Artwork commemorating the 50th anniversary of Ocean Beach Pier, which was dedicated July 2, 1966 by then-Gov. Edmund G. Brown, is on display now at Teeter.
“Since this is the year of the pier, we partnered with Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) to have a community art show to celebrate, and we asked for works from local artists,” said Keely Belding of Teeter, her two-year-old multi-purpose art gallery at 5032 Niagara Ave. “We got a really good mix of art, everything from photography to sculpture to surfboards. The response was really overwhelming. We got more than 100 submissions in about a month, of which we selected about 40 to exhibit,” Belding said.
That artwork is on display – and for sale – at Teeter through July 31.
Isabel Clark, programs director for OBMA, the beach community’s Business Improvement District, noted the year of the pier is proving to be one humdinger of a celebration.
“The pier is so cool looking and so iconic,” noted Clark, adding, a lot of the photography in OB either has the pier in it or “is inspired by it.”
During its recent community celebration of its trademark pier, Ocean Beach pulled out all the stops, having catered food from local eateries Ragland, Mothers, OB Noodle House and Four Seasons, including wine donated from OB winery Johnny Buonomo and Mike Hess’ OB satellite tasting room.
Belding said Teeter is a hybrid store with “a little bit of everything. We’re an art gallery. We have some photography. We are a retail shop. We carry goods from artisans all throughout the United States, with a touch of art on the walls.”
The gallery owner’s inventory offers plenty of gifts including candles, jewelry, kitchenware, gift cards, women’s accessories such as earrings and handbags and paper goods.
“We try to look for handmade goods a little bit more modern, just really well made, beautiful, thoughtful gifts,” said Belding, pointing out she has herb-gardening kits for sale. There’s even a teepee for purchase.
Teeter is truly a composite business. Belding noted it’s part coffee shop, art gallery, gift shop and even school, offering private art and music lessons for children including those enrolled in summer camp.
Teeter is also the site of a second store location called “The Nest,” for the Lazy Hummingbird Coffee & Tea House, whose original location is 4876 Santa Monica Ave. The Nest has a lot of breakfast fare including smoothies.
“I always wanted to do this for many years,” said Belding, the mother of four. “I’ve always worked retail. It’s been a passion of mine.
“I’ve always wanted to have a thoughtful gift shop that would be a wonderful experience with music and art. My husband and I work here with our kids. It’s really been a fun, family business.”
Belding loves her location near OB Pier.
“We get a lot of (foot) traffic from the pier and it’s really nice,” she acknowledged. “It’s a little more quiet over here.”
Clark from OBMA said the pier celebration has made her appreciate the beach community even more.
“This celebration has deepened my love and appreciation for the pier,” she said. “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of the people who worked on it.”
One of those people was John Tafoya, whose band played at the grand opening back in 1966 and was able to reprise that performance 50 years later.
“It was nice to have so many people who were there at the opening still around to celebrate the 50th anniversary with us,” Clark said.
Teeter doesn’t expect to change its game plan moving forward.
“We’re going to stick to what we’ve got going on,” said Belding. “It works for us. We’d like to get an art walk going here in Ocean Beach on a monthly basis to bring more art to the community.”
Teeter is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call 619-221-5929 or visit www.shopteetersd.com.