Ocean Gifts and Shells

3 months ago I would have given this place 5 stars when the super nice old man was running the show but now there’s this woman here who is just terrible. Prices have increased and it’s just an overall hostile environment. Their products are the same but the prices are ridiculously high. I always come here to buy shells and signs and I never pay over $ 20 for a sign or two and a small cup of shells but I bought one sign and one coaster for $ 21 which is unreasonable considering the sign isn’t big at all.
I was going to buy a cup of shells but the woman started picking out the shells I chose and saying they weren’t part of the $ 5 cup deal which I have never ever had a problem with.
I don’t know where the other man went, but I’m hoping he hasn’t left for good and today was just a one time thing.

Love this store in OB! Especially when items are on sale, go in after the New Year and the store owner usually has 70% off the entire store. I use to live in OB so anytime I had a beach themed project to do I would go and get sea shells from this store. The owner always says hello when you walk in and his store has a great variety of stuff. During the holidays there is a very nice assortment of ornaments that make good gifts. When ever I have visitors come from out of town I usually take them here if they want souvenirs.

Great store with more shells than anywhere else on earth. Pleasant environment with great customer service. Wonderful selection of signs and oddities. We would recommend this store to anyone in the market for anything related to the ocean/​beach.

What a lovely little store. I didn’t have much luck combing for shells (they were all small ones), but when I walked into Ocean Gifts and Shells, there was quite the variety to choose from. I immediately saw a beautiful shell mobile, suspended by a starfish at the top, and chose it for my mother, who grew up in Southern California, and loves shells. Then I found some beautiful polished shells with the Lord’s Prayer written on them. I also selected a conch and a few other small shells.
I collect snowglobes, and their items were average. The cheap plastic ones with «San Diego» written on them were quite overpriced, but luckily, the entire store was 50% off. Apparently this is a running deal. But there were also kitschy little sand vials and any number of adorable souvenirs to take home to Arizona. I snatched up some postcards, too. The owner was exceedingly nice, and gave me a big bag for my things for free. Good people, great souvenirs. I’m really glad I stopped by.

Absolutely love taking family and friends to this store that are visiting from out of town. Great options for gifts to bring home to your loved ones, not to mention the great deals.

Who doesn’t love a good 50% off sale?!
There are some really great gifts here, not just for the tourist enjoying the San Diego Sunshine, but for craft and wedding projects. We chose to use sand dollars that we personalized as our wedding place cards and were able to pick up 200 of them fresh and clean in the bags. We had to order that quantity ahead of time, but they have a large selection of shells available all the time. Lots of picture frames and clever signs to hang out by the pool, patio, or bedroom that has a coastal feel.
Bruce is an institution in this place! He’s always very upbeat and kind, knowledgeable about the products. He’s got his regular locals that come to visit, but also has great suggestions for the occasional visitor.

Below is a letter I received from the Owner of the Ocean Gift & Shells:
«I just read your Unilocal of my business, Ocean Gifts & Shells, regarding the sharks. And I am very sorry about your experience at my store. I have since called my supplier of these sharks to confirm that they are byproducts of the fishing industry. They assured me they are and they further informed me that shark is a very popular food that is fished on quite a large scale. I’ve eaten it a few times myself at restaurants. Anyway, when they do find babies in the moms, instead of simply discarding them they use them for education or souvenirs. They said there is absolutely no science experiments involved. Nevertheless, your Unilocal opened my eyes to the reaction that this product inspires. I am going to be removing it from my inventory. Hopefully by listening to our valuable customers my partner and I will not go out of business but be a positive part of our community for another 20 years.»
So I happened to be in Ocean Beach several days ago and decided based on the letter I received several months ago from the owner of Ocean Gifts & Shells to stop in and see if they were still in fact selling ‘dead baby sharks.’ The verdict is in; they still are selling these horribly atrocious items, this time located right near the cash register so when paying you will not miss them.
I was shocked and appalled that the owner would take the time to write a letter to me expressing his concern over the depopulation of our sharks but continue to sell these lifeless bodies in his store. As someone who grew up in OB, learned to surf in OB and still visits OB on a weekly/​monthly basis I am saddened. I am saddened that one this store is still in business and two how the owner of Ocean Gifts & Shells would straight up provide false information hoping that his fibs were not checked up on. Well you were checked up on and unfortunately words are words and actions and actions.
I will continue to check back at this store each and every visit and see if they are still selling ‘dead baby sharks’ in glass bottles because nothing says San Diego like bringing home a ‘dead’ soul in a bottle as a gift, what a joke.
My only hope is that customers who might visit this store read this review and decide to take their business elsewhere because even if they were giving stuff away free here I would feel guilty about having them in my home.

