Locals may be familiar with the seagull Ocean Beach sticker, created by Bob Sorben. It’s present on many vehicles in the area”a way of representing a community and lifestyle.
In Pacific Beach, Surf Club Surf Shop owner Jeff Kinney is trying to start something similar.
“The OB sticker with the seagull has been around for years,” Kinney said. “Also, you know the Big Bear sticker with the bear claw? That’s all over the place. That’s kind of what I’m trying to start. [Pacific Beach residents] need an identifying emblem. Put them on your car. Be proud to be a PB person, even if you’re not a PB person and you live in Arizona and want to feel like you’re a PB person.”
Sorben created the OB sticker for the same reasons. “We wanted something to represent OB, the community. Everybody our age knew each other, like one big gang. We would put them on our bicycles growing up.”
Kinney’s navy blue-and-white sticker shows a surfer catching a wave with the words “Pacific Beach” printed at the bottom. Kinney made a simple yet catchy design to “withstand the test of time, like good music.” The OB sticker has accomplished this ” the design has gone through its second copyright since 1973 and will now be copyrighted for another 95 years.
Kinney’s design has already shown signs of popularity throughout the community.
“I went out on my bicycle and started to go out to all the people I know ” having been in the community for 26 years ” and started putting them in places that would sell them,” said Kinney. “I had like a 70 percent acceptance rate.”
The sticker’s newfound popularity means cash for Kinney, but he’s not in it for the money.
“My rationality was never to say, ‘Oh, I’m going to make a buck.’ I just want to make enough money back to pay the guy that made the stickers. “
Kinney said it’s not “giving back to the community,” either. It’s identification with a community and a way of life.
“I’ve been here for so long. I’m so blessed to have been on this street for 26 years. Let’s identify with it. It’s all about having a good identifying sticker. If you’re stoked on PB, put a sticker up on your window. Claim PB, have fun with it,” he said.
Surf Club Surf Shop is located at 925 Garnet Ave. Call (858) 483-4854 for information.