‘Make Dope Surf Videos’: Chapter 11 TV Has a Straightforward Business Model

Ventura Sucks. Tell All Your Friends” was boldly plastered across a hat. I saw it more than a year ago at Chapter 11 TV’s (original) surf shop in downtown Ventura. At the time, Jake Kelley told me it’s one of the most popular items in the store, with people from all over the country commenting, launching and offering cold hard cash in exchange for the self-depricating merchandise. Now, unless you ask the boys in the back to make you one, you likely won’t find the hat around today. It’s sold out. 

You can, however, still find Dane Reynolds and his friends slinging merch, having beers, cracking jokes and keeping each other honest at Chapter 11 TV’s newer and larger store at 83 S. Palm Street in Ventura. The clothing may be different, but the goal of Dane’s company remains very much the same. Make sure to take in their cyclical business model that’s handwritten on a whiteboard somewhere in this video below. 

While Chapter 11's output leans into a self-depricating vibe, showcasing the toil as well as the success, the surfing in here is no joke. Their latest body of work, edited by Dane and close collaborator Hunter Martinez, captures a bit of everything Ventura has to offer surf-wise: the good, the bad and the ugly. Consider the summertime grovelfest at Dane’s beloved Emma Wood juxtaposed with solid swell at the town’s beachbreaks and an overly crowded pointbreak 15 minutes north of town.  

The surf shop/media production house/blog that Dane started four years ago to showcase Ventura’s local talent is doing just that. This vid includes clips from Dane, Jake, Eithan Osborne, Dimitri Poulos, Dillon Perillo, Mickey Clarke, Matt McCabe, Parker & Conner Coffin and many more surfers whose phone number starts with 805. 

"83 S. Palm Street," the surf video, is easy on the eyes and ears. 83 S. Palm Street, the shop, remains a bastion of core surf retail. Watch the clip, check out the store, have a dig.

Related: Ventura Surf Recipe: Brown Water, Hard Tunes & Nonchalant Ripping