You don’t have to be a surfer to enjoy an East Coast staple, 17th Street Surf Shop. A local legend, the original 17th Street Surf Shop is located on the corner of Pacific Avenue and, of course, 17th Street at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

17th Street carries everything you need to surf, skate, snowboard, or skimboard. With a wide variety of the hottest brands, including Roxy, Reef, Billabong, Volcom, Quiksilver, O’Neill, Hurley, and Lost, the store is a mecca for the 30 and under crowd, although anyone who likes the beach atmosphere will enjoy browsing the colorful displays for swim wear and accessories.

You don’t have to be a serious athlete to appreciate 17th Street, although they carry high quality boards and supplies, sneakers, athletic equipment, and apparel. The stores are mainly staffed by young people familiar with the surf and skate scene; they are eager, helpful and knowledgeable, and can recommend everything from a particular surfboard to a pair of flip flops to fit your needs.

Prices are reasonable, considering many of the brands carried by 17th Street are available only there and at other specialty shops. There is usually a good sale going on at any given time. When I visited over the Independence Day weekend, flip flops were 20% off. My sister got a pair of pink Roxy flip flops for $8.

17th Street has five stores in Virginia Beach, three in other Hampton Roads cities, one in Richmond, and two in the Outerbanks of North Carolina.

Hours are Monday-Saturday 9:00AM-9:00PM and Sunday 10:00AM-9:00PM at the beach store. Other locations’ hours vary by store.

17th Street Surf Shop
1612 Pacific Ave
Virginia Beach, VA 23451