When you walk into Saturdays, a surf shop in the heart of SoHo, you’re confronted by everything but the stereotypical. There are fitted Birdwell board shorts in lieu of sloppy, loose Billabong trunks; Matuse Geoprene fabric wetsuits where neon-embellished low-grade ones normally sit; and beautiful plaid button-downs you’d more commonly find at Opening Ceremony reside where gimmicky graphic t-shirts usually might. The concept of surf culture has morphed and mutated dramatically; we’ve come a long way from t the Beach Boys’ Waimea Bay-style popularization of the lifestyle. No longer do champion boarders sport trim blazers and neatly parted hair―and Saturdays is taking it upon itself to serve as the throwback we’re all so in want of.

The concept for the store came to life while founders Morgan Collett, Colin Tunstall, and Josh Rosen were placing bets on the Kentucky Derby in 2009, but the desire to open a warm and welcoming shop traces back to the partners’ childhoods. Collett, who grew up in Orange County, the mecca of surf brands, has been deeply connected to the sport for most of his life. “Your local surf shop was, from the ages of 10 to 16, this hangout spot” he reminisces. “You’d always be there getting wax or boards and skating in the parking lot. When you became old enough to work, it was cool to get a job there. They had a real sense of community. That’s sort of why we picked this space.”

While the interior of Saturdays has the vibe of a rustic boutique in one of Brooklyn’s hipper neighborhoods and the communal backyard is more Massachusetts crab shack dining area than SoCal skate park, Saturdays symbolically parallels the shops the founders grew up with. “I think this is the New York version of a Southern California surf shop” Collett offers. “I just wanted to build a space where people feel comfortable and can enjoy the environment.”

Collett, Tunstall, and Rosen’s unique breed of surf culture consists of more than their barista (Saturdays is also a coffee shop) and carefully selected garments. “Right now we’re developing our own private label” continues Collett. “We already have t-shirts, but come mid-April, we’ll have our full collection in the store. It’s a way to brand our lifestyle here into something a little more tangible… a little more wearable… ” Collett himself admits that “the surf industry, apparel-wise, is nothing we would wear” and reminds us that things weren’t always this stratified. “If you look back at the 50s and 60s, these guys would be on the covers of magazines in New York, but they weren’t really trying; they were just wearing the clothes of the time and surfing as much as they could. It was a little more dedicated, though.”

By carrying more thoughtful surf garments and prepping for the launch of their label, the gentleman behind Saturdays are earnestly reconnecting with a sport that runs deep in coastal America’s culture, the community that keeps it thriving, and the fashion that used to make it something more than an Orange Country pastime.

Saturdays is located at 31 Crosby St, phone 212 966 7875, www.saturdaysnyc.com.