Rip City Skates

If you have to look this place up to know where it is, you probably shouldn’t go. Go back to the valley. Got my first skateboard there when I was four, went with my dad and I was scared out of my mind. Jay Adams chillin in a chair, some older gentleman helped me put together my first "real deck" mike McGill Powell Indy trucks, slimeball wheels, nylon rail slides, and tail stop, and a "Bird II" that protected the trucks from getting ripped out of the deck when I farmed an Ollie....(look that up if you need to). Fast forward 29 years and now I work with my dad, and I'm the old guy taking my 5 year old son to the mecca of modern skate on the west coast. Exact same vibe, terrifying if you are a kook or a barnus, but 'da boys are bro's especially if you know your sh-t. I got my son's first skate there and I know he will never forget his first trip to this iconic establishment. It was epic....the exact same dude with no shirt epic bronze,!and the neck tats was putting my son's first real Powell deck together. We laughed about how bummed I was when I got into the store and explainedvvthat my old man bought me a preassembled"sure grip HIGH VOLTAGE" and how my crew was ruthlessly heckling me from day 1 from the banks of kenter's "standing wave". My son's request simple green dragon black grip, green wheels. Well not too many options if those are the parameters v and not that my son knows the caballero legend, rather he "wanted a cool deck not from a normal store that had a dragon on the bottom") together 40 years later after he had assembled my childhood fantasy the rip city boys brought it full circle and stoked my over indulged 5 year old out. That's the gift I guarantee you my boy will never forget. So much love for generational stoke, knowledge, and keeping SM just a little gritty immortalizing its roots. It’s places like these that make Santa Monica still one of the greatest cities to live in. If you do know where to look there are gems from our less refined past all over this great city.....and if you don’t have to ask and find them yourself good on ya cuz you’re in the right spot. #Carusospechouseandmallaresouless.! This place is a landmark in the skateboard world, in general ,and for sure in Santa Monica. RIPJayAdams I wish you could quiet the demons.? I skate for skip

We were SUPPOSED to be window shopping, but this gorgeous deck popped out. 👀💗💕 Very chill no pressure guys. Rad shop. Appreciate the new board!! My first one!! Whoo!!! It's so sparkly 🤩✨

Awesome skate store. Looks the same as it did and the service was awesome. I bought my second skateboard there in 1982. Went back recently to visit family and friends. Picked up some new gear and stickers before I headed back to Florida!!!

Wow I can’t believe I just walked in the shop where my dad bought me my first skateboard a Santa Monica airlines it was amazing experience, great staff and positive vibes! Cheers and for 40 years more! Amazing! Should be in LA history!

I will ONLY buy from Rip City. Went there today and got talked OUT of buying trucks and wheels for my son’s skateboard. “Dude, the setup you have now is great.” Class act. Love these guys.

Just one of the best and most badass skate shops on the planet. Amazing history, great location, awesome staff, loads and loads of quality stock and more. George is just the best dude too - great chat. It's worth visiting this place just to see all the ancient skateboard relics on the walls, but definitely worth buying stuff too. The hardware is all great, but check out their own branded t-shirts and stuff too. 10/10. Need to go back one day!

Best skateboard shop out there hands down. Legit!!! #1... always friendly atmosphere and they known what they are doing. No better place to get a your shreadz, gearz, and threadz.

My childhood neighborhood skate shop, an institution just like the owner Jim and his staff. Always friendly and supportive and helping kids to be kids. I can't begin to share how many happy memories I have at Rip City. Family owned, keeping it real for decades, repping the west coast. It broke my heart when I saw online that the new owner was trying to tear the building down. Thank goodness he didn't know what he was doing. Support your local skate shop! Long live Rip City!

Sick spot! For sure a classic skate shop. Killer selection of boards and shoes and apparel. Pricing is solid for what you get. And friendly service.

Just had a GREAT experience at Rip City. Been the market to build a board for a while but am not an expert. I've checked out several other places but got the feeling I was being upsold. I've always heard that Rip City is THE place to go from legit skateboarders & now I know why! They helpful, immediately understood exactly what I was looking for and had everything I needed. No bulls#*t here. Prices were also better than quotes from other shops. I highly recommend Rip City. It's the only place I'll go to from now on for all of my skateboarding needs!

This shop is one of a kind in the very best way possible! It was founded in the 1970,s and the shop was instrumental in helping the skateboarding sport become what it is today. The people behind the counter are amazingly friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable! They carry a lot of the best brands and have very fair prices. Going into this shack style store is like stepping back in time and an experience not to be missed! I just purchased two skateboards for my six year old twin grandsons. I wouldn't even think of going anywhere else! Steven G.

