floor upscale restaurant with a rooftop terrace and two floors of office space.

Huntington Surf and Sport was founded in 1978 right on Huntington Beach by Aaron Pai. He was offered an entry level positon for a small surf shop then, only one year after he began, the owners offered Aaron the entire business. He decided to purchase it and thus began Huntington Surf and Sport . Huntington Surf and Sport is a staple in Huntington Beach and an icon in the surf retail world. Huntington Surf and Sport puts extensive thought into their merchandise and retail displays, always keeping a true “Aloha Spirit”. “It’s all about the love of our Sport of Surfing and sharing it with people,” said Pai, “we’re not about the sale; we’re all about helping people and providing what’s right for them. The sale is just the fruit of helping people.” The name change of Pierside Pavilion comes on Huntington Surf and Sport’s 25th anniversary at the Huntington Beach Pier location.

In the new expansion of the Huntington Surf and Sport Building, ground-floor retail shops will allow pedestrians easy access to shopping and offer retailers extra space to display merchandise. This setup will attract more attention to their shops, boosting sales and interest. The additional ground floor retail space at the Huntington Surf and Sport Building will increase the already high foot traffic in the area, bringing more business to the existing shops and restaurants.

The new restaurant space will offer a sprawling 8,000 square feet to a fine dining establishment. It will include a gourmet kitchen, upscale finishings and plenty of attraction allowing a new business to thrive. The seating space includes a large indoor area as well as a partially covered terrace. The most exquisite piece of this space is the large rooftop terrace with a reflecting pool where diners can enjoy the beautiful views that Huntington Beach has to offer.

Over 10,000 square feet of the new expansion are dedicated to office suites, some including balcony space with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

Currently, Huntington Surf and Sport Building is a collection of bustling shops, offices and restaurants in nearly 80,000 square feet of existing space. The new addition will increase the overall square footage to over 100,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space. Existing shopping and dining establishments include Huntington Surf & Sport, Subway, Andes Peruvian Arts & Crafts, Gallagher’s Pub and Grill and Surfline, Inc.

“Pierside Pavilion is a well-established shopping center and this expansion is going to bring increased business to the area. We are happy to be filling out the space with upscale retailers and providing improvements to this area of Huntington Beach.” –Gary Daichendt, Founder, Theory R Properties

Other improvements to the Huntington Beach area are happening around the same time frame. Just to the south of Huntington Surf and Sport Building, a 191,100 square foot center is being constructed. This new establishment, called Pacific City, is planned as a communal city with residents, boutique hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Pacific City is expected to bring in a whole new crowd of people to Huntington Beach, increasing popularity and income for the area. In addition, The Strand on Fifth Street is located just north of the Huntington Surf and Sport Building. The Strand was constructed similarly to the hopes for Pacific City. It held its grand opening six years ago and is currently thriving as an authentic beach lifestyle shopping center with fine dining and community events.

Grupo Gallegos resembles more of a sports hub than an advertising agency these days—World Cup games are broadcast on multiple screens throughout its Huntington Beach office, and employees huddle around to follow the action.

The “fútbol” immersion is part of the agency’s monthlong social media assignment for two of its major clients, Comcast Corp. and J. C. Penney Co.

“Both have very large communities on Facebook and Twitter that we manage,” said Chris Mellow, Grupo Gallegos’ director of digital and engagement. “We knew that those fans would be watching TV while they are on their social media, so our team put together (a) strategy for pushing out content that people would want to share during the games.”

Mellow’s digital team is following several games each day that may be of interest to Latino-American audiences, including on weekends.

They’re also keeping tabs on popular soccer-related hashtags to see what everyone in social media is talking about.

And they’re looking for their own “Oreo moment,” a marketing gem that happened in 2013 during the power outage in the third quarter of the Super Bowl game: the cookie brand’s social media team tweeted a photo of an Oreo with the caption, “Power Out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.” The tweet was shared more than 16,000 times. Oreo’s other tweets got about 15 to 30 retweets.

When something especially interesting does happen—such as the recent outstanding performance by Mexico’s goalie Memo Ochoa that caused a sensation on Twitter during last week’s match against Brazil—Gallegos’ social media strategist will suggest, “This is how it might fit in our campaign,” Mellow said.

