Contact us: hello@daydreamsurfshop.com

Since: November 26, 2016

Address: 864 W. 16th St, Newport Beach, CA 92663

Business Day/Hour: Open 7 am - 6 pm Everyday

Shipping Information: Worldwide Shipping

Special Offer for NobodySurf

10% discount code for "Daydream" and "Cut + Sew" collections on Daydream Surf Shop. Enter the code "DDNobodySurf10" at checkout or add it automatically by tapping HERE.

Shop history

My wife and I started Daydream in 2016 in a scrappy warehouse with a fraction of the funding necessary for undertaking such a project. With luck and the support of friends, we were able to slowly grow our community into what it is today. We've always focused on what we are passionate about: getting people into the ocean and using nature as a source of therapy that can take us back to simpler times and allow for deep connections on a human level. We wanted to create a holistic experience, a space where you could come meet up with friends for a coffee before your morning surf, discuss what boards to pick out from our demo program (the Daydream Research Center), and go get some waves... what could be a better way to start your day? We love surfing and we want to guide folks in their journey as they experience the healing properties that the ocean has to offer.

Shop concepts and values

Our shop's mission is to build community. This may sound short but really take in what it means. What does it mean to you? How can you build community in micro-interactions with people around you? It is the difference between greeting a stranger vs ignoring them... It is making the choice to be positive and uplifting towards yourself and others. It is being outgoing. Our vision is to connect nature enthusiasts globally. Our core values are:

Mindful - We are grounded, intentional, and non-judgmental in all that we do.

Inclusive - Not being something for everyone, but being something for anyone.

Approachable - We are engaging, cheerful, positive, confident, and empathetic in all interactions.

Excellence - We are driven, progressive, consistent, and knowledgeable. Innovation - Pushing the boundaries of our industries in meaningful ways.

Sustainability - Creating long-term careers for passionate people and a sustainable lifestyle locally and globally.

Education - Sharing the knowledge that we have with others and elevating people’s perceptions.

Beautiful - We believe in embedding our values through a design-forward approach.

What do you like about where the shop is located?

Daydream is located in many people's routes between where they live and Newport's beaches. This makes it a central meeting hub before and after surfing. We are also in an industrial part of town which makes us a destination shop. Because of this, we don't really have any customers that walk into our shop on a whim; they normally hear about us and are able to do a little research on our shop beforehand.

There aren't a lot of neighboring shops but rather marine and auto shops. One block away from us is Production Ave., where Quiksilver got started. Also down the block are RVCA and Volcom who have always been at the intersection of Costa Mesa's Westside and Newport's industrial district. We also had Banks Journal move into our old warehouse so we have some friendly faces from the surf industry nearby.

We have watched a lot of cool cats setting up art studios and creative spaces within a block of Daydream, I can name a dozen off the top of my head. This has added a really fresh, raw, creative energy to the neighborhood. All of these folks are busting their asses in creative ways to make ends meet with creative endeavors whether that's screen printing, painting, shaping surfboards, building photography studios, setting up creative agencies, graphic design, animation... you name it, these kids are doing it!

A few blocks from Daydream is our wine bar, Semi Tropic Wines. This makes for a really fun extension of Daydream's community. We have a lot of friends that we'll often see in Daydream on a daily basis as well as Semi Tropic Wines on a nightly basis. Sadly, wine is much more expensive than coffee so most people can't stretch their dollar as far at the wine bar as they can at Daydream but nevertheless there seems to always be friendly and familiar faces from Daydream at Semi Tropic Wines. Daydream is kind of the morning bar while Semi is the evening bar.

Which surf spot do you recommend near the shop?

Newport is one of the most interesting cities in Orange County to me because there are so many different types of waves. This makes recommending surf spots a puzzle that's based on swell direction, period, tide, wind, and sandbar movement.

Right now, it's late Spring so we are seeing a mix of NW-W windswell and S-SW groundswell. Generally speaking, West Newport is best on these combo swells but specific jetties work better than others depending on how the sandbars have moved around. There's also an optimization that occurs based on tide, some areas work better on low tide, some are better on high. There are also more secretive spots but they are too complicated to make generalizations around.

