Grain was born out of the desire of Mike LaVecchia and his friend to build and surf their own boards. Together, they tried a number of techniques with which they were familiar from their experience in boatbuilding. Their first board had caulked seams and bronze fastenings - just like a ship! Once they hit on an adaptation of standard boatbuilding techniques that resulted in a strong, light, beautiful board that used a minimum of non-renewable resources, they started building for themselves and for friends. Some weird timing and press interest got Grain national exposure almost immediately, and soon it became clear that people wanted these boards as an alternative to foam and plastic.

From his original partner (who had other interests to pursue) Mike bought the intellectual property that they had developed together, and Grain was born. Assembling a small team of new and old friends, they moved the shop out of the garage and to a facility they are still developing in a renovated barn. See the company page for more about Grain and the builders.

Aside from the boards, the thing we love the most about our company is the friendship and warm interest that supports it. Our logos, apparel art, website, photos and marketing advice all come from super- talented friends. We also enjoy personal relationships with our customers - which is important to us. It feels like an ever-widening circle of new friends. Some of them have come to the shop to select wood for their own boards and we sometimes see them out on the line- up at our local break.

We feel fortunate to be part of a growing clan that all share the pure joy of what we are doing. That’s really the key thing that makes Grain Surfboards so important to us.

Our shop is located at 154 Beech Ridge Road in York.