Writers then strive to craft “a quick line” and send it off to the art directors to “put it all together and post it.”

The social media assignment is an addition to World Cup-themed advertising campaigns the agency created for both brands.

Latinas

“For J. C. Penney, it’s all about trying to support their ‘when it fits you feel it’ brand tag line,” Mellow said. “We created a World Cup campaign all around the fact that more Hispanic women like soccer than Hispanic men. As a brand, they really see the Latina as their North Star, so strategically, if they are doing the right things and they are bringing Latinas into the store, then they know that will trickle down into success in other areas.”

The 40-second TV spot, titled “Pulse,” shows Latinas, “fanaticas,” getting ready for the game day, wearing the colors of their favorite teams and cheering with their families as the female narrator says, “Soccer is for girls and that passion fits us nicely.” The spot will air during all 56 games on Univision.

Digital components of the campaign include banner and pre-roll YouTube ads, as well as a Facebook contest in which fans can vote for outfits inspired by the national colors of countries competing in the World Cup.

“Mexico won (recently), since the majority of our fan base is from Mexico … they get a lot of support,” Mellow said. “It was really fun. Fans got to engage around the soccer concept but also in” a way where fashion felt really natural.

Comcast campaign is about “showing how its Xfinity products help you enjoy the World Cup wherever you want, whether you are on your laptop somewhere, or on your tablet,” he said.

Dubbed “Fuel your rivalry,” the campaign theme was inspired by a personal experience Grupo Gallegos’ executive creative director, Juan Oubiña, had.

“He is from Argentina, married to a Mexican woman,” Mellow said. “He said that in their household during World Cup, all of a sudden your best friend, your lover, is an enemy for the month. And that really fueled the idea that all these circles of friends, during the tournament, become rivals.”

The agency created several 30-second TV ads that were filmed at a food court in a mall and showcase restaurant owners—a Mexican, Italian, American and Brazilian—making fun of each other’s teams.

The TV spots will run before and after the games on Univision in markets in which Comcast operates.

The social media extension of the TV campaign is “really about, ‘Let’s give people mime images (a photo superimposed with words), video [clips] that they could send to their friends from another country, to smack talk a little bit,’ ” he said.

Photos

The team has created a photo library of all of the characters from the TV spots “shot in different poses, some happy and some sad.”

“The first score [during the opening game] was an own goal by Brazil, so we created a mime right away that had a Brazilian guy from our campaign [with his face in his hands] and it said, ‘What happened?’ in Spanish,” Mellow said. “So we put that out, and it got shared 30 times within the first 15 minutes. It was just one of those things that someone can take and say, ‘OK, I’m going to forward that to my friend in Brazil and razz him a little bit.’

“We know that people are going to be able to get their soccer news from a lot of different places, so that’s not really why our fans would follow [the brand’s] page. We try to find (the) most natural way to push out content without tweeting out scores or someone got a red card.”

Privately held Grupo Gallegos had an estimated $20 million in revenue in 2013. Its client roster includes the California Milk Processor Board in San Clemente; Wonderful Pistachios; Clorox Co.; Ashland Inc.’s Valvoline; Foster Farms; and G6 Hospitality LLC’s Motel 6 brand.

Original Article from OCBJ.com

PRESS RELEASE

The ultimate surf shop, built and run by surfers for surfers, is taking the surf retail experience to a new level in 2013. Huntington Surf and Sport is in the midst of a major renovation at its downtown Pierside Pavilion location, adding more than 3,000 square feet and a new energy to this iconic store. Upon completion, HSS will offer the largest inventory and best selection of hardgoods in the entire surf industry; a haven for real surfers to get authentic gear. Information is available at www.hsssurf.com.

The major changes to HSS come amidst its 35th anniversary celebration and a re-dedication to being the “best surf shop in the world.” The extensive remodel is rolling out in three distinct phases and began with the completion of a “Vans’ Store” within HSS earlier this year. A massive new wetsuit room strategically located for ease of access and featuring hundreds of designs by all the top brands just opened on July 1st. The third and most dramatic change begins in September when HSS “blows out” all of their front-facing walls on Main and PCH streets, and expands the store 15 feet to the existing drip line.

