Inside Tremont Collective: Getting Communal In Oceanside

OCEANSIDE, CA — This week's Foodie Friday spotlight takes a look at a recent newcomer to Oceanside. Communal is quickly becoming a favorite hangout for locals and it's easy to see why.

It's rare to find a new spot that instantly makes you feel like a regular the moment you walk in, but that's exactly what owner Jen Byard set out to do with her newest Communal location.

Most Oceansider's love the easy-going surf vibe of our community, so it's no wonder locals have embraced the new coffee house, wine bar, cafe, and flower shop in one concept. The fact that Communal is located within the new Tremont Collective just adds to the appeal.

The Oceanside Patch sat down with Jen to get the inside scoop on the new location and her desire to provide a well-designed, welcoming environment that fosters community.

Patch: Your first two Communal locations are in San Diego with one in North Park and the other in South Park. So what led you to take the leap up the coast to Oceanside?

Jen Byard: I knew I wanted to do a third location and I wanted to come north and be near the beach. I started looking at spots in Leucadia and Encinitas but I really felt like Oceanside was a better vibe for us. I like to go into places that haven't been totally redeveloped and the more time I spent here, the more comfortable I felt, I just knew this was the right spot for us. We also had a really good synergy with the developer that did Tremont Collective and it felt like the right project as well as the right neighborhood.

Patch: What made you decide to expand beyond Coffee to include Wine and Craft Cocktails?

Jen Byard: Our original location is Coffee with a Flower shop and that was the first combination. Then last year in North Park we got to add the wine and beer license. So when I started this location, I knew for sure we wanted to have that atmosphere, that is community-oriented, where people can work on their computer, meet up or just hang out. This is the first actual bar that we built and we love it. People love sitting here throughout the day and pretty soon we're gonna expand to stay open until 10pm, and then we'll have a nighttime vibe as well.

Patch: Can you tell us more about the whole Tremont Collective concept?

Jen Byard: It's called a collective, but it really is a collaborative, a very well-curated space. As you walk around, you can see it has a nice blend of food and beverage, but also retail. Some of the shops maybe have a little more masculine appeal, and then my shop is a little bit more feminine with the flowers. We also have the retail shop next door that's an event space as well. The developer, Fabric, did such a good job of putting us all together and really thinking through who would fit.

The other big selling point was the outdoor space behind us. We all have our own patios and then the big common space where all of our customers can mingle and hang out together. I love things that are collaborative and community cohesive and hopefully it feels like that when people walk in.

Patch: For our readers that might have missed the grand opening event, are you planning more events?

Jen Byard: With our Annex store we're planning a bunch of collaborative events where people can come and have their holiday party or they can attend a workshop. We're doing a Bourbon Cocktail night and people can come learn how to make cocktails. Lots of fun things like that. In the big space out back, we're talking about having concert series and movie premieres and makers markets and all kinds of things that benefit the whole complex.

Patch: In the short time you've been open, it looks like a lot of people have found Communal and are loving the atmosphere. That must feel pretty good.

Jen Byard: Very, very thankful. Every time you open a new location you think, okay, I'm putting this all out there and what if no one comes? So this one has been really fun and everyone's been so positive. I'm thrilled and to be honest, now I want to move up here, too

Patch: As a newcomer to Oceanside, tell us a little about yourself and your family.

Jen Byard: I'm single and I have three teenage sons. One's in college now and then I have a 16 and a 14 year old that's a surf boy. So he's up here all the time. I started these businesses five years ago and I came from a nonprofit background. When I got to this stage of my life and opened the first one, I realized this is what I was supposed to do my whole life. So this third one really feels like the culmination of everything that I've done in my life. I'm 50 so I've done quite a few things and this feels like all of those pieces came together in such a great way.

Patch: How does this location compare to the other locations?

Jen Byard: It's about the same size as our North Park location or flagship, but it's laid out differently. This one has a separate flower shop on the side, which is different than our concept location. South Park's different, it's a vintage trailer with a retail shop next to it. I feel like I was able to take all the things I've learned from those first two builds and for this location I worked with my architect so that it feels like you are outside when you were sitting inside with the giant skylights and the roll up doors. Then obviously with Covid, I wanted people to feel safe and comfortable in the space as well.

Patch: With three businesses and three teenage sons you obviously aren't busy enough. What are your plans for the future?

Jen Byard: For the near future I want to focus on these businesses, which really includes five with the retail shops. Once we get everything structured and solidified, then onto the next project. I'm interested in opening a separate wine bar with a cooking component, like a separate club component to it. I think that is the next direction I go.

For now I'm just glad to be here and really thankful for the way the community has embraced the space. I'm looking forward to all the things we're gonna do, all the events, all the ways that we can partner with the community, beyond just serving coffee and wine.

Communal Coffee serves up craft coffee, wine, bites and flowers in a hip, welcoming environment that is now open at 602 Tremont St.

Communal Annex offers curated home goods, workshops, and private rental & event space at 407 Minnesota Ave., Ste 105.

For more info visit Communal

Have a news tip or suggestion on how we can improve Oceanside-Camp Pendleton Patch? Interested in advertising your business in Oceanside? Email any inquiries to me at lisa.frