Best All-Ages Venue in SD: Humble Heart OB
Humble Heart is a family-owned thrift shop and music venue with a heartwarming history and an exceptional drive to support San Diego, California's local music and art scene. With the first official Humble Heart thrift shop opening in Downtown San Diego in 2010, they now have a handful of locations all over the San Diego area. Today, we will talk with Christina, who is a part of the Humble Heart family, to learn more about this thrift shop and the venue's upcoming success within the local music scene over the past two years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, music venues in San Diego, especially those of all ages, began to shut down left and right. So, when the rise of this new local hub came to the attention of local musicians, bands from all over SoCal started flocking straight to the front door of Humble Heart's Ocean Beach location. Without further ado, let's learn more about the history of this new local spot, see how Christina goes about booking shows, and what Humble Heart OB has in store for the future!
John and Christina from Humble Heart.
TELL ME A BUT ABOUT THE START OF HUMBLE HEART. WHEN DID HUMBLE HEART START SETTING UP SHOWS?
"My family opened Humble Heart in 2010 in Downtown San Diego. One shop quickly turned into two, and in 2017, I opened a third shop in Poway. We moved to OB in the summer of 2021, and I knew immediately that I wanted to incorporate music into the mix. We started selling guitar strings, ukuleles, and new and used guitars. In March of 2022, I met my oldest daughter at a show in OB one night after closing up. When I arrived for the final band, they told me the show had been shut down due to a neighbor complaint. A member of the local band Fieldrush was filling in on bass for an El Centro-based band named Avaline Wallflower. Long story short, I invited them over to finish their show at Humble Heart! Less than two weeks later, the guys from Fieldrush sent me a message on IG asking if they could set up another show with three bands! We knew then that this could become a thing and that we needed to improve our setup. John, my partner, and the Humble Hearts sound and stage manager started working on upgrading our PA system and stage, and the rest is history!"
IS HUMBLE HEART ALSO A THRIFT SHOP? I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT SIDE OF IT AS WELL.
"Yes, thrift by day and venue by night! We have clothing, shoes, accessories, books, home decor and more. I've always loved thrift shops; who doesn't love finding hidden treasures and unbeatable bargains?!"
WHAT IS IT LIKE SETTING UP SHOWS AT HUMBLE HEART? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT IT? WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PART ABOUT IT?
"Setting up shows has gotten quite a bit easier now that we know what we are doing (and have wheels on our clothing racks). We roll everything tightly into the back corner, draw some curtains, set up some seating, and turn the lights down low! My favorite part about setting up is when a new band comes in, looking around and wondering how we are going to have a show at a thrift store with all the 'stuff' everywhere. Then, when we convert, they are like, 'Wow!' My least favorite part of setting up is that anxious, worried feeling that something will go wrong. But knowing that John can work out any problem that may arise helps ease that worry. I could not do this without him, that's for sure!"
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHOW MEMORY AT HUMBLE HEART?
"My favorite show memory is hard because there are so many. Besides the extreme excitement of those first few shows, I'd have to say it was when my sister got very sick with Stage 4 cancer, and we had a benefit show for her. So many bands stepped up to help; it truly blew me away. We had nine different bands perform! It was AMAZING! The bands were spectacular, everything went smoothly, and my heart was filled with so much love and gratitude, knowing that we received overwhelming support from the music scene we had just become a part of. I'll be forever grateful to everyone who helped us that day."
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING SHOW AT HUMBLE HEART?
"There was a particular show where several people in the crowd disrespected our space and were extremely violent. We had to kick a couple of people out and almost had to end the show. We even received threats afterward. That was absolutely our most challenging show."
Christina from Humble Heart.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HUMBLE HEART DOES DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER VENUES THAT MAKES IT STAND OUT?
"We always treat the bands fairly and show them the appreciation and respect they deserve. We try to make the booking process easy and stay in close contact with bands before the show to ensure that everything runs smoothly. I've also heard that we have the nicest sound guy ever, a number of times. We are very passionate about what we do here!"
ARE THERE ANY EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT?
"Yes! We have a huge Battle of the Bands event every Saturday in February that we are super excited about! We have some killer prizes! The deadline to sign up is December 15th, and the link is in our IG bio. We also have two important shows coming up in December. On December 1st, we are hosting a Toys For Tots toy drive with the band Beta7. On December 17th, we are working with Erratic Impulse to raise money for the Hillcrest Youth Center."
Humble Heart OB is a hidden gem. This venue is a constant reminder that even though the music industry is filled with flaw after flaw, sketchy bookers, and unsafe venues, there is always a flipside and hope to find good people within the scene. Make sure to go check out a show at Humble Heart, Or if shows aren't your thing and you're looking for a new thrift shop to go to, you now have a new place to give a try!