Lots of options. There was 60% off everything sign all over the place. Sales gimmick? I think so. The clerk rang up everything and then took 60% off total, which is actually cheaper. Prices were still reasonable.
We only stopped by Ocean Side on your way to Mission Beach and La Jolla because they had my souvenier shops that were touristish and cheap. Parking available. We got there about 10 – 11 A.M.

This place is pretty cool…
They have a knowledgeable staff which actually know a lot about the shells they sell — as in where they come from, how they are processed from the sea to the final product as a store sold shell, etc…
Huge variety of shells in all different sizes and colors…
One thing that I like is that they have a section consisting of smaller shells — about the size of your aquarium snails and hermit crabs. These shells are NOT coated shells — they don’t have a gloss or chemical finish on them. The shine comes from removing the top layer and polishing the shell. So if you are thinking about adding them to your reef tank — one thing I would do as a precautionary step is to boil them for about an hour or so (just as you would an ocean based sea shell) to remove any trace amounts of cleaning chemicals they might have and sterilize them.
Other than that — they should be good to go and would make a great addition to your reef tank as fancy rides for your hermits…

need more seashells! 60% until sunday. get em while they’re hot.

Oh, I just loved this place. 50% off everything in the store. Yes please.
I love seashore goodies and knew I would be able to find some fun shells and cheesy cali items to bring home from my magical beach trip.
I scored an awesome key chain, amazing shell earrings, and an abalone shell that dreams are made of.
Thanks San Diego!
xxoo jess

50% OFF ENTIRE STORE
That will always get my attention, so into this beachy gift shop I went yesterday.
Upon entering the store I saw a bunch of greeting cards and got excited; alas, the card turnstile was adorned with a sign that stated something to the extent of «Oops, not everything is 50% off! These cards are regularly priced.» Dammit.
Half of this store is devoted to cheesy San Diego and Ocean Beach t-​shirts, sweatshirts, booty shorts… you get the idea. No, thank you! Moving on.
The other half of the store houses all kinds of interesting things. Obligatory overpriced souvenirs – shot glasses, magnets, key chains – are certainly plentiful here. There’s also an outrageously huge selection of different beads and shells and rocks available for individual purchase.
A large portion of one wall is covered with arts-​and-​crafts painted wooden signs with cheeky sayings. If I owned a boat I don’t think I’d be able to resist the little pirate-​themed signs with statements such as «Surrender the Booty» and «No Guns No Glory.» Cute, right? My boyfriend’s father recently bought a hot tub, so you better believe we scooped the «What happens in the hot tub stays in the hot tub» sign right up! Most of the small– to medium-​sized wooden signs, I noticed, were on sale (50% off) for $ 7 – 15. Not too bad.
The back of the store was also interesting to me. There’s a Christmas tree covered with beach shell ornaments. I usually find shell ornaments to be incredibly cheesy, but some of the ones here were actually really pretty. There were also boxes of nice-​quality Christmas cards, one of which I couldn’t help but come home with.
Nice store! My 4-​star rating is due to the glorious 50% off sale. Otherwise, 3 stars.
A touristy shop that’s worth checking out even if you’re a local.

I was amazed by how big the store is. Had lots of different things to choose from; different types of shells, clothing, beach stuff, souvenirs. A nice, helpful guy answered all my questions. Defintely stop by this place and check it out.

I like this place. They have all kinds of souvenirs and gifts, and of course a huge variety of shells. I like to come here to look for shells for my hermit crab or just to browse. Half of the store has clothing and the more «practical» gifts, while the other half is the shell and trinket type stuff. They have awesomely kitschy items like the figurine of a guy sitting on a toilet reading a newspaper, entirely made of shells.
The prices are pretty reasonable although street parking can be tricky. I usually end up parking on one of the streets parallel to Newport.