Olo Alaia, Surf and Brew, is an upscale surf shop which includes a bar serving both beer and coffee with outdoor seating and wifi, while also selling the traditional surfboards, accessories, t-shirts and sunglasses. Owners Robbie Vickers and his wife Marianela Ramirez, converted their six year old Guiones mini-super into the elegant surf shop.
After six years of managing 70 vendors a week, selling beer and chips got a little dull for the couple. They decided to create a new concept based on their passion for the surfing lifestyle.
“We decided to create the kind of place we would want if we were traveling as surfers,” said Vickers. So he took his passion for surfing, quality products, Nosara’s surf town vibe and combined them into the new venture.
Vickers and Ramirez started with the interior, installing all milled local woods which he procured and dried for over nine months. The floor is sandal wood, the bar is Guanacaste. Cabinets and displays are made of pochote and red cedar. The couple displays paintings from local artists on their walls and include Surfer’s Journal and photography books with vintage California and Hawaii surfing scenes throughout the store.
“My concept is that the whole design is built from the roots of surfing. Olo and Alaia are names of the original surfboards ridden by the ancient Polynesians,” Vickers explained.
Olo Alaia boards are from legendary hand shapers such as Takayama, Hayden Shapes, Bing, Almond and Super Brand. Prices range from $790 to $1730 for new boards.
Vickers and Ramirez were as selective in choosing coffee and beer as their surfboards. They have only Costa Rica’s Craft Brewing Company beers on tap. They also serve Yok Café espresso and Taza Amarilla organic coffee for their drip and cold brews.
In addition to coffee and high end surf boards, Olo Alaia also offers services such as surf lessons, stand up paddle and surf tours and board rentals for $15 a day.
The couple has now built the business they always dreamed of, where the surf lifestyle is celebrated and their customers can just hang out or buy quality surf boards and gear.
More info:
Schedule: 7 am to 8 pm
Location: Guiones behind Robin’s Ice Cream
Contact: 2682-1204 or 8897-4071.
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