On The Beach
693 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey (831) 646-9283, onthebeachsurfshop.com
Becoming the president of the United States of America, it’s a classic American dream, right? Well, a young Kelly Sorensen, owner of On the Beach Surf Shop, had a dream of opening a surf shop. In 1986, when he was 20 years old, he joined forces with Mike Locatelli, the owner of Portola Surf Shop in Santa Cruz, and opened the first On the Beach Surf Shop in Carmel. After buying out his partner and becoming the sole owner, he opened another location in Monterey which eventually had to be torn down. After 18 years and three moves, Sorensen ended up with the shop of his dreams where there’s a wide selection of surfboards and skateboards, along with all of the associated gear and clothing and one of the world’s largest private surfboard museums.