Ariel's Dance Studio (Closed)
Oceanside, CA
Photo courtesy Jimmy Bowman

Check out the fins on this old building housing Ariel’s Dance Studio in Oceanside. Looks like the storefront borrowed a little styling from the days when Cadillacs carried enough tail fin to look ready for takeoff. Apparently, the cars weren’t the only things showing off along Coast Highway.

Those fins give the building some personality before anyone notices the dance studio lettering. Even standing still, the place looks like it’s trying to go somewhere. Here’s a roadside sight worth checking out for the architecture alone.

UPDATE: Ariel’s closed in 2020 but later returned as A.D.S. Visual & Performing Arts. Not sure how those old fins have fared since this photo was taken. Hopefully, this little reminder of the big-fin era is still catching eyes along the boulevard. 10-26

Dav Thrift Shop (Rem.)
Oceanside, CA
Photo courtesy Jimmy Bowman

Here’s the DAV Veterans Thrift Store in Oceanside, housed in a building that looks ready to welcome shoppers from an earlier era. The broad storefront and display windows bring an old department store or five-and-dime to mind, although the building’s original tenant remains a mystery.

UPDATE: The DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Thrift Store pictured used to be a Safeway grocery store. The individual letters in Safeway were on the fins on the front of the building, one per fin. Looks as if the middle 3 letter boxes were left on to use for the letters DAV. Many thanks to James Cimarusti for update. 02-07

UPDATE: The Oceanside Veterans Thrift Store remains open on South Coast Highway. The old commercial building is still welcoming shoppers, though the building looks different. 10-26