Page 22 - SLO Visitors Guide Fall-Holiday 2026

22 FALL / HOLIDAY 2026 slovisitorsguide.com
San Luis Obispo
In the Heart of SLO: 21 Santa Rosa Street #100, San Luis Obispo • (805) 543-2172
www.FarrellSmyth.com
Real Estate • Residential • Commercial • Investment
Relocation Services • Property Management & Rentals
Meet the Central Coast Surfboard staff. Left to right, Stephen Ruiz,
Drew Miller, and owner Scott Smith.
Central Coast Surfboards, a California
cool tradition for first-time surfers to pros
In 1991, Scott Smith walked into
Central Coast Surfboards and
thought, “This is my shop.” He had
just moved to San Luis Obispo,
and walking into the shop felt like
home. Over 25 years later, in 2017,
he bought it and is on a mission to
preserve the business so everyone
can feel that same sense of belong-
ing.
Since taking over Central
Coast Surfboards, Smith has been
determined to preserve the shop.
“It’s been here over 50 years, and
Serving
generations for
over 50 years
there have been thousands of em-
ployees and customers, genera-
tions of people who have shopped
at this store. So, my whole job is
to preserve the business. Every-
one who has walked through
the door in the past 50 years is
honored here. That’s the basis of
everything. That’s what gets me
here every day.”
Growing up in Cupertino
meant that surfing was a weekend
escape for Smith. However, once
he could drive, surfing became
an obsession. In 1991, at 22 years
old, he moved to San Luis Obispo,
hoping to get into Cal Poly. “They
wouldn’t have me,” he says casu-
ally, but that worked out for the
best because his love of water
and wind sports led him to a job