Sufhouse TX

How we got here

Growing up in Houston during the 80s and 90s, it felt like there were surf and skate shops on every corner. From California Dreaming in Sugar Land, Shannon’s in Memorial City Mall, and the Surfhouse in Oak Forest, you didn’t have to drive far to get that new Vision skateboard or Bubblegum surf wax. Sadly those days are gone, along with almost every single shop. Yet the Surfhouse managed to persevere. Since 1967 it has remained at the top of the surf and skate scene in Texas. Partly due to the love and admiration of its founders, Lloyd and Carol Sandel. After Lloyd passing in 2022, Carol carried on for another year before deciding to retire. Without a future planned for the Surfhouse, it seemed that it would drift quietly beneath the waves of online shopping, lost to time.

That changed the day Brian Fish walked in to buy a few shirts for his two kids. After talking with Carol, he left downcast knowing yet another connection to a simpler time was being erased. However, just a few hours later and a suggestion from his daughter to “just buy it”, Fish and his business partner, Brian Menn decided to do just that. They refused to stand idle and let yet another Houston icon disappear. Fish called Carol and set up a meeting for the next morning. A deal was struck and the Surfhouse once again persevered.

While the retail storefront has been paused, the two Brian’s have worked tirelessly to restore the Surfhouse to its formal glory with both an online store and social media presence. The hope is that the Surfhouse will always remain a place that connects generations of Houstonians through an active outdoor lifestyle. Taking example from Lloyd and Carol generosity throughout the years, the new owners formed the Surfhouse Foundation, a non profit that will continue to foster community involvement and outreach through various local and national charities through donations from events and fundraising.

Through this process, we have learned that the Surfhouse is much bigger than the store, it’s a family. Join our family as we continue to grow, together we can do more.