EXCLUSIVE

The boardwalk t-shirt store made famous by "Jersey Shore" has been RAVAGED by Hurricane Sandy -- torn open like a sardine can -- and TMZ has a photo of the heartbreaking damage.

A source close to the owner of the Shore Store tells TMZ, the storm caused severe water damage to a lot of the merchandise -- including t-shirts and jewelry display cases -- as well as screen printing equipment.

But we're told the worst damage of all was to the rolling steel doors in front of the shop, which were bashed in by Sandy's extremely strong winds. Each door costs several thousand dollars.

The boardwalk itself was also torn asunder by the storm, as you can see in the picture.