There has been a changing of the guard at the Newport Avenue mall in Ocean Beach, with mostly newer tenants banding together to collectively promote and market themselves.

The popular indoor mall at 4967 Newport Ave. is now home to The Philosopher’s Stone, Brew Wave Coffee, Seth’s Chop Shop, OB Mindful Goods, San Diego Holistic Healing/Reiki by Rylee and Ocean Beach Business Center on the ground floor, along with Anamaya Vintage Store upstairs.

The mall’s occupants are reflective of the community they serve. They are proud, independent, free thinking, artistic and altruistic.

OB Mindful Goods

Diana Dembeck owner of OB Mindful Goods art haven said mall tenants have been “thinking of banding together as a group because we find it’s been really helpful.” She noted coming up with a new formal name for the mall may be necessary as, “We hear all the time from people referring to us as this little alleyway back there.”

Of her business model she said: “We have art supplies and we also sell local artist’s art, make our own handmade soap and have jewelry and fiber arts. If you’re an artist looking for supplies – this is it. If you’re looking for gifts – this could also be it.”
Painter Jeremy Evans noted OB Mindful Goods is a “do it yourself place” that puts art supplies “back into circulation. We try to provide people with a place where they can come and buy brushes and stuff without having to go outside the community.”

While OB is artist friendly, Dembeck pointed out: “We noticed a bit of a gap in the market. So we’re here to fill that gap.”

“We find out what people want and stock it,” said Evans adding, “We try to reduce some of the consumption of the art stuff.”

Dembeck loves her job and her retail space. “I’m surrounded by beautiful artwork all day in my little gallery,” she noted.

“It’s great to be a part of a community that’s in an art neighborhood with a lot of artists,” agreed Evans.

“We’ve got another retail space in the back of the mall where we’re holding macrame and other classes now,” added Dembeck noting that, when you’re being creative, “It puts you more in a meditative state where you’re not thinking about the problems of the world.”

The Healing Collective SD

“This space has really transformed a lot already and it’s going to keep going,” enthused Allison “Aly” Auffenberg of the retail space in Unit 6 at the mall she and Rylee Culverwell have created since January. The pair are offering numerous forms of holistic healing by appointment including Reiki, Balinese herbal massage, bio-field tuning, plant medicine, moxibustion, children mindfulness, cupping, life coaching and private yoga sessions.

“We came together to form this healing studio where people can have access to all different sorts of healing modalities, things they haven’t tried before,” said Culverwell, adding the healing arts she and Auffenberg practice are both “visceral and experiential. It’s really cathartic. This is what people need right now after COVID. Everyone just feels so out of balance.”

“It really is based around the person too,” noted Aufenberg about their business model adding “we treat psychological and emotional stuff. If we see something depleted, we help to replenish it. We’re from the same school as acupuncture and meditation. Only we don’t use needles, just our hands.”

The healing collective is adding a retail section. “It’s all going to be organic, very natural products that help people to come more into themselves and feel better,” noted Auffenberg. “The biggest thing is just for people to check out our website, and come in and experience our one-on-one sessions or different classes we’re offering.”

The Philosopher’s Stone

“I’m the anchor store in here right now, I’ve been in the mall the longest, 16 years,” said Wendy Adelstein of the Philsopher’s Stone Crystal Shop in #8.

The Philosopher’s Stone rocks, literally. It is chock full of crystals and stones of every imaginable size and type.

Crystal healing is an ancient practice dating back at least 6,000 years to Mesopotamia. It has been recognized as a form of medicine with philosophies borrowed from Hinduism and Buddhism.

With a homey boutique look, the crystal shop also offers jewelry inlaid with stones as well as selling complementary products like sage.

The proprietor is not a mineralogist.

“I’m more of an energy worker, I can feel the subtle energies of the stones,” noted Adelstein, who is from a social work background. “At first it was people mostly in the metaphysical community who would come in. Now it’s so mainstream, I feel like I’m on people’s shopping lists.”

Adelstein designed her store so “people could come in, spend some time and slow down.” She pointed out the shop started as a hobby that evolved into a full-blown business. “I love being around stones,” she admitted adding, “There are people who come in here for healing, and there are people who come in here because, ‘Oh, it’s a pretty bracelet, I just want to wear it.’”

People are being more discriminating these days with what they buy, noted Adelstein which has made it harder for OB shopkeepers in general. “Go support your local businesses,” she implored.

Ocean Beach Business Center, Suites 10 & 12

Ocean Beach Business Center co-owned by Chris and Jo Peregoy, moved to the mall from Santa Monica Avenue in September. The couple really like the new space in their new place.

“We’ve got our own two, really three units here,” Chris said. “We were able to create the spaces that we wanted. We even have our own little personalized mailbox room for customers that we never had before. The mall is open seven days a week, so customers have their own code to get into the mail room through the keypad from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.”

Chris said they’re now also able to do something else they’ve always wanted to do in their new space, which is separating the shipping aspect of the business from its printing side. “Now we’re able to have a dedicated shipping location with a self-serve packing table for people to use, especially helpful during the busy holidays,” he said. “We’re still here and available to help. But if it’s easy stuff, they can just do it on their own. It just makes it easier for everybody.”

It also helps that, when you first enter the indoor mall, your focal point is drawn to OBBC’s suites in the rear of the alleyway.

“It’s been really good timing,” Chris Peregoy said of how the mall and all its new tenants are coming together. “Anamaya (upstairs vintage store) came in about a month before we did. Brew Wave Coffee changed hands a few months prior. It’s like all new tenants, new energy. There’s just a newer vibe to the place. It’s really helped out.”

Also in the mall are Brew Wave Coffee offering coffee and tea as well as juice and smoothies on the lower level, along with Seth’s Chop Shop, a full-service hair salon and tattoo parlor. The coffee shop opened on July 1 this year and is excited about its new home.

“We are excited to step into the shoes of Your Mama’s Mug, a pillar in the OB community for over 27 years. We are proud to be a coffee shop where you can get a great cup of locally sourced coffee, hand rolled teas, lattes, mochas and pastries. You will always get a warm greeting, a genuine smile, and relaxed conversation,” said Brew Wave Coffee owner Robert Brandy. “The OB community is amazing and we are happy to say we are Obecans now.”

Upstairs is Anamaya Vintage Store, offering vintage clothing, collectibles, antiques and designer-brand name clothing.

“The Anamaya Vintage Store is tucked away in the back of the business center up a flight of stairs. It is the perfect place to come for an abundant curated selection of quality men and women’s clothing and antiques. Come to explore and bring home something stylish and unique!” said sales associate Maya Fohrman.