About

Sunny Encinitas, California is the place we’re lucky enough to call home. To us it’s paradise. Mellow beach town vibes, incredible surf, and deep roots in skateboard culture. These elements form the foundation of what Sanford Shapes is all about.

It all started back in 2009 with a crew of young surf kids (ages 9-13) looking for entertainment between surf and skate sessions. Sanford brothers Josh, Ethan, and Robby (along with close friends Connor Dougherty, Brett Naudin, and several others) quickly found inspiration in their uncle’s garage/woodshop. Uncle Don, a renowned contractor and carpenter, began teaching these hyperactive groms some of the safe, easy fundamentals of woodworking. Miniature fingerboards “tech decks” soon gave way to a rideable skateboard, a solid piece of carved wood. Today we’d call it prehistoric, but from that first real ride, the process of refining and developing began. Soon came the first batch of legitimate cross-laminated skateboards, made with shop-sawn thin veneers and a vacuum press. Embellishments continued to follow. First, a few contrasting stripes on the deck. Eventually, the creativity was overflowing, yielding colorful artistic patterns all made with diverse natural wood species.

A positive response from friends and family fueled the evolution. As kinks were worked out and production got underway, the next step was getting the boards into local surf and skate shops. With the support of local retailers, the business was launched. The growth of Sanford Shapes has been purely organic, simply following the feeling and learning as we go. Fast forward to now, and those young surf kids are all grown up. Thousands of boards later, they’ve sharpened their woodworking and business skills, and have developed a pure passion for craftsmanship.

Sanford Shapes has always been an outlet for creativity. An inclusive way to share stoke and freedom; to collaborate on all ideas from design, building, and woodworking, to skateboarding, surfing and photography—a vehicle for self expression and a way to connect with our community. Being able to share our passion with the world through our products is the best gift we could ask for, and we are grateful to each of our customers for believing in what we do.

We started with a simple concept. Do something fresh. Use unique, high quality woods. Experiment freely. And that’s exactly what we do. Same as we always have. Out in the lineup waiting for waves or working in our woodshop, we’re constantly sharing ideas and thinking of ways to push Sanford Shapes forward.