SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Patagonia today announced the grand opening of its 4^th Street Santa Monica store, a new store location that will hold LA's largest assortment of Fletcher Chouinard Designs surfboards and Patagonia wetsuits. Located less than a mile away from the beautiful Pacific coastline, the new Patagonia Santa Monica will offer surfboards, wetsuits and gear for locals and Santa Monica visitors alike.

To celebrate the new store opening, Patagonia Santa Monica will host its grand opening event on Thursday, January 24^th, a benefit for the Surfrider Foundation's West LA/Malibu chapter and the Rise Above Plastics Program. The event will celebrate the new store with live music by Ray Barbee and The Mattson Two, beer donated by Golden Road Brewing, wine, food giveaways, guest appearances by Patagonia surf ambassadors, including Keith Malloy, and a raffle for a Patagonia wetsuit and surfboard by Fletcher Chouinard Designs.

"With proximity so close to the scenic Pacific coastline, the 4^th street Patagonia Santa Monica is an inspiring location for our new store," said Vickie Achee, head of marketing with Patagonia Retail. "Be sure to come out for our January 24^th event. Bring in an old t-shirt—for a small donation to Surfrider Foundation, we'll turn it into a reusable bag!"

Patagonia Santa Monica will offer a unique experience specifically created for the Los Angeles metro area. Similar to all Patagonia locations, the Santa Monica store strives to sell the best, high-quality products, cause no unnecessary harm to the environment and use its business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

"Customers from the Los Angeles area have expressed the need for a Patagonia location near Santa Monica surf spots, so we're thrilled to have found a location that lets us carry the right assortment of boards, wetsuits and accessories for local active outdoor enthusiasts," said Jason McCaffrey, Patagonia's Director of Surf. "Having a one-stop-shop that houses the unique surf brands we carry is a dream come true—and having a space large enough to host community events like the January 24^th benefit is like icing on the cake."

Patagonia Santa Monica is located at 1344 4th St (between Arizona Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard) in Santa Monica, California. Its grand opening event will take place on January 24^th, from 7-9pm. Bring in an old t-shirt and a small donation for the Surfrider Foundation and Patagonia will turn the t-shirt into a reusable bag. Free raffle tickets will also be awarded to those who carpool, ride a bike or take a bus to the event.

For more information, visit Patagonia Santa Monica www.facebook.com/patagoniasantamonica

About Patagonia

Patagonia, Inc., based in Ventura, California, is a leading designer of core outdoor, surf and sport-related apparel, equipment, footwear and accessories. With sales last year of $414M, the company is noted internationally for its commitment to authentic product quality and environmental activism, contributing over $43M in cash and in-kind donations to date. Incorporating environmental responsibility into product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically grown cotton in its clothing line. Committed to making its products landfill-free, the company's entire product line is recyclable thorough its Common Threads Initiative. The company also advocates corporate transparency through its interactive website, The Footprint Chronicles, which outlines the environmental and social footprint of individual products. Patagonia was featured as The Coolest Company on the Planet on Fortune Magazine's April 2007 cover.

SOURCE Patagonia, Inc.