Where to Find Hidden Treasure in The East Bay

There is a fascinating piece of San Francisco history tucked in below the Costco in Richmond. TEPCO Beach is strewn with ceramic shards of all colors and designs. Located on the southern side of Point Isabel, this beach was the old dumping ground for the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company (TEPCO).

TEPCO Beach is a treasure trove of pottery shards and local history.

TEPCO was once one of the largest employers in El Cerrito. Every day they made thousands of plates and mugs for restaurants all through California. The company closed in 1968. Since then, many of their products have become collectibles. I am constantly on the lookout in thrift stores for one of their round pitchers.

The views are stunning.

TEPCO Beach can be found by parking at the Point Isabel parking lot and following the bike path back toward the COSTCO. Once there, it is an absolutely fantastic mayhem of shattered plates, mugs and pitchers. Most of what you will find are glossy brown pieces of plateware.

Kayla looks for treasure at TEPCO beach – photo by Vita Hewitt

Sometimes though, broken pieces of cowboy faces staring manfully up at you as well as tantalizing pieces of tiki-style designs. Take a few hours and explore. You might find some names you recognize. When we went we found a piece from Tad’s Steakhouse which can still be found in San Francisco. Local restaurants like Trader Vic’s and Spenger’s Grotto once ate off of TEPCO pottery.

A small collections of details. It is a personal goal to collect enough letters to write a mosaic ransom note to myself. I found a letter “A” on this trip.

Part of a mug from Tad’s Steakhouse located in San Francisco. They also had locations in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

If you tire of the mug and dish pieces there is also the possibility of finding miniature buddah heads that are scattered across the beach. As strange as it is to have a ceramic beach, the buddah heads are not even related to TEPCO. They were apparently dumped here by a San Francisco State University student named Casey O’ Connor in 2005.

Luck was with me! I found an elusive buddha head.

There is an easy walk around the Bay. The good news is that the area is dog friendly. If your pup gets dirty there is a great cafe nearby to wash them off before heading home.

You can bring your pup and then clean them up and enjoy a hot drink at Mudpuppy’s Cafe.

It is very easy to go down the rabbit hole while searching the ground. Don’t forget to look up and take in the gorgeous views of the bay. It’s a wonderful little getaway to be able to sift though decades of local history. The tides bring in something new every day. 

In theory all the shards come from the TEPCO factory. I suspect some newer additions.

All photos taken by author Vita Hewitt