About 2-Mile Surf Shop

The 2 Mile Story  ·  Staff Bios  ·  About Bolinas

The 2 Mile Story

2 Mile Surf Shop was started in 2003 by John Moore and Nick Krieger.

John had been making custom surfboards since he was a kid on the east coast. After college, he went on to open a surf shop in Cape Cod called the Pump House. This is where he started shaping under the Mystic Label. Over the next few years, John shaped and glassed hundreds of boards for his customers. In 1995, John sold the Pump House and moved to California in search of better waves and warmer winters. John kept the Mystic Surfboard label and continued to shape in California. He quickly built a reputation as being one of the best underground shapers in the Bay Area.

Nick started a surf school, Bolinas Surf Lessons, in 1998. Nick used to meet his surf students at the Bolinas Surf Lessons van and walk to the beach to offer surf lessons. Having grown up surfing in Bolinas, Nick had an abundance of local knowledge to share with his students. Combined with his patience and love for the sport of surfing, he was the right choice for anyone who wanted to learn to surf in the Bay Area.

Bolinas Surf Lessons and Mystic Surf Boards were both successful because of the hard work John and Nick put into their businesses as well as the word-of-mouth advertising they received from satisfied customers.

In the spring of 2003 John and Nick opened the doors of 2 Mile Surf Shop. John shapes custom Mystic surfboards and keeps a range of pre-made sizes in stock at the shop. Since 2 Mile is so close to the beach, Nick can run Bolinas Surf Lessons out of the surf shop instead of the van.

In the fall of 2008 Nick and John met Drew and Chad while surfing. Drew and Chad had recently retired from their corporate jobs and along with their friend, Jack Murphy, purchased High Tide surf shop in Petaluma. High Tide was re-named Sonoma Coast Surf Shop and stocked with quality boards, suits and other core surf products. The four guys hit it off well and started discussing some scenarios. Shortly after that, Drew, Chad and Jack purchased 2 Mile from Nick and John and formed a partnership that should last a long time. 2 Mile was quickly renovated and opened up inside to allow for more rental boards and new wetsuits.

John moved to Santa Cruz but remains the in-house shaper for 2 Mile. He travels between Santa Cruz and Bolinas to work in the shop and stay connected to the community he loves. Nick continues to run Bolinas Surf Lessons out of the shop and has added summer surf camps as well.

2 Mile Surf Shop has a fleet of rental boards and suits, a large selection of long and short boards from a number of manufactures, a range of wetsuits, boots, gloves, and hoods and if you forgot your shorts, sandals or sunscreen 2 Mile's got you all your beach needs covered.


Staff Bios

Drew Reinstein - born and raised on the East Coast in New York. Moved out West to attend school and learned to surf in Santa Cruz. Relocated to Petaluma in 1996 to start a family. I worked for 20 years as a Marine Biologist and Environmental Protection Scientist. Took an early retirement to follow my passion and now own and manage 2 surf shops. You will find me in the water from Salmon Creek to Santa Cruz.

Jack Murphy - has been living and surfing in the bay area since '89, and he moved up to Petaluma in '94. Since then Salmon, Bean and Dillon have been his home breaks. Jack is one of the shop owners. Say hi if you see him in the water. He'll likely be riding his 5'8" Jamie Murray fish, or his 6'8" Vernor rounded pintail.

John Moore - has been making custom surfboards since he was a kid on the east coast. After college, he went on to open a surf shop in Cape Cod called the Pump House. This is where he started shaping under the Mystic Label. Over the next few years, John shaped and glassed hundreds of boards for his customers. In 1995, John sold the Pump House and moved to California in search of better waves and warmer winters. John kept the Mystic Surfboard label and continued to shape in California. He quickly built a reputation as being one of the best underground shapers in the Bay Area.

Nick Krieger - grew up surfing in Bolinas and quickly stood out as an exceptional surfer. Prior to starting Bolinas Surf Lessons, Nick worked in the surf industry and as a Head Lifeguard, which taught him the importance and techniques of ocean safety. This unique background, coupled with Nick's positive attitude and love of surfing, inspired him to begin giving surf lessons. Nick's infectious enthusiasm and endearing patience quickly made him a favorite with all his students. Nick is in charge of all of Bolinas Surf Lesson's operations.

Jaime Crespo - I was born at a very young age, a long time ago in a hospital to parents in California. I have always enjoyed the ocean and I like breathing.

April Ginsberg - I've moved all over the State's and finally ended up in Marin Junior year of high school. After high school I moved around a bit more and finally decided to come back and go to College in Marin. I currently am attending college at UC Davis finishing up my degree. Bolinas is a place where I finally feel at home and always come back to. I applied to work at 2 Mile in hopes of learning how to surf and still come back to the shop whenever I am in the area.

Blair Tom - has been a surfer in Bodega Bay for the past 10 years. He graduated from Sonoma State in 2007 and spent some time leading surf tours in Central America and traveled extensively in search of waves in Indonesia, Sumatra, Mexico, Hawaii and the US. Currently Blair is pursuing his Master's Degree in History at SSU, with a focus on Surfing Cultural History and Latin American History. You can find Blair at the surf shop, the beach, the library or at any of the local skate parks.

Sam Jepson - I was born in San Pedro CA next to the L.A. harbor and lived there until moving to Petaluma. I learned to surf out here in Bolinas at the 2 Mile surf camp just before starting high school. My first down the line wave was at the inside Patch on my dad's 7'10" semi gun and it became a religion ever since. I recently spent the last year living, attending school and surfing in Australia. You will find me all over but mostly surfing in Bolinas before work or Salmon before the sun sets. See you at the shop on the weekends.


About Bolinas

In the 1960s, Bolinas was a small fishing village with a few vacation homes along the cliff and beach. In the early 70s, a huge oil spill off the coast threatened to kill much of the natural habitat and marine life. It was at this point that Bolinas was discovered. Hundreds of hippies from Berkeley and the Haight-Ashbury made their way to Bolinas to rescue birds and clean up the oil spill. Many of them liked Bolinas so much that they decided to settle down here. In the early 70's the number of homes more than tripled, changing Bolinas from a small fishing village to a thriving community full of young idealists. In mid 70's the new community decided to stop all growth in Bolinas by restricting water rights to new homebuilders. It was during this period that the road sign to Bolinas was first torn down with the hope of making the town more difficult for new people to find. Every decade or so, the county of Marin replaced the sign, but it was always torn down within days. The last sign (seen above in 1992) wasn't up for more than 24 hours. (The original road sign read "Bolinas 2" with an arrow pointing in the direction of the town. Thus creating the 2 mile legend.)

Restricting development and taking down road signs was an effective way to keep Bolinas off the map into the early 90s. But in the age of MapQuest and million-dollar remodels, it isn't enough. Bolinas has been changing into what you might expect of a beach town just an hour away from San Francisco. The changes have created mixed feelings for the local community. For some carpenters, real estate agents, and local businesses, the changes have created new opportunities. But it has also become more difficult for free-thinking artists and idealists to survive, and the town has certainly lost some of the isolation that first attracted them.