| Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 34°00′25″N118°29′19″W / 34.00703°N 118.48852°W |
| Built | 1922 [1] |
| Architect | J. L. Schrurs [1] |
| Website | jeffhozephyr |
| Designated | May 14, 2007 [1] |
  Location of Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions in California | |
Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions was a surfboard manufacturing facility and surf shop located in Santa Monica, California, that opened in 1971 and closed in 1976. The building was designated as a city landmark in 2007.
In 1971, Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom and Craig Stecyk opened Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, a surfboard company in Santa Monica, California and also used the south wing of the facility for manufacturing their surfboards. The building is located at 2003–2011 Main Street. [2]
The Jeff Ho/Zephyr shop closed in December 1976, and was reopened in May 1977 by original Jeff Ho/Zephyr employee Nathan Pratt as Horizons West Surfboards by Nathan Pratt. Horizons West closed in August 2010. The space reopened as a coffee shop called Dogtown Coffee in August 2012. [3]
Jeff Ho and Skip Engblom formed the Zephyr Surf Team, made up of local surfers who frequented Pacific Ocean Park in the run-down area of South Santa Monica/Venice known as Dogtown. Ho and Engblom later formed the Zephyr Skate Team, which became widely known as the Z-Boys and popularized the sport.
The Z-boys were based at the Jeff Ho / Zephyr shop, and it was a regular hang-out for the members. Ronnie Jay was head salesman and Nathan Pratt apprenticed under Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom and Craig Stecyk in surfboard building.
The team included Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Bob Biniak, Chris Cahill, Paul Constantineau, Shogo Kubo, Jim Muir, Peggy Oki, Nathan Pratt, Stacy Peralta, Wentzle Ruml and Allen Sarlo and was the subject of a 2001 documentary film, Dogtown and Z-Boys , and a 2005 biographical film, Lords of Dogtown ; both feature the Jeff Ho/Zephyr Surf Shop.
In 2007, the building housing Horizons West Surf Shop (formerly Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions) was designated to be demolished to construct condominiums. [4] Local skaters and surfers, led by Jacob Samuel [5] began fighting to protect the building. [6] On April 9, 2007, an application was filed to designate the building as a City Landmark. On May 14, 2007, the Planning and Community Development Department of Santa Monica ruled that the building met the minimum of four eligible criteria and officially designated it as a City Landmark. [7]
Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Originating in the United States, skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2009 report found that the skateboarding market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue, with 11.08 million active skateboarders in the world. In 2016, it was announced that skateboarding would be represented at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, for both male and female teams.
Dogtown and Z-Boys is a 2001 documentary film produced by Agi Orsi and directed by Stacy Peralta. The documentary explores the pioneering of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970s and the evolving sport of skateboarding. Using a mix of film of the Zephyr skateboard team (Z-Boys) shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk, along with contemporary interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of skateboarding culture.
Mavericks is a surfing location in northern California outside Pillar Point Harbor, just north of the town of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-by-the-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely crest at over 25 ft (8 m) and top out at over 60 ft (18 m). Routinely, waves that break can be recorded on seismometers. The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation.
Natas Kaupas is an American former professional skateboarder. He grew up in South Santa Monica, California, in the area known as Dogtown, and is of Lithuanian descent. He is often referred to as one of the first true professional street skateboarders.
Stacy Douglas Peralta is an American film director and entrepreneur. He was previously a professional skateboarder and surfer with the Zephyr Competition Team, also known as the Z-Boys, from Venice, California.
Tony Alva is an American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and musician. He was a pioneer of vertical skateboarding and one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team, also known as the Z-Boys. The Transworld Skateboarding Magazine ranked him eighth in its list of the "30 Most Influential skateboarders" of all time.
Jay J. Adams was an American skateboarder. As a teen, he was the youngest member of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team (Z-Boys). His spontaneous freestyle skateboarding style, inspired by ocean surfing, helped innovate and popularize modern skateboarding. His aggressive vertical tricks make him one of skateboarding's most influential stylists.
The Zephyr Competition Team were a group of American skateboarders in the mid-1970s from Santa Monica and Venice, California. Originally consisting of 12 members, the Z-boys were originally sponsored by the Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions surf and skate shop. Their innovative surfing-based style and aerial moves formed the foundations of contemporary vert and transition skateboarding. The story of the Z-Boys and the Zephyr shop have been popularized in feature films such as Lords of Dogtown and Dogtown and Z-Boys.
Lords of Dogtown is a 2005 American biographical drama film that captures the rise of skateboarding culture in 1970s Santa Monica and Venice, California. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta, a key figure in the skateboarding community, the film chronicles the lives of the Z-Boys, a group of young skateboarders who revolutionized the sport with their aggressive style and innovative tricks. The story focuses on the lives of three of these skateboarders: Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams, as they navigate fame, rivalry, and personal challenges. The film explores the impact of commercialization on the sport and the lives of its practitioners. Despite mixed reviews and underperforming at the box office, it has gained a cult following and is recognized for its authentic portrayal of skateboarding culture and history.
SK8-TV is a program shown on Nickelodeon that began in 1990 and was originally hosted by Matthew Lillard and Skatemaster Tate. It was a skateboard variety show that featured on-set interviews as well as off site action segments. Various techniques were introduced to television in SK8-TV including hand-held cameras and the use of multi-format film and video. The set for the show was built on location at the Pink Motel in Sun Valley, California, which was famous for its large fish shaped pool that was ideal for skateboarding.
Surf movies fall into three distinct genres:
Craig R. Stecyk III is an American artist, writer, photojournalist, and filmmaker who has documented and influenced the surf, skate, and snowboarding cultures.
Skip Frye is an American surfer, surfboard designer and shaper, and environmental activist.
Peggy E. Oki is an American skateboarder, surfer, artist, and environmental activist. She was an original member of the Z-Boys and competed with the Zephyr Competition Team in the 1970s. She was the only female member of the Z-Boys.
A surfboard shaper is someone who designs and builds surfboards. The process of surfboard shaping has evolved over the years, and the shaper often tailors his or her work to meet the requirements of a client or a certain wave. Surfboard shapers can be independent or work in collaboration with mass-production companies.
Skip Engblom is an American entrepreneur and one of the co-founders of the Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions Surf Shop in Santa Monica, California. He also helped to create the Zephyr Surf Team and the Zephyr Competition Team, a.k.a. Z-Boys. Engblom was never a remarkable skateboarder himself but was a big influence to the Zephyr team.
Juice Magazine, founded in 1993 in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a skateboarding, surfing and music publication, edited, owned and published by Terri Craft. It includes interviews by skate editor, Jim Murphy, and features editors: Steve Olson, Jay Adams, Dave Duncan, Christian Hosoi, Jim O'Mahoney, and surf editors Jeff Ho, Herbie Fletcher and Dibi Fletcher. The staff includes Terri Craft, editor and Dan Levy, assistant editor. Other interviewers include Jason Jessee, Jeff Ament, Chuck Dukowski, Bill Danforth and Chris Mearkle. There are currently 76 issues of the magazine. Juice Magazine headquarters is located in the birthplace of modern-day skateboarding, Venice, California.
Allen Sarlo is an American surfer, most prominently known as one of the original members of the Z-Boys surf and skateboarding team. Surfing Magazine recognized him as the first to "kill" a wave. The aggressive and slashing style of surfing he pioneered during the 1970's earned him the nickname "Wave Killer". He is considered by many as "The King of Malibu".
Matt Warshaw is a former professional surfer, former writer and editor at Surfer magazine (1984-1990), and the author of dozens of feature articles and large-format books on surfing culture and history.