As we move into Summer, we'll see more south groundswells which will have the Wedge lighting up, this is one of the premiere bodysurfing waves we are proud of in Newport Beach. It's an absolutely thrilling barrel to navigate. That is also a good time to venture down to San O and Trestles for some point-break surf.

As we move into late Summer and early Fall we'll see the EPAC hurricane swells start to show, probably the best time of year to be in Newport. Newport Point used to be referred to as the Newport Beach Pipeline and for good reason, you'll likely get the biggest barrels of the year during these swells. There's also good waves in West Newport but again, that is sand dependent as it shifts around a lot.

When the Northern Hemisphere wakes up in the Fall we start to see more combo swells again and as more and more NW-W groundswells make their way in we see the Lower Jetties start to turn on. This is followed by the addition of more West wind swell in the late fall and early winter which is when Blackies lights up.

Late Winter and early Spring is the time to get out of here and go on some trips or take up sailing and prone paddling. You'll have some fun days of surfing but a lot of subpar swell and lots of wind. And that brings us back to where we started with late Spring combo swells.

Do you have any special services for the customers?

We have a really special demo program that allows customers to test-ride some very nice alternative surfboards from some of the best shapers in California. We also take them under our wind and coach them on where to surf and when. Everyone that works at the shop is an avid surfer so we are in the ocean every day and hunting down the best waves based on data drive hypotheses. We love to surf and we want to share that sentiment with folks that live here as well as our new friends that are visiting from faraway lands.

The brands we carry

We have diverse offerings including our Daydream brand clothing, vintage, and some friends' brands. We also have an array of home goods and apothecaries to add to our mix of surf shop items. We have a full-service cafe with breakfast and lunch. In terms of surfboards, we're always mixing it up, we'll get boards from Alex Knost, Andreini, ARENAL Surfboards, Barrett Miller, Christian Beamish, Campbell Brothers Surfboards, Derrick Disney, Elmore Surfboards, Fantastic Acid, Zack Flores, Furrow Surf Craft, Gato Heroi, Jesse Guglielmana, Kris Hall, Jive, John Simon, KEYO INTERNATIONAL, Liddle Surfboards, Alex Lopez, Nick Melanson, MPE, Corey Munn, Grant Noble, Nettleton Surfboards, Ryan Lovelace Surf Craft, Slob Craft, Somma Special Designs, Son of Cobra, Space Time Surfboards, Tanner Surfboards, Terry Topanga, Tyler Warren Shapes, Jon Wegener Surfboards... I'm sure I'm leaving some out but that's the best I can do for now.

Ambassadors and riders

We don't have any formal team riders but our community extends far and wide. I consider anyone who's spreading the gospel of Daydream as an ambassador. These could be the friends we surf with on a regular basis, the shapers we work with, our family, the coffee heads that come to the shop twice a day, our mailman, handyman, etc. Team riders are a cool idea but it does harken back to the tipping point of over-industrializing surfing as a soulful recreation.

Tell us about your passion for video production.

We are so fortunate to live in a place where there are good waves fairly often. We also have a lot of talented friends who surf. Our surfing edits that we put out are generally reflections of a single session where the waves were fun or if there was just some groovy surfing going down. We are getting in the ocean every day and we want to showcase the fun days for our friends around the world who weren't able to surf with us that session so we can spread stoke! We hope that these videos encourage you to get in the ocean.

Which one video would you highlight in this playlist and why?

I always think our most recent video is the best one simply because I'm able to remember watching those waves in person more clearly. At the time of this interview, Field Notes 22 was just released so that's my favorite at the moment. I also really love our Case Study series, specifically the episode on Liddles.

What types of events do you host in your shop?

We like to say that Daydream hosts a house party seven days per week and extends the invitation to all of our friends as well as the public. In addition to our daily operating hours, we host surf film screenings, hull talks, and shaper discussions, we recently had our first prom, we have seasonal markets, sample sales with friends' brands, and a personal favorite - demo days!

Messages for customers

Build community! Stay in the water! Bring love and positivity to the world!

Tracks you love?

Spotify Playlist: Daydream Surf Shop

I can do one better, we have our own Spotify Radio Station: Daydream FM that our homie and shop employee Brett Heffner manages in collaboration with our community.