New seating inside the Sunshine Company.
Exterior wall has been removed.
This is the latest of our occasional reports on the comings and goings of businesses on Newport Avenue – the main street of Ocean Beach, plus any new developments that have occurred recently. This is what we found on Monday, May 9th:
Renovations at the Sunshine Company
New exterior and changes inside the Sunshine Company may surprise locals who haven’t been there in a while. Part of the exterior wall in the front has been removed to move the establishment into the new way of drinking – visible and right off the public sidewalk. Upstairs, there is now more light and visibility.
Inside, the long counter and a series of tales has been taken out and replaced with cushioned seating along the wall and round tables in the middle.
New interior at Sunshine opens up the space with cushioned seating along the wall.
The restrooms – we are told – have also been renovated, and the place now has joint-use sinks, ala OB Warehouse.
All-sex sinks.
New Sign at Tony’s
An enlarged sign now adorns the outside of Tony’s, one of our favorite martini joints.
New sign at Tony’s
Tony’s is owned by the same folks who own Sunshine, so they’re spending some money it seems to rejuvenate the two places.
Helm’s Brewing Getting Near to Open
Helm’s Brewing at the corner of Newport and Cable is about to open, we were told by Tim, one of the principals.
Inside the new Helm’s Brewery.
Soon to be open – Helms
In about a week they ought to be pouring, with their new sliding metal windows open.
Palmer’s Has Been Open for 2 Weeks
Latest shop to open on Newport.
Inside Palmer’s.
A new shop on Newport, Palmers, has been open for 2 weeks. It sits between OB Hardware and Smart Clips Salon.
No Changes at The Joint
No changes at The Joint
Since having been cited for encroachment by the City, The Joint exterior does not appear to have changed yet.
Apple Tree Market ?
Inside Apple Tree …
Your guest is as good as ours as to when this fabled market will reopen. The new sign out front says they’re a-comin’.
OB Gift Shop
The OB Gift Shop
A second new gift shop has opened on Newport Ave of late, this one simply called OB Gift Shop.
Inside the OB Gift Shop
They’ve been around for 2 months we were told.
News Off Newport
Offending Mural on Car-Wash?
Does the mural on the car-wash offend? The somewhat new mural on the wall of the car-wash at the corner of Voltaire and Bacon has a large, red octopus shooting at a seagull – or at least appears to be.
Mural at Suds car-wash.
One of our readers thought that with the recent spate of fatal shooting of wild parrots, that this part of the mural was inappropriate.
Is this offensive in light of the recent fatal shootings of wild parrots?
What do you think?
Some Progress at Construction Site at Voltaire and Abbott
A chain-link fence now surround the construction equipment and a new ditch at the site of the development poised to come to that corner lot at Voltaire and Abbott.
Construction site at Voltaire and Abbott.
The earlier fence that someone spraypainted their opposition to the project had been removed.
Tropical Island bird paradise
Tropical Bird Store
Right on Voltaire, across from People’s is the Tropical Island – a store of exotic birds and pet supplies. And man, you sure know there’s birds there while sitting in line at Roberto’s.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s true that the red octopus appears only to be shooting water out of what looks like a water-gun.
That looks like the water guns one would use at a self-serve car wash to spray their car down before switching over to the soapy brush…
…and, on second inspection, the octopus also has that soapy brush in another tentacle, and is using it to scrub a car. Seems like a legit mural for a self-serve car wash to me, although the seagull (an OB icon that shows up on tons of art all over town) seems to just be inconveniently placed. I’m going to call no harm, no foul on this one personally.
The gun and brush in the mural makes sense in context but I do think the placement of the seagull is unfortunate and could have been placed differently. Yes. I know it’s only water but again, it’s still looks like it’s shooting at the seagull.
So a carwash has a mural that depicts a spray of water with a cleaning brush spraying water at a seagull that shits on cars, and someone is offended by this? Me thinks some people seek out things to be offended by. This is a private business they can put whatever they want on their walls. I doubt they even knew about the parrots being shot when this went up. I’m offended that some people are fecking idiots. I say lets remove them. ;)
no kidding… let’s try and find something to complain about… get a hobby
They’re not in the mural heheh
If y’all really want to get offended by something that deserves it (as opposed to a harmless mural) how about the exotic bird shop featured above? Do we really need a shop selling caged animals in OB? City councils around the state are barring pet stores that sell kittens and puppies sourced from puppy mills.
So what’s the deal with a bird store? Where do those flying critters come from? Bird mills? Kidnapped from the wild? Hmmm?
Why does anybody need any more caged birds????????????????????Especially in OB!!
Rick Flips the Bird at OB Bird Shop
Do tell more?
The OB Rag tries to respond to reader queries, and we received two on the mural vs parrots thing. So, we offer a platform and take the community’s pulse. Plus we thought it would get a chuckle or 2, jettyboy.
The gift shops will be replaced with breweries by the end of the year…..apparently that’s the only type of business that does well here.
I used to eat at the Joint until they put that ugly fence up on our sidewalk.