Arguably the busiest and most influential surf shop in the world, HSS is already considered by many in the industry to be the epicenter of the surf biz world. No other surf retailer can boast of having Hurley, Volcom and Vans stores within their shop. HSS has won multiple SIMA Image Awards including Retailer of the year in 2004, Women’s retailer of the year in 2009 and both men’s and women’s retailer of the year in 2011, an industry first. And shop owners and brands from around the globe often make pilgrimages to HSS for inspiration.

Huntington Surf and Sport was founded in 1978 at PCH and 15th street. Aaron Pai, a 23 year-old northside regular was the first employee hired and earned $2.25 per hour selling wax, T-shirts and surfboards. The next year, “AP” was offered an opportunity to purchase the store, which already had built a strong, local following. He borrowed $60,000 from his parents and purchased the business. Aaron took his love of surfing and began to shape the foundation of what is now considered by many industry insiders to be ground zero of the surf retail world.

For more than three decades, AP has worked tirelessly to ensure that HSS Pierside (and three other stores in HB) captures the essence of the surfing culture at its retail best. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1955, he learned to surf at Waikiki and was taught the true “Aloha Spirit” and importance of family from his Grandma Choi before moving to Huntington Beach in 1972. “It’s all about the love of the sport and sharing it with people,” said Pai. “We’re not about the sale; we’re all about helping people and providing what’s right for them. The sale is just the fruit of helping people.”

In the late 1980s HSS fought a fierce battle with other competitors to land a new location at Main Street and PCH. On July 1, 1990 Huntington Surf and Sport opened an ultra-modern, “core” surf shop right across the street from the venerable HB Pier. Huntington Beach lures more than 15 million visitors annually; almost one million to the pier during the U.S. Open of Surfing alone. More than 50,000 cars pass by HSS daily and the foot traffic nearly equals that during the summer months. This amazing location brought instant awareness, but Aaron Pai felt a responsibility to represent the sport in a way that non-core retailers can’t.

A tremendous amount of thought and creativity go into displays and merchandising, ensuring that they are both visually appealing and functional for surf enthusiasts. Before warranties even existed, HSS would offer repairs or replacements on faulty products. Java Point provides the best coffee in Huntington Beach and fuels many a dawn patroller. For years the store has supported the Huntington Beach High School surf team and local rippers from Jeff Deffenbaugh to Brett Simpson and Courtney Conlogue. And among AP’s most heartfelt achievements is the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, a surfer’s version of Mann’s Chinese Theater. Annually, tens of thousands of visitors walk among the hand and footprints of legendary surfers from Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton to Jack O’Neill, Sean Collins and Lisa Andersen.

Over the years, Huntington Surf and Sport has carried every top brand in surfing. And it’s a well-known truism that a manufacturer has truly arrived on the big stage if HSS carries its line. The shop prides itself on a huge selection of surfboards by all the top shapers, while sprinkling in renowned locals as well. According to legend, in 1979 AP fronted the money to Bob Hurley, another northside alumnus, so he could shape eight Hurley Surfboards for the store. “Needless to say, I was blown away at his belief in others,” Hurley told Surfline.com. “He was the first dealer for Hurley Surfboards and I am forever grateful. Aaron and the crew believe in surfing and they believe in people.”

The love for surfing and wanting to give back has made Pai and his staff successful. But Aaron Pai and his family remain surfers, first and foremost. Many of the store’s customers are family and friends–folks the Pai’s have known for decades. “When I walk into the store, the smell of wax and wetsuits still intrigues me,” said AP. “It’s like a candy store seeing the rows of surfboards and leashes.” The remodel will, no doubt, only add to that stoke and energy for another 35 years!

Source

Aaron Pai has one goal for his business, Huntington Surf and Sport: To be the best surf shop in the world.

Source

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA. (Dec 1, 2012) – Huntington Beach-based advertising firm Grupo Gallegos, widely known for its award-winning Spanish-language campaigns, has been named to Inc.’s list of the 20 World’s Coolest Offices. The honor puts the decade-old company among some of the planet’s most recognizable brands, including heavy hitters Twitter, Urban Outfitters, Microsoft and Google.

Any savvy executive knows that a good marketing campaign – Skittles’ Taste the Rainbow, All State’s

Mayhem is Everywhere and Dos Equis’ The Most Interesting Man in the World are but a few examples – can’t come to fruition without a fun, vibrant environment that fosters brilliant creativity. Conversely, such ideas rarely come about in a dull, conventional environment.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA. (May 4, 2012) – Surf City USA® welcomes a new B.Y.O.B – Build Your Own Burrito, Fresh – Mex – Fast casual dining restaurant to downtown Huntington Beach. STUFFED, Fresh Mex Fast, has launched its first West Coast location, with many more to come. Friday, May 4th will be the official grand opening celebration and STUFFED is offering FREEburritos to the public between the hours of 12pm and 2pm and also 50% off the regular menu all day! STUFFED is located in sunny downtown Huntington Beach, on the corner of PCH and Main Street, (300 PCH), overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the pier.

STUFFED will kick off its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30am with the HB Chamber of Commerce, followed by the 1st Annual STUFFED burrito-eating contest FUNdraiser at noon. This year’s contenders have been chosen from longtime sports rivals, Edison High and Huntington Beach High, battling in an all-out effort to be the winning school and take home the grand prize of $500, and a STUFFED winner’s plaque to proudly display! The intriguing and unusual part of this contest is the two competitors are both WOMEN! Representing Huntington Beach High School is Assistant Principal of Activities, Mrs. Shelley Morris, and representing Edison High School is the School Principal, Dr. D’Liese Melendrez. So come cheer on your favorite school! STUFFED has also donated a week’s vacation at a luxurious Palm Desert timeshare, and the proceeds from raffle tickets that will be sold all week leading up to the grand opening will be split between the two schools, so they will both be winners!!

“We are so excited to open the first STUFFED in Surf City, Huntington Beach,” said Reeve Benaron, co-owner of Stuffed, Inc. “We love Huntington Beach and look forward to being involved and supporting the local community. We think STUFFED will be a great addition to downtown Huntington Beach, with great healthy food, affordable prices and an amazing location!”

ABOUT STUFFED
A STUFFED burrito starts with a fresh prepared pressed tortilla, wrapped as a burrito or taco. Or try STUFFED’s Bikini Bowl (a burrito without the tortilla) or salads, STUFFED with authentic Mexican flavors and topped off with an array of signature STUFFED savory sauces! Guests can choose from naturally raised, hormone-free chicken, Angus steak, pork and tilapia, or the STUFFED vegetarian option, the famous STUFFED black beans or pinto beans served with homemade guacamole made from ripe avocados. Guests can then customize their B.Y.O.B. meals by adding even more flavor by topping them off with freshly prepared homemade spicy salsa from the STUFFED salsa bar.

The STUFFED menu is simple: all items range from $4.99 – $6.99. STUFFED specializes in serving authentic Mexican food, prepared fresh daily, with retro décor and speedy service. STUFFED serves only the highest quality ingredients that are all natural, hormone and antibiotic free, stuffed any way you want them, in three easy steps, YOU CHOSE IT, WE STUFF IT, YOU LOVE IT!For more information on STUFFED, visit http://www.stuffedinc.com

HUNTINGTON BEACH –Hodgdon-Miank Construction, Inc. announced that it has completed phase one of a major renovation of the Pierside Pavilion, a four-level retail, dining, and office complex. With a panoramic ocean view and just steps from the beach, Pierside Pavilion is located at 300 Pacific Coast Highway in downtown Huntington Beach, Calif.

The $2 million renovation converted the former Mann 6 Theatre into 33,049 square feet of multi-use Class “A” office and restaurant space. Phase two, which will commence shortly, will consist of extensive tenant improvements for new tenants Grupo Gallegos, an award-winning advertising agency, and a live entertainment venue.

As part of the first phase, Hodgdon-Miank Construction performed extensive interior and exterior modifications to the mixed-use center, and renovated a two-level, 118,790-square-foot subterranean parking structure. To accommodate the re-use, the building required considerable structural upgrades on all four levels, including additional brace frames, column strengthening, enlarged footings and removal of a majority of the original theater floors to meet the new design load. Approximately 6,200 square feet of mezzanine was added for additional office space.

“In my 46 years in construction, this was one of the most complex structural upgrades that I have been a part of,” said David Miank, executive vice president of Hodgdon-Miank Construction.

