In early February, The Black announced it was closing its doors for good. 

Owner Kurt Dornbusch announced his retirement after 45 years at the helm, ending The Black’s 57-year run as a defining countercultural landmark on Newport Avenue. 

The community rushed to grab what they could from the store’s eclectic collection of books, music, posters and t-shirts. It appeared The Black was finally meeting its destiny of eternal darkness, fading into the stuff of OB legend.

By the end of February, it had.

Enter Peter Yaldo, a local businessman born and raised in Chula Vista, with a history in Ocean Beach. He now adds to that list “new owner of The Black.”

Yaldo’s uncle is the landlord of the building where The Black resides. That’s how he connected with Dornbusch, who despite closing, still had a lease obligation on the space. 

Yaldo — who has previously owned liquor stores, grocery stores and dispensaries — struck a deal. He assumed Dornbusch’s lease and acquired the business.

“We made him a good offer and everyone was happy,” Yaldo said. 

Yaldo’s father and grandfather owned a business on the corner of Voltaire Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard — formerly Jimmy’s Party Store, now OB Minimart Liquor.

“I grew up in that store,” he said. 

With his affinity for the area and his business background, reopening The Black was an opportunity for Yaldo to establish his own roots in the community. After finalizing the paperwork and transferring the business to his name, Yaldo acquired The Black in March and softly reopened it on April 6.

He’s planning a grand reopening in late April. 

The Black has had a long-running countercultural identity within Ocean Beach. It was a place where locals could purchase anything from an anti-war novel to a Jim Morrison poster. Yaldo said he plans to maintain the integrity of The Black’s brand, starting with the building itself. They chose not to remodel too much and keep the original look. 

“We love the aesthetic,” Yaldo said. 

However, he is looking to expand the store’s business model. A big part of The Black’s identity was their quirky t-shirt designs, which could feature illustrations of anything from a dragon, to flaming motorcycles or Ocean Beach as its own planet. 

Yaldo wants to expand upon that — making merchandise an emphasis of the rebrand. He still wants to keep the boutique style of the shop,  selling items like suncatchers and tarot cards, but also wants to grow their product base. 

“What they were doing, it was working, but I think to keep up with business today we do need to adapt a little bit,” he said. 

He also sees an opportunity to appeal to tourists and their needs with beach items, like umbrellas or sunscreen, or food. Since the soft opening, Yaldo has started to introduce beverages and snacks to the store. 

“That’s really important to us — to serve the community and try to get tourists out here,” Yaldo said. 

He also acknowledged the support he has received from the Ocean Beach community since reopening. He said the locals that have passed through the store expressed worry that The Black would be gentrified or bought by a major corporation, but many are glad to see it run by a family with Yaldo as the owner. 

“That’s kind of what makes OB special,” Yaldo said. 

Despite most of the original staff moving on after his acquisition, Yaldo said he believes the original aesthetic and energy of the store  carry on, because it’s family owned. He also said the support he’s received has been helpful as he begins to reopen a 57-year-old cornerstone of the community. 

“Everyone’s been very loving and we were very grateful to receive that support from the community,” Yaldo said.