From Their Val Surf's "About" Section: 60 YEARS YOUNG It was the Spring of 1962 when the Richards Family floated the idea of opening a surf shop inland from the coast in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. Understandably, surfers were surfacing everywhere and inland was definitely no exception. The Richards Family made their dream become a reality in the fall of that same year after much thought, along with much research and ground work. The Family was very tuned into what was happening with skateboarding, being skaters themselves, and its linked association with surfing . Thus, from their onset they incorporated their skate expertise into their product offering to give Val Surf the honor of being the “Oldest Surf-Skate-Snowboard Shop in the World”, in addition to being one of the first snowboard shops on the West Coast at the very beginning of snowboarding in 1977. Val Surf's “1st's” are many but what stands out more than any other would have to be the honor of being the world’s first skate/surf mail order service, followed by being the very first dealer for Hobie and Channel Islands surfboards, Hang Ten and Quiksilver surfwear, plus Los Angeles for O’Neill, Burton, Former, among many others. Along with being voted Retailer of the Year in September of 1996 and inducted into the Skateboard Hall Of Fame in May of 2019. The Richards (Mark, Kurt, Denise, Brandon and Blake) are still actively involved in surfing, skating and snowboarding today and are passing down the love of these sports to their children and grandchildren. The Richards success of their four stores in Valley Village, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks and Valencia, as well as their online site, is attributed to of course the very valued and appreciated customers through generations and generations along with the surrounding communities that have supported them through all this time. Val Surf wouldn’t be here today without all of you. The Richards send many thanks, along with their deepest and sincerest appreciations, to celebrate with all of you on their 60th Anniversary with many more to come!