A unique approach was used to level the original sloped theater floors and stadium seating using structural foam to reduce the design load, which was topped with light-weight concrete. Sixteen new energy-efficient 12 foot wide by 24 foot high windows were added to the exterior facade along three sides of the building to provide natural light to the newly created office space.

Hodgdon-Miank Construction worked closely with Eco Barnes Design Group, Ficcadenti & Waggoner structural engineers, and the City of Huntington Beach, and provided design-build services while overseeing all aspects of construction for the conversion.

Also, at the Pierside Pavilion, Hodgdon-Miank Construction completed tenant improvements for International retailer Havaianas, which opened its first U.S. location in late June 2010. The 86,257-square-foot, four-story multi-tenant mixed-use complex is located directly across from the Huntington Beach pier and sits on the southeast corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in downtown Huntington Beach. Pierside Pavilion contains popular restaurants like Spark Woodfire Grill, Fred’s Mexican Cafe, and Gallagher’s Pub & Grill, as well as Huntington Surf & Sport, and various office tenants.

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The store, the first in the U.S. for the Brazilian maker of flip-flops and sandals, has a customization station and special World Cup-themed sandals.

Havaianas, the Brazilian maker of fashionable flip-flops, opens its first U.S. store Sunday, June 27, in Huntington Beach.

Located on Pacific Coast Highway across from the Huntington Beach Pier, the 1,250-square-foot Havaianas store includes a permanent customization station, where you can design your own pair of flip-flops by choosing a strap and contrasting foot bed with the option of adding a Swarovski crystal charm before a machine clamps everything into place.

The Havaianas boutique, designed by Criacitta, also based in Sao Paulo, features fun furniture that matches the theme — a chandelier made from mini sandals and flip-flop-inspired stools. Walls are covered with a colorful array of 150 Havaianas styles, ranging in price from $18 to $26 for women, men, children and babies.

“The attitude of the brand matches the Southern California lifestyle,”

says Glen Lagerstrom, executive vice president of Alpargatas USA, which handles sales and distribution for the brand nationwide. Lagerstrom says the brand plans to open retail stores throughout 2011 in key cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

Havaianas, which means Hawaiians in Portuguese, was founded in 1962 in Sao Paulo and based its shoe on the “zori,” a Japanese sandal with a rice straw sole. Havaianas foot beds still have a faux textured rice pattern, but in the last decade, the shoe has departed from its humble origins as an everyday sandal in Brazil to become an accessible international luxury item. This led to a partnership with jeweler H Stern to make a flip-flop encrusted with 18-karat gold and diamonds in 2004.

The Orange County Havaianas store will carry brand exclusives such as the new Art Nouveau and Art Deco design collections, plus this year’s special collaborations with Conservation International, an environmental nonprofit based in Arlington, Va., and Threadless, an Internet-based do-it-yourself design community.

For Conservation International, Havaianas created three marine-life-inspired foot beds that retail for $24, with 7% of sale proceeds pledged to marine conservation efforts in Brazil. The Threadless collaboration, in-store by July 12, features $25 flip-flops featuring two designs “crowd-sourced” through an online design challenge, plus four popular graphics from the Chicago company’s design community.

The store carries sandals Havaianas created for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the colors of the qualifying national teams, including the U.S. and Brazil. In 1998, Havaianas first created a sandal for the Brazilian national team with a small flag on the strap, though Brazil, a five-title winner, didn’t capture the World Cup that year.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH – When is a 180-degree ocean view from Pacific Coast Highway not a major plus for business in Huntington Beach? When you’re trying to help a movie theater stay in business, like Joe Daichendt and his father have for the past seven years.

The Daichendts own Pierside Pavilion, the retail plaza steps from the sand and downtown. Joe Daichendt is moving forward with a plan to transform the building – once the home of a six-screen movie theater – into a center for retail, restaurants and offices. A movie theater on the sand is an echo of the past, said his father, Gary Daichendt.

“It was a popular concept in the ’80s that a theater by the ocean could attract people,” Daichendt said at a recent City Council meeting. “And the joke now in the theater industry is ‘fish don’t bite tickets.’ ”

The council has approved a partnership between the city’s redevelopment agency and Pierside Pavilion to redevelop the property. This will be accomplished in a two-phase plan that will eliminate the movie theater and redesign the building’s interior to accommodate and attract new businesses.

