Hermosa Surf
Charlotte Lea Photography
Behold the bougie surf shop.
The latest retro-tinged boutique on La Jolla Boulevard feels way more Brooklyn than Bird Rock, but that’s precisely where the owners grew up surfing. Brothers Benny Walter and Attila Betyar spent their youth in the micro-neighborhood of Lower Hermosa, and have been dreaming up the ultimate tribute in Hermosa Surf Shop.
Featuring matcha lattes, minty-hued twin-fins, and design by Solstice Interiors, consider it a 2022 nod to ’60s surf culture. The high-end hangout is equal parts shop and café: Racks brim with local brands—Raen sunglasses, Unhinged candles, Moon wetsuits, and hand-painted denim—while the midcentury chairs are an ideal spot to play chess and sip the Kale-r Wave, a vegan smoothie made with ashwagandha, kale, and house granola. Mitch’s Surf Shop this is not.
“We want all of our customers to feel like this is an extension of their home, because that’s the way we feel about it,” Betyar says. “This space is so much more than a surf shop.”
Walter is the shaper in the family; he earned his chops old-school style at Clairemont Surf before moving into sales for leading surf hard-goods supplier Surf Hardware. Meanwhile, Betyar took a radical departure from his mechanical engineering degree at USD to become an artist and muralist. He did creative work with Huntington Beach artist Blake Sandoval (aka Yung Pinch).
In back of Hermosa, Solstice Interiors designer Katie Gebhardt has set up a breezy little studio. The vibe she created throughout is fresh, airy, and modern with muted pastels and natural wood accents. In curlicue script, a poster proclaims, “Have a Swell Day” while a hazy homage to Super 8 films plays on the vintage TV.
5636 La Jolla Boulevard, Bird Rock
