The shop’s longtime owner, Kurt Dornbusch, revealed earlier this year that he planned to retire after 57 years of business at the Ocean Beach institution. The announcement triggered a wave of nostalgia across the neighborhood as locals rushed to visit the shop one last time before it disappeared. Now that farewell appears to have been premature.
Both Dornbusch and the incoming ownership group have confirmed that new buyers have secured the naming rights to The Black and are currently finalizing a lease agreement to continue operating the store at its longtime home on Newport Avenue.
While the identities of the new owners have not yet been publicly disclosed, the transition is expected to keep the shop in local hands rather than transferring the property to outside developers — a concern frequently voiced by Ocean Beach residents as redevelopment pressure grows across the coastal neighborhood.
The possibility of The Black disappearing had struck a particularly emotional chord because the shop has long served as one of the most visible symbols of Ocean Beach’s free-spirited identity.
Originally founded in 1968, The Black emerged during the height of Southern California’s counterculture movement. The store quickly became a gathering place for surfers, artists, musicians, and free thinkers who helped shape Ocean Beach’s reputation as one of the most independent-minded communities in San Diego.
Over the decades, the shop evolved into a uniquely eclectic retail space offering smoking accessories, clothing, incense, jewelry, novelty gifts, and a rotating collection of offbeat curiosities that reflected OB’s anything-goes ethos. More than just a store, The Black became a cultural fixture, a place where locals lingered, conversations unfolded, and visitors got a crash course in Ocean Beach’s distinctive vibe.
Dornbusch himself had been part of that story for most of his life. He first began working at the shop as a teenager before eventually purchasing the business in 1981 and guiding it through decades of social change, economic downturns, and shifting drug laws.
Even during periods when marijuana remained illegal, The Black managed to survive intense scrutiny and even federal raids during the early 1980s. Dornbusch later said the store endured by operating carefully within the law while maintaining strong trust with its loyal customer base.
That customer base spanned generations. Parents who had shopped there in the 1970s would later bring their children inside. Tourists wandering Newport Avenue often discovered the shop by accident and left with a souvenir that felt uniquely Ocean Beach.
The shop’s reputation eventually spread far beyond San Diego. In 2018, High Times magazine named The Black one of the Top 10 Legendary Headshops in America, recognizing its role in shaping surf culture, skate culture, and the broader counterculture landscape of Southern California.
For many in Ocean Beach, the shop’s sudden closure announcement last month felt like the loss of a neighborhood institution. The news that it will reopen has instead turned what was expected to be a farewell into something closer to a revival.
Community members who had planned a goodbye gathering this week are now shifting the tone of the event toward celebration, marking the continuation of a business that many see as an irreplaceable piece of Ocean Beach history.
An official reopening date has not yet been announced, but preparations are underway as the new ownership group works to finalize operational details.
For a neighborhood known for fiercely protecting its character, the return of The Black represents something increasingly rare in coastal San Diego, a beloved local landmark surviving a generational transition without losing its identity.
The Black is located at 4995 Newport Avenue in San Diego’s Ocean Beach neighborhood. More information about reopening plans is expected in the coming weeks.
Originally published on March 9, 2026.