Sea Hive Station has officially opened doors in San Diego’s Liberty Station neighborhood, ushering in one of the city’s most epic co-op retail experience.
The massive indoor/outdoor concept is the result of a 23,000 square-foot conversion of a historic hardware building in Liberty Station’s central ARTS District. Now home to more than 150 independent and locally-based artisans, designers and merchants, each boutique in Sea Hive Station serves as is its own eclectic time capsule—offering everything from vintage wear and vinyl to collector-worthy furniture, motorcycles, modern handmade accessories, art and more.
Second Sundays Flea Market
On August 8th, Sea Hive Station will kick-off Second Sundays, a monthly outdoor vintage flea market. 125 vendors have already signed-on to participate in Second Sunday’s inaugural event, and the lineup is projected to grow twofold in the coming months. Alongside a massive selection of relics, curios, antiques and more, market-goers can expect live music and local food trucks at each event.
Traversing the bulk of Building 193’s parking lot, this vintage-focused swap meet will spotlight both Sea Hive’s resident sellers and scores of outside purveyors.
Backstory | A Multihyphenate Serial Entrepreneur
Professional salsa dancer turned entrepreneur, Brandon Vega is the co-founder of Sea Hive’s original location in Oceanside and proprietor/curator behind Liberty Station’s marketplace. Following his Hollywood tenure—which included world tours with Prince, Marc Anthony, and other celebrity performers—Brandon relocated to San Diego in 2008. After opening a former mid-century modern showroom in Hillcrest, his passion for design led him to mod-inspired home-flips and residential real estate development ventures.
When the opportunity arose to occupy a landmark building on Coast Highway in San Diego’s North County, Brandon’s vision to create a collaborative concept among creators and curators became a reality. Since opening doors to Sea Hive Marketplace in 2017, the brand has become North County’s home designer destination and go-to for vintage lovers alike.
Brand Progression | The New Sea Hive Station
With nearly double the footprint at its Liberty Station outpost, the new Sea Hive showcases an even broader array of retailers, encompassing both second-hand trappings and new, non-vintage merchandise. Sea Hive’s growing roster of tenants represent a distinctive mix of cultures, stories, niche passions and unique craftmanship, and among the market’s 150+ sellers, some unique highlights include:
Treci Smith Designs: HGTV-featured interior stylist, Treci Smith, puts her enviable bohemian-vintage aesthetic on display. The stylized retail concept features Treci’s most prized vintage finds—think: maximalist décor, rattan armoires, Moroccan-style poufs and colorful glassware.
Pink Elephant Vintage Provisions: Despite losing her iconic North Park watering hole to pandemic woes, Ami Reis keeps the spirit of Bar Pink alive at Pink Elephant. This retro repository is chock-full of vintage barware, tiki-inspired trinkets, and statement fashion pieces.
Gentleman John Books and Readeasy: Specializing in the rescue and restoration of old books, Gentleman John has amassed a library of vintage titles, decorative tomes, and antiquarian hardcovers. Inquisitive bookworms can turn to the “Banned Books” selection, a vault of once-censored novels, each inscribed with a post factum memo describing the historical context in which the book was challenged.
Petra de Luna: Founded by Yolanda Brionez, Petra de Luna is an expression of her proud Chicana heritage. Working directly with artisans, family and communities in Mexico, Yolanda designs and procures and array of vibrant tribal blankets and handmade hats.
Serge Records: Sea Hive’s resident spin doctor, M Serge Records showcases an evolving collection of more than 300 vinyl records, which are on display alongside a fantastic selection of vintage record players and amps.
Celestial Habits: A source for incredible crystal formations from around the world, owner Courtney Strafeldas is a certified crystal healing practitioner, and her booth is a dazzling display of gems from her travels and tools to deepen one’s own connection with astrology, metaphysis, spirituality and healing.
Pack for Paris Jewelry: Guided by a commitment to sustainability and global responsibility, Pack for Paris uses traditional metalsmithing techniques, where owner/designer, Jean Branan, hand forges her pieces in small batches, upcycling her collection of vintage Czech glass buttons and using ethically-sourced gemstones.
Little Hobo Bird: Sandra Logan, the manager of Sea Hive Station, is a local vintage icon in her own right, an industry expert and retailer herself through her boutique, Little Hobo Bird, which specializes in statement frocks and designer threads from the decades.
In addition to Sea Hive Station’s cooperative of micro-boutiques, Wagner’s School of Music has secured a facility under the same roof. Family-run since 1976, Wagner’s children’s piano lessons are widely popular among local
families and their extracurricular students.
Lastly, Sea Hive Station’s fine jewelry department is set to take shape with the arrival of several prestigious local jewelers, dealing in gold, precious stones, estate jewelry, luxury watches and more.
Coming soon: garden center + tasting room
Sea Hive Station’s courtyard is underway with renovations, which will soon give way to an open-air garden center, provisioning everything from house plants and exotic flora to mod patio sets and artisan ceramic planters. Among the garden center’s new batch of vendors, Sara Bendrick, celebrity landscape designer and host of DIY Network’s “Lawn & Order” series, has signed on to debut her first retail concept in San Diego. Sea Hive’s plans also include an al fresco tasting room in partnership with yet-to-be-announced San Diego-based beverage company.
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See you there….and stay healthy, San Diego!
