About Us

Over 45 Years of Comfortable Tradition

In 1976, when Central Coast Surfboards was still on Monterrey and San Luis Obispo had shops like Korbs Trading Post and Surf-n-Wear, Roxanne Zunich went on a little shopping excursion. While hunting for comfortable shoes for her young sons, Mark and Kevin, Roxanne stepped into a small shoe store at the “Creamery”, selling a new concept of leather sandals called Birkenstocks. Learning about the benefits of the sandals, Roxanne purchased both of her children and her husband John their first pairs. It was this moment that shaped the foundation of offering and teaching others about comfortable footwear.

Roxanne and her family were so impressed by Birkenstocks that a deal was struck between the Zunichs and the shoe store. The family stepped in, purchased the shop and now, over 45 years later, Roxanne’s Birkenstock is still family-owned and has expanded to multiple locations (including a Fresno Birkenstock store) and online companies such as The ShoeSurfing.com Network. Roxanne’s sister, Susanna Money also owned the Reno, Nevada Birkenstock store which proved to be very successful for over 25 years.

Within the decades, the Zunichs built a close relationship with Margot Fraser, the founder of Birkenstock USA. In 1966, Margot was on a trip exploring natural health with her husband in Germany when she met a female yoga teacher at a spa. After hearing about Margot’s chronic foot pain issues, the woman introduced her to sandals made by a German family who had been making shoes since 1774. Margot purchased a pair and within 2 months, her feet dramatically improved. Margot contacted Birkenstock and humbly asked if she could start distributing the sandals in the US, to which they agreed. SSo began the long and ever-growing history of the Birkenstock family in Germany, Margot Fraser, and the Zunich’s who still remain on the central coast. Margot is known to be one of the leading pioneers in what is called the “Comfort Shoe Store” in the footwear industry.

The tradition of comfortable footwear, capturing opportunity and excellent customer service has never wavered for the Zunichs. These strengths are embedded into the core of the business, both in shop and online. E-commerce has proven to be an exciting aspect of the business as the company was able and continues to grow its reach into the world market via The ShoeSurfing.com Network which includes ShoeSurfing.com, RoxannesBirkenstockslo.com, BirkenstockBeach.com, SheepskinShoes.com, StegmannBeach.com, & NiceBrandFootwear.com. The Zunich’s store in downtown San Luis Obispo is the home of the new footwear brand called “nice.” The store on the creek is a nice little shoe company indeed.

Timeline

1976

Roxanne’s Birkenstocks opens in San Luis Obispo, California as the 10th Birkenstock store in the entire US.

1979

A second location opens in Fresno, California.

1992

UGG® Australia boots are introduced by the family to their customers, nearly a decade before the sheepskin boot craze would hit the US.

1996

Roxanne and John’s youngest son Kevin begins to manage the San Luis Obispo location and begins to re-vamp the business.

2000

Construction begins on the sale outlet store and warehouse deemed “The Shack”. The family promotes community participation by appearing at the weekly San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market.

2001

BirkenstockBeach.com officially launches and paves the way for many other online stores to come.

2008

The first 2-Day Annual Warehouse Outlet Parking Lot takes root and has since taken place every year on the 1st weekend of October.

2016

Roxanne’s Birkenstock SLO celebrates 40 years in San Luis Obispo.

2017

Third generation Zunich (Koa Zunich) is born and he and his sister (Eliana Zunich who is 13) can be seen hanging out at the shop on the creek.

2021

Roxanne’s Birkenstock SLO celebrates 20 years inside the Mission Mall on the creek and 20 years selling online.

Comfort Lifestyle Footwear

Our feet greatly symbolize our lives. With the many decisions we have to make, how to keep our feet comfortable should not have to be one of them. That is why we offer you the best footwear choices to keep in pace with your lifestyle, at home or at work.

The Central Coast Shapes Our Style

We know the importance of carefully selecting footwear because we live it. You can ask any resident in San Luis Obispo County, or SLO as the locals call it, and they will tell you that we live in paradise. As a matter of fact, in 2010 San Luis Obispo was deemed “The Happiest Town in America” via National Geographic’s book titled “Thrive” by Dan Buettner and widely publicized by Oprah Winfrey.

Situated halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, we live in paradise simply because the people are genuinely nice; the weather is always temperate; the pace is “SLO”; there is no traffic or drive-thru restaurants; we are surrounded by lush nature; we boast some of the best wineries (Central Coast AVA) in the world such as Denner, Justin Vineyards and Winery, Baileyana, Edna Valley, and Wolff; there is a “Greenbelt Conservation Program” which limits land development; we have one of the best Farmer’s Market in the US; and of course we wouldn’t be able to offer you the most comfortable footwear if we didn’t have some of the best surfing and beaches in California to try them out in!

Having nature and relaxed mindsets to inspire us, you will find that people here appreciate the laid back lifestyle of hitting the waves early in the morning and enjoying the rest of the day with whatever the agenda may be, with our without a nice glass of wine. We at ShoeSurfing.com cheerfully present you with our little slice of paradise wherever you may be.

Our Path is Where Happy Feet Take Us

We’re not here simply to sell footwear; we’re here to make a difference in our world and make our customers happy with their purchase.

ShoeSurfing.com is one of the leading online retailers of sheepskin boots and nature-inspired sandals and shoes. We stay ahead of our competitors by keeping true to our homegrown business values, researching the latest trends, constantly offering a huge collection of products and guaranteeing 100% satisfaction to our patrons. Satisfaction guaranteed includes outstanding customer service, and a 110% Price Match!

We also take value in “doing good” for our planet and people. At Shoesurfing.com and our affiliate companies, we make it a point to reuse and recycle what we can. Whether it’s in our office, warehouse or retail store, every employee is encouraged to recycle and conserve. Customers may also notice clean, reused packing materials in their orders – we hope that such a display will inspire others to consider caring for our environment.

We have also installed our “Donation for Dollars” program where we happily accept slightly worn or unused shoes so that they can be donated to “heroes” or people in need through “Gifts From the Sky”. Contributors in return will receive a credit for the purchase of new footwear from our site and feel just a little bit better by helping others.