Discussions to close the movie theater began in 2005. Two other companies have operated the theater since Pierside Pavilion LLC bought the property in 2002. After the third company vacated in 2003, Gary Daichendt said they could not attract another company and movie operations were shut down in 2006. The market was changing and the theater was struggling – the equipment was not state-of-the-art, its six screens could not compete with other larger local cinemas, and beach traffic was an inconvenience.

“You can’t sell those tickets out in the ocean. While the ocean makes a phenomenal view, it’s a difficult business model for a movie theater,” Joe Daichendt said. “(People) don’t travel to the beach to go to the theater, and you don’t drive to the Inland Empire to go to a surf shop.”

But Joe Daichendt hopes that the ocean will work to his advantage for new plans for Pierside Pavilion. Current plans for the property envision a ground floor of retailers, an upscale restaurant on the second floor that will take full advantage of the view, and two floors of office space on top. This will come in the second phase of the project, which is contingent on the adoption of the city’s downtown specific plan by the council and the state Coastal Commission.

Council members expressed concern that the plans continue to allocate space for a nightclub and restaurants that serve alcohol, but Gary Daichendt assured them that he would not allow bars on the property. Councilman Devin Dwyer said the city should approve the agreement since past efforts to attract a movie company were unsuccessful.

“I hate going back and changing deals, but it just it sounds like we’ve gone as far as we can to try to make this work,” Dwyer said. “I hate to see the change but having vacant space there doesn’t help.”

The council voted unanimously at the July 6 meeting to impose a $50,000 fine for each year Pierside Pavilion LLC delays the plans in the approved agreement. The first phase of the plan is beginning immediately and timely revitalization of Pierside Pavilion is in the best interests of the city as well as their own, Joe Daichendt said.

“(This agreement) will make Pierside Pavilion the appropriate front door to downtown that it was always intended to be,” Joe Daichendt said.

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It may be called Surf City, but for many residents, Huntington Beach is the home of the Golden Bear.

Since the Bear’s demise in the late 1980s, some residents have been waiting, or actively plotting, its return — and now Ladera Ranch resident Joe Daichendt, the co-owner of Pierside Pavilion with his father Gary, is trying to bring a Golden Bear concert venue to the city in summer 2011.

The Golden Bear was a music venue where the likes of John Denver, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Steve Martin all played to an intimate crowd.

The Bear started out as a restaurant in 1929, but grew into a rock-and-roll legend in 1963. The who’s-who of music played in the ocean-side venue until it was demolished in 1986.

Although Daichendt wants to build his venue in almost the exact spot it used to be, he isn’t bringing the Golden Bear back, he said. At least not yet.

“This is today’s Golden Bear,” he said. “This isn’t the reopening of the Golden Bear.”

Daichendt is in negotiations with the family of the original owners for the rights to the name, but until then, it’s just another venue, he said.

The $2-million, about 7,000-square-foot facility would house as many as 400 spectators in a Chicago-basement-style theater, similar to San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

Patrons would dine on authentic Chicago-style food, and the facility is requesting a full liquor license. Residents would enter the Bear by ascending the bright red steps leading to Fred’s Mexican Cafe, and directly inside, Daichendt wants to display surf and oil memorabilia to commemorate the city’s unique history.

“We want to let them know where they are,” he said. “It’s a special town. It’s a special city.”

The venue would cater to local up-and-coming bands and comedy shows. It could also host big-name acts, but it wouldn’t be trying to compete with the bigger venues.

“This is not trying to compete with the Grove. The idea is to bring relevant, local talent through the space,” he said.

To bring the Bear back to life, Daichendt has to obtain various permits, including one for alcohol, which has to be approved by the Police Department. Daichendt said he recognizes downtown residents will have concerns about the alcohol license and parking issues, but said he plans to work with the residents and be a good neighbor.

“We will be chatting with residents in the area,” he said. “We want to hear concerns and communicate our plans.”

Kim Kramer,spokesman for the Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Assn., announced Daichendt is trying to bring back the Bear at a Town Hall meeting March 4.

“I don’t know of the last time a developer worked with the residents,” Kramer said at the meeting, adding later that “everyone wants to see the Golden Bear come back, but come back in a way that’s compatible with residential life.”

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