ZJ Boarding House Closing After 32 Years In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — Longtime surf and skate shop ZJ Boarding House will close after 32 years in Santa Monica this Sunday.

The shop is holding a sale—50 percent off items—and plans to close permanently on Ocean Park Avenue and Main Street at 6 p.m. Sunday.

"We are so grateful for all the love and support over the last 32 years. We couldn’t have done it without all of you. Sunday will be our last day open—we will close at 6pm," according to a store announcement Friday.

A line grew outside at ZJ Boarding House Friday night following the announcement.

The shop is located at 2619 Main Street and will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday before it permanently closes.

The store opened in 1988 and is one of several Santa Monica businesses to close in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Coffee Bean, Enterprise Fish Co. and MUJI are some of the other recent stores closing permanently off Main Street.

Co-founder Todd Roberts told the Santa Monica Daily Press that they could not come to a leasing negotiation, but there could be a new location in the future.

“It’s closing because of an unachievable lease agreement that makes sense for the Boardriders to sign a long term lease,” Roberts said. "Because they couldn’t put together an agreement of what was fair rent for March until now and during the closure period, we are parting ways with this space.”

In 2015, the store was sold to Billabong and Boardriders acquired it in 2018. Boardriders owns more than 80 stores and many are closing or struggling, Roberts said.

The shop has meant a lot to the community for 32 years, however, the landlord apparently will not budge on helping the shop stay at the location.

“It feels like to me it wasn’t necessarily ego, but it was two wills and they are pushing against each other and what’s getting lost in translation is a company that is very special,” Roberts said. “It’s super sad that not only are we going to shutter this door, but also a connection to this community.”

Roberts and Malibu Mayor Mikke Pierson opened the location together in 1988. It's remained a hang out spot for local teens and people who love surfing and skating.

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See more:

• Enterprise Fish Co. Closes In Santa Monica Due To Pandemic

• Coffee Bean Locations Close In Santa Monica, Westside

• Santa Monica MUJI Stores Close Due To Pandemic

This article originally appeared on the Santa Monica Patch