Understanding the "Thirdspace" of Southern California's Surf Shops: How did a commercial market become a cultural anchor for Golden California's identity, during the years 1945-1972?

Surfing is a spatial act; it cannot exist without geography to synergize with the action. The sport requires spatial awareness at all times, whether to spot a curling wave building on the horizon, or to feel the tug of a rip current gaining strength nearby. The ocean is a sacred space to all wave-riders. The ocean, however, is not the only space of sacrality for surfers. This thesis argues that the ocean was not the primary space that nurtured, developed and exported California's surf culture. Instead, the surf shop, a brick-and-mortar space offering both function and familiarity, enabled a modern surf culture to be born from its humble foundations in 1950. Through a spatial lens, this thesis applies Edward Soja's "Thirdspace Theory" to the surf shop's story, concluding that a commercial space was the "cultural anchor" of modern surfing. As a result, surfboard shapers were not only pioneers of novel surfboard designs, they were the pioneers of a novel Californian way of life. This thesis will explore how Dale Velzy, Hobart "Hobie" Alter, Greg Noll, Jack O'Neill, and Nancy Katin, founded California's modern surf identity within their shops. Focusing on the "golden" years of California's revolutionary surf shops, between 1945 and 1972, this thesis will explain why the surf shop story encapsulates a wider history on California's coastal heritage.