The Unassuming East Bay Beach Strewn With Ceramic Treasures

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2020

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On a tucked-away beach in Richmond, Calif., shards of broken pottery outnumber sand or rocks. It’s an odd feeling, like you’ve stumbled on some kind of archaeological site right next to the Costco. Locals affectionately call this place TEPCO beach, after the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company that used to operate in nearby El Cerrito. Bay Curious listener Jo Ann Yada wants to know the story behind the beach, and how so much broken pottery wound up here. Additional Reading: The Unassuming East Bay Beach Strewn With Ceramic Treasures TEPCO: The Defunct Ceramics Factory That Still Dishes Out Nostalgia Subscribe to The California Reporter Magazine Podcast on Apple Podcasts Sign up for our monthly Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, and Asal Ehsanipour.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From K-QED.
0:05.0	I'm Katrina Schwartz in for Olivia Allen Price,
0:08.0	and we start this week's episode walking along a beach in Richmond.
0:13.7	I expected to see a lot of sand
0:16.1	with a little bit of broken pieces within the sand
0:19.3	and it was the other way around.
0:20.8	It was like a little bit of sand and it's all broken pottery.
0:25.0	This is Joanne Yeda. She came here a few months ago with a friend.
0:30.0	Oh, wow, I see what she means.
0:36.0	Oh, this one's pretty.
0:39.0	I can totally see why people like to come here. I found some pieces that I took home with me,
0:42.0	and one of the pieces was a mug that said
0:46.0	papagio room. Locals call this place Teepco Beach after the technical
0:51.5	porcelain and chinaware company that used to operate nearby.
0:55.6	It feels kind of like you've stumbled on the place diner pottery goes to die.
1:01.2	It's definitely a little bit weird and it got Joanne wondering.
1:05.0	So my question is, what is the whole story behind Teptco Beach?
1:11.0	On this week's Bay Curious, we're digging into the quirky world of
1:18.0	TEPCO ceramics. Support for Bay Curious
1:27.0	Bay Curious is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company,
1:30.0	still family owned, operated, and argued over.
1:33.2	Explore their brews wherever fine beverages are sold
	...

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