My first vision of Grain happened when I was just a kid in the basement of our childhood home. There wasn’t much that could lure any of us down those creaky stairs, to the strange darkness that waited below. One day, however, I found myself down there digging around shelves, looking for nuts and bolts, and in the process came across an old rusty block plane. I didn’t know what it was at the time and no one in my family could say where the tool came from, but I remember pushing it along the handrail leading up the stairs and watching a beautiful little piece of pine curl away from the edge. It was at that moment that I realized I was hooked on the simple effectiveness of hand tools. This one would later become not only a tool of the trade here in the Grain Surfboards shop but also the image that would represent our brand.
Photo: Nick LaVecchia
Grain’s first surfboard was built and shaped some 30 years later in another musty basement of an old carriage house on the coast of York, Maine. As Grain grew and our offerings evolved into what we do today, we’ve moved a few times, but we’ve been lucky to continually find a home in a series of old barns and farm buildings that felt just right, even if they were a little drafty.
Photo: Nick LaVecchia
Our current shop on Side Hill Farm has been a great home for the last ten years and a beautiful place to visit for all of our customers, friends and fans who have travelled from all over the world to join us for a workshop, event or just to say hello and have a glance at our way of building surfboards. Sadly, the time has come once again for us to find a new home.
Photo: Nick LaVecchia
While we’ll miss this place, the whole Grain crew and so many of our friends are rallying to make this a smooth transition into our next shop. We began our search looking far and wide, but it became clear that our roots and our community reside here in York. Lucky for us, we’ve found a great spot that we plan to call home… for good this time. Our new home is on a small farm property and has all the trimmings we’ve come to enjoy – open spaces, friendly neighbors, sustainable practices, a great little farm stand right next door, and best of all it’s a block from the beach.
Photo: Nick LaVecchia
The challenge now comes from our limited resources and the short time span to make this all happen. This move is our largest undertaking to date and we can’t do it without the help of our community. Please check out our Indiegogo page here. If you can’t help financially or don’t see a reward that resonates, no problem, we’d still love it if you’d share our page with your friends.
In exchange for your support, we promise to keep the fire burning, the handplanes sharp and to be here for you when you’re ready to make your own. Thanks so much for your support.
Learn more about how you can help Grain Surfboards make their new home a reality here.
Photo: Nick LaVecchia