Best skate shop in the world, got my first board here still coming back. Awesome selection of stuff you won't find anywhere else and amazing vibes. Coolest crew, always fun and uplifting to visit. Where skateboarding all began, check it out! A++

Really helpful with getting me a setup for what I needed. Also, good advice on wheels for my longboard. Would definitely recommend hitting them up and get some knowledgeable experience versus ordering online randomly. Support local shops!

Friendly & fast service. Bought my protective gear when I was getting started. Did a little free tune up my board when I came in for new bushings. I'm a newbie & they are patient & explain everything clearly, which I appreciate

What a spot! Love this place that's been around since the 80's with these 2 older surf/skate dudes running the joint that bicker like an old married couple, truely comical, but this place is straight out of the late 70's early 80'a what looks like a Wes Bulldog Humpston museum, truely a treasure and when your in Santa Monica you should stop in and support this establishment as it's a part of skate history.

Old school cool, nice to know that places like this still exist! Helpful laid back environment

This place is close to my gynecologist office, so I decided to stop in after an appointment. When I was younger, I used to hang out with skaters and punk rockers, so entering this place was nostalgic for me. I felt like a teenager again and wanted to light up a smoke and listen to some "Bad Brains" lol. I wasn't here to take a walk down memory lane after my gynecology appointment though- I was here to buy a gift for my nephew's 13th birthday. He has ADHD and his dad, my brother, thinks skateboarding would be good for him. If you ask me, the kid has A-Hole-HD. But even though my nephew is a fat a-hole, I still have to buy him a birthday present because he's still just a kid. The employee at the shop was nice and showed me a lot of cool skateboards. I told him that I was on my way home from the gynecologist, but he didn't seem interested. I told him that my car was still parked at the gynecologist office, so I might just ride a skateboard back to my car lol. I was just trying to make small talk, but the guy didn't seem to care. Even though it's 2022, men are still squeamish about stuff like the gynecologist and periods and stuff I guess. While I was trying to make up my mind on what to buy, a couple of teenage skateboarders who were about the same age as my nephew came into the shop, so I thought I'd pick their brains about what skateboarding brands they liked. They were definitely "too cool for school" but I managed to make some small talk with them. One of them was named Brian, and I told him that my gynecologist is also named Brian. The other boy was named Luke and I asked him if he was related to Luke Skywalker lol. They were trying to play it cool so I asked Brian if I could bum a smoke. They thought that was cool so we all went outside and shared a cigarette. I made a joke about how I always like to have a smoke after going to the gynecologist. They didn't seem to get it though. After picking their brains about skateboards, they asked me if I would buy them some beer. I told them I would think about it and went back inside to buy a skateboard. At this point I was light-headed from the cigarette and just wanted to get a skateboard and get out of there. Also, I didn't want my car to get a ticket in the gynecologist parking lot. That would suck. My health insurance doesn't cover gynecologist visits, so I didn't want to get a parking ticket on top of the $100 it costs to see Brian the gynecologist. Long story short, I bought a skateboard for my fat nephew and the guy was really helpful even though he didn't seem interested in the fact that my car was still parked at the gynecologist's office. On the way back to my car, I told the kids I would buy them beer for $10 on top of the cost of the beer. They agreed and gave me $30. I told them to wait for me by the McDonald's while I went and bought them beer, but I wound up just stealing their money. They're too young to be drinking and the $30 helped offset the cost of my gynecologist visit and the skateboard I just bought. Overall, this place is great if you need a skateboard!

The staff at RipCity Skateboard shop are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. There is an array of outstanding apparel and skateboard related merchandise. The walls are adorned with priceless skateboarding memorabilia. A must vist sk8 shop for the hard-core skateboard enthusiasts!!

Ignore all the bad reviews. Most of them are all five stars. Anyway this place has been around longer than I've been born. Got my first board here in 2000 came back and got a pretty sweet board and the same Great experience I got when I got my first board.

These guys have great prices, and you can tell that this place has some deep skater soul. When you walk into this place, you can really tell that shops like this have kept the industry up and to come here to buy stuff is to also pay homage and support the skating industry as it began in the 70s. and as a matter of fact, the shop was built in 1978 and is still up and running today. Many businesses do not make it this far and it's an honor to buy and purchase stuff from the shop like this that's been around for so long.. Support these small shops that have been around so long because it's good karma .

Great customer service and friendly staff. My son got his first board here and they care all the safety gear we needed for him.

