If you frequent Frogtown, you probably have met Allen. And if you've met Allen, you've probably seen his cool surfboard collection and know that he oversees Grain Surfboards west coast operations. Grain is a wooden surfboard company leading the way in sustainable boards and helping surfers reconnect with their roots.
The first thing that strikes you about Grain’s surfboards is how beautiful they are. Hand shaped from local sustainable softwoods and glassed with an epoxy made from tree sap, the boards inherently bridge that connection between humans and nature. Allen originally stumbled upon Grain 10 years ago when he was searching for a wooden surfboard as a memorial for his grandfather. Liking Grain’s methodology, he decided to take one of their board-building workshops. The workshop left a lasting impression on him, which ultimately led him to pitch his idea of hosting workshops in California.
As co-owner and Grain’s West Coast manager, Allen is helping to organize board workshops and show Southern California the appeal of wooden surfboards. Most of the workshops take place in Maine or New York, but for the West Coast, Grain offers their traveling workshops. If you find yourself in California, keep an eye out for Grain’s revamped school bus, packed full of surfboards and supplies, stopping to give workshops up and down the coast. If building a board in the comfort of your own home is more your style, Grain also offers Grain HomeGrown Kits, a DIY experience of building your own board.
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