by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian

Photos: Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian.

August 2011 —
You’ve seen the sign.

Driving on Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay, you’ve seen the bold, blue and black letters: Cowboy Surf Shop. Perhaps your curiosity was piqued and you imagined the Marlboro man at Mavericks. Or maybe you know its proprietors, Craig “Cowboy” Mac Arthur and Lucy Turner. Either way, if you’re a Coastside resident then odds are you are familiar with the iconic sign.

Founded by Mac Arthur in 1971 as Miramar Surf Boards, the shop is still at its original location on the corner of Roosevelt Street and Cabrillo Highway. The place was initially conceived as a showcase for Mac Arthur’s surfboards; the retail shop, Cowboy Surf Shop, was added in 1982. On the cusp of the shortboard revolution, Mac Arthur decided to modify his old, clunky board into a sleek eight-footer. This was his introduction to working with fiberglass and foam. He enjoyed learning about the process and was thrilled with the results.

Mac Arthur learned about shaping from surfing pioneer Dick “D.K.” Keating and learned about glassing from a friend in Florida. His first custom-shaped board was a hit and soon friends wanted their own boards. “My business started out with me building boards and selling them to my friends,” says Mac Arthur. “I was building boards for about two and a half years before I ever started thinking about having a shop.”

Cowboy Surf Shop continued to grow and evolve over the years, and in 1989 shop manager Turner came aboard. She’s the person who is most likely to greet customers when they enter the store. “The thing I like the best,” says Turner, “is seeing all the people who come through the doors, as well as all the locals that support us. We get a really great selection of tourists that come in and it’s always nice to see how much people appreciate California when they’re from out of state. It reminds you how lucky you are to live where you do.”

Shop manager Lucy Turner.

Coastside residents and surfers around the world know that the breaks and conditions are exceptional here, and Cowboy Surf Shop takes this into consideration. “Because of the water temperatures we really have to concentrate on having warm gear year-round, which in most surf communities is hard,” says Turner. “Most shops are geared towards having summer clothing and winter clothing; we need winter clothing all year long. We need thick booties and thick wetsuits in order to keep everyone warm. That’s one of the challenges; you can’t find that kind of gear at sporting good stores year-round. It’s very specific to the Coastside.”

“We realized that our specialty is our own merchandise,” says Mac Arthur. “That’s why this place has become what it is now: a unique shop with unique products that you can’t find anywhere else.”

On the Web: