Roy’s Surfing Apparel Has Re-Launched After 25 Years Of Retirement!

Old guys are still surfing - I promise!       Jim Walberg  just discovered that Roy’s Cabana  has re-launched their board shorts and surfing apparel after 25 years of retirement.  Roy and Dody Colburn’s son,  Jeff Colburn,  now heads the re-launching of the company his parents started in 1952.  It is now based in Cardiff in Southern California with surfing apparel in the Caribbean by going on-line.  The world’s surfing community will love the clothing Roy’s is now ready to deliver.  

Most of you know I grew up in Redondo Beach  and surfed all through the 1950’s and 1960’s. Roy’s was my board shorts of choice all those years.  Roy’s began in 1948 when Roy and Dody Colburn started a café at the beach end of Santa Monica Canyon at State Beach in Southern California.  Besides all the meals that came out of Roy’s each day, they also sold beachwear, hats, lotions, etc.  This little beach café became the hangout for the surfing crowd that was just beginning in California.  When this crowd was not in the water, playing volleyball, or baking in the sun, they were hanging out to Roy’s Café. 

During the first few years of serving this crowd, Roy noticed that the surfers were in need of something other than cut-off jeans or white surplus navy pants.  What they needed was a durable board short that would endure the sun, waves and sand.  Roy suggested that his wife,  Dody, start taking sewing and pattern classes do they could capitalize on this idea he had.  In 1952 Dody created the first versions of Roy’s board shorts.  In 1956, they opened a small right next to their café and called the store Roy’s Cabana,  They stocked it with very colorful bolts of materials so you could actually design your own shorts, or you could buy the finished board shorts off the shelves that Dody had already made.

Roy’s Cabana was the surfing apparel headquarters until 1977  for surfers, beach volleyball, the L.A. County Lifeguards, and tens of thousands of Southern California beachgoers.   I can’t even count the number of Roy’s board shorts that I owned from the mid-1950’s through the 1970’s.  They were indestructible, colorful, and immediately recognizable as a Roy’s board short.  But, in 1977 Roy and Dody decided to retire.  They didn’t sell their company, they just closed it, sold the property, and bought a ranch in Napa Valley where they retired. 

Most thought that was the end of Roy’s Cabana surf shop.  But, hold on…here is the rest of the story!  Roy’s son, Tom Colburn, was looking through an old storage room at their Napa Valley ranch and found all of the patterns,  tons of old photos and newspaper articles, and even the old sewing machines that had been untouched for almost 20 years.  After some discussions with some of his old surfing buddies who had gone on to lucrative careers in the surf apparel industry, he decided that Roy’s board shorts and surfing apparel that had been created in 1952 was still an authentic premium brand of board shorts and clothing that had a loyal following and millions of new potential converts.

Fast forward to today… Tom Colburn has brought back his Dad and Mom’s brand – Roy’s Cabana board shorts  and surf apparel are now available to all of us who appreciate what they originally created.  Roy’s Cabana is producing premium quality board shorts that actually reflect a simpler carefree time in our lives.   The headquarters is now in Cardiff-By-The-Sea instead of Santa Monica, and it is re-launching when the surf industry has become a $3.5 billion market.  Tom doesn’t expect to compete with the giants like Quicksilver  and Billabong,  but Roy’s Cabana has now recaptured my business. 

So, I just bought my latest Roy’s Cabana board shorts this week.  The last ones were purchased over 25 years ago.  They felt like old slippers being put on when I went for a morning of surfing.  Those of you who remember Roy’s Cabana or just want to capture the thrill of the best board shorts ever made, will want to check out one of their stores, or go online today  and buy a pair.  Enjoy the ride!  Until next time…your East Bay lifestyle detective remains on duty.

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3. The Last Lecture – A Jim Walberg “Must Read”!

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Filed Under: Blog, Memorial Moments, News

Tagged: Billabong, Jim Walberg, L.A. county life guards, Quicksilver, Redondo Beach, Roy's Cabana, Roy's surfing apparel