First time buyer at this location. Customer service was great! Although the shop is very small, they have nothing but the best selling brands. I ended up finding a Girl Deck-Blooming Designs. Best purchase ever! They even gave me a box so I can wrap the Deck- (Christmas present) I'll be coming back to this place for more goodies!

This place is a museum for skate legends. Today is my wedding anniversary and also the 45th year of this shop's opening. I bought my completes via mail order probably 35-40 years ago. What a nostalgic day buying skate gear for my daughter. Long live Billy and RC crew.

what a store! what a place! like most college students, i utilized the leg-based art of walking to class, but i wanted a faster mode of transportation that didn't involve me being winded once i got to my lectures (i.e skateboard) (also, i don't care enough to actually run to class or wake up early lmao) we came in late on a saturday, about an hour before closing. the time spent there went beyond shop hours, but the staff was endlessly patient and answered all of our questions some highlights: - a fun, spry man with a backwards snapback informed me on the history of skating and cruiser boards. furthermore, he looked panicked when i said i didn't know who tony alva was - another employee gave me a little demo on foot placement in the parking lot next to the store! he didn't have to give me advice but he did. also he gave me a sticker :) tldr: got a board that matched my hair, almost ate $#!t in front of a woman driving a nissan at the carl's jr. drive thru out of respect to the folks in this photo i blurred out their faces :-) hopefully you get the same sense of excitement and confusion i felt at the time

Been going, shopping and spending yard work money here since I was a hanger on Grom. I've gotten to meet and hang out with all the Z-Boys and all the other pioneering greats at the shop. Thanks for taking my money (giving me stuff for free) and making the best memories one could ever have. The best misspent youth ever!

Legendary spot. Cool people. Good products. Definitely the spot for skate stuff on the West Side.

Legendary status. A land mark. What else needs to be said? I mean Rip City served all the best skaters. They carried Stüssy before it was the world known brand! Knowledgeable staff, the real deal, they don't try to do anything but sell you exactly what you're looking for. Proud to be a customer!

Blown away... Most incredible skate shop I've ever seen. Seeking Authentic culture? Skate no further.

The owner was really rude and they have very minimal products that aren't very good and over priced. As a skateboarder for over 20 years and someone who still skates big shit I feel bad if you have to go here to buy anything. Go to Jack's surf shop they are more friendly and have better products even for skateboarding...

Great place to take the kids for their first board and gear! Or for the older "kids" who still skate! It has been around since the 70's and continues to rip! If you want to get a real board created and designed by real skaters and support team members then look no further! Staff is knowledgeable and will help you find exactly what you need then put it together for you! You can also get pads and helmets that are officially and cool enough for the parks!

The original skateboard shop in Santa Monica! Dogtown-Santa Monica, The motherland of Skateboarding!! Got my first board here as a kid. A lot of the old-school legends and founders of skateboarding still come into the shop from time to time. Huge selection of skateboards. Why go anywhere else when looking for board or an authentic Santa Monica t-shirt definitely a must-stop visit in SM!!

Old man Jenkins here charged me 180$ for a 60$ deck and 50$ trucks and mini logo hardware and bearings and grip, which are the cheapest parts ever made. He even said that the bearings were "Powell". He was super patronizing and treated me like I didn't know what i was talking about. What a SCAM! i will never come back here. He seemed angry that I was shopping there and said the components that I liked sucked. All the workers there would glare at me as if I were to steal something, take your business somewhere else.

Best skate shop in LA. Probably oldest skate shop too. If you grew up in the Westside you know this place. Great selection of Skate decks, trucks and wheels, and skate clothes. All the old school boards on the walls and ceilings are beyond impressive. This place is a Mecca and should be a museum!

Feeling almost like a relic leftover from early days of skateboarding, this place is the real deal. The place is covered in skateboard history, from floor to ceiling. The guys who work there are super friendly and will answer any of your questions, no matter how dumb. They clearly love their jobs and only want to help you pick out a rad skateboard. After chatting it up for an hour and trying out some different board shapes, I walked out with an old school pastel '84 Santa Monica Airlines reissue that looks and rides like a dream. Places like this are why we need to get off our butts and stop buying everything on the internet. Support your local skate shop and be sure to check out Rip City Skates!

If you call yourself a skateboarder and never been to RIP CITY, you're just a straight POSER KOOK!

These guys are there OGs of the skate world. If they can't fix it, it can't be done. If they don't know the history of it, it hasn't been known or it has been forgotten and will never be recovered. Additionally, they are selling new gear that is fresh to death. Need new wheels? This is the spot. Want a new long board to cruise the board walk? Drop in, you won't be disappointed. Plus, they just solid dudes. Check, check, check... Check it out.

OG skate shop in Santa Monica that's full of the latest and greatest skateboards and stuff that NOT over priced...super helpful staff with the attitude to help out the novice customers. They did good for my kiddos and didn't try to over sell me to break the bank...thank you and keep up the great job and plz continue to be here for the new and old skateboarders....AWESOMENESS;)))

Original and still relevant! Been a fan and a customer for a long time now. Took a break from skating and have the bug again! Rip City deserves my dollar. They know what's up and we gotta support the locals. Keep the OG together in Santa Monica! Thanks, Rip City!!! Bought a dope Alva board today. So so happy!

Legendary skateboard shop.Verny helpful and knowledgeable staff. They had good recommendations on local skatepark to check out.

Since 1978, Rip City Skates has been selling skateboards, skateboard gear, and other shit you'll need to properly skate around Santa Monica. Rip City Skates, though it's on Santa Monica Blvd., is easy to pass by since you wouldn't expect a skate shop in this part of town. In fact, it neighbors a flower shop, a bed store that sells wall beds, and of course, a Carl's Jr. I bought a complete skateboard here, not knowing anything about the latest equipment (haven't skated for 15 years). The guys are really laid back and helpful, and sold me a quality set. Apparently, they're the home of the $99.95 complete skateboard. To me, they're the home to some Nike SB Dunks that you might not find at Undefeated and the like. Overall, I think it's better than ZJ on Main St.

Bought Roller Skates for my baby's 21st. Awesome store, awesome people.

Rip City Rocks! This is where my brother got all his skate gear growing up. Jim is funny and down to earth guy. I also got my roller skates here 25 years ago and Jim helps me keeping thing looking great. Now i take my son here for his gear too. Santa Monica locals keep supporting this original skate store because we dont have many around with customer service.

Friendly staff, cute dresses for the ladies, coloring books on surfing for the kids and then some cool boards. Cheaper prices than the competition which is a few min away but whom I won't mention . Would definitely come back.

Excellent crew and well advised on grip tape for my board. No sales pressure, just straight to the point. Old school vibe with current recommendations. Thanks for the grip and done in 10 minutes. I'll be back soon for any skateboarding accessories. Thanks again! Great service!

Best skateboards, they know their business well At first they were not sure I could ride a board ( due to my old age...45..)after insisting a bit I got a great board. They are fabulous with kids and the prices are honest . Definitely da place to go buy and re-buy skateboards and all what goes with it!

Scratched board while putting new wheels on it... not overly into answering questions.

ripcity really the only place to get dogsilly .. mos rare spot in west side no kizzy .

Old School skate shop. I bought Wheels and bearings for an old board I had laying around for years. I will not let Amazon kill local places like this.

This is what a small local business is all about! Brought my son in to Rip City to get a new deck and the employees and owner were super friendly and helpful. We will not go anywhere else, nor should you, for any of our skate needs!!!!

Grew up with RIP City. Super cool old school skate shop. Cool workers and pros stop in regularly.

got my first real skateboard here and the experience was beyond amazing! the staff were super helpful and honest in their opinions on what kind of board I should get, even when they could have tried to sell me on the higher priced items. I recommend supporting this locally owned shop!! They were very encouraging and have been part of the neighborhood for a great amount of time :)

Went there to buy my first skateboard. Didn't know much and the guy helped me pick the right board for me. The service was great, and Im pretty happy with the board he chose for me. I definitely recommend this place.

Love the owner. He took such good care of me and the board adjustment I needed for my son. Hope this place stays around forever....can't wait to go back with my little man to pick out new stickers and eventually a new board.

They helped me pick out my first skateboard and gave me good advice. They are very nice!!!

Rip city skates is easily the best skate shop in town. I came to Rip City a few years ago as a novice skater to get a board. The salesmen were extremely helpful and provided me with the best board possible for a skater of my ability. This place is the real deal. It is a small business that has been around for quite a while and the guys who work there are dedicated to the future of skating culture. Overall, I would recommend this place to any skater who wants to truly get the best experience.

If you are lucky enough to live near this place, please go. When I moved to California from the east coast in 1983, it was the fact I was a good skater that paved my social entry into California. Recently nostalgic and considerably older, I walked into Rip City. Billy made me an amazing new set up and gave me tips where to skate and we spoke on everything under the sun. I'm hooked. I quickly realized that memories of my childhood along with skateboarding history is affixed the the walls. You won't find better prices. Go there if you want to skate.

It's only the best. The people here are knowledgeable and very kind. They've been here forever( or at least long enough that my fifty something dad bought his board there when he was in high school). Overall a great place for all.