All photos by Sandé Lollis unless noted otherwise.
New owners Jenae and Joe Kuchman (left) with previous owner Mike DeEmedio (right). Courtesy the winners
Ocean Beach Main Street Business Association award for OB Hardware. From Facebook page
New owner Joe Kuchman working in the shop with his children. From Facebook page
New owners Jenae and Joe Kuchman working in the shop. Courtesy Joe Kuchman
WHAT PRESERVATIONIST doesn’t love a hardware store? Ocean Beach Hardware occupies a prominent location on Newport Avenue and carries the luster of age, as it’s served generations of handymen, tradespeople, and homeowners in this beachfront community since 1919. The store exemplifies a valuable legacy business, having been family operated for most of its 103 years.
In 2018, one year shy of its centennial, the store faced closure when its owners of 30 years were retiring. Local resident Michael DeEmedio stepped in and bought the store with an investor to operate full-time. However, in 2021, the lease on the property was up for renewal, and DeEmedio was facing a move to fulfill family obligations outside of San Diego. Fortunately, the landlord wanted to give DeEmedio time to find a new owner, thereby prioritizing the preservation of a locally owned business and OB’s independent-minded community character.
Clearly, the store needed a long-term savior to come to the rescue. It went on the market during the height of the pandemic—hardly an opportune time for brick-and-mortar businesses. Time was running out. With only a month left before the hardware would be liquidated and dissolved, Jenae and Joe Kuchman appeared, like the financing angels they are. The Kuchmans are OB residents and OB Hardware customers for 20 years. The couple and their young children had no experience running a retail store, but were motivated to save what they considered a useful community landmark. They couldn’t bear to see the store go, and viewed working there as a way to immerse themselves in OB.
The Kuchmans obviously value what a small, independent business can contribute to a community, especially one like OB, with deep roots and loyalties. Since taking over the business in 2019, the Kuchmans have upgraded some of the inventory and made new friends, like Justin D, who wrote on the store’s website: “You'll never visit the box store, then surf with the owner later that same day, but I see Joe nearly every time I'm in the water and that means a lot to me.”
For customers, being able to walk to the hardware and other businesses that line Newport Avenue benefits people’s health and social life, as well as the environment. Once you’ve arrived at OB Hardware on any given day, you will find Jenae or Joe working behind the counter, or organizing tools, flower pots, or paint cans in the aisles. They are dedicated and involved owners, who relish being on a first-name basis with their customers, who are, after all, their neighbors.
SOHO applauds Jenae and Joe Kuchman for taking a big leap into retailing to preserve a legacy store they had long patronized and considered a community cornerstone. Their exquisite timing and devotion to Ocean Beach saved a popular, essential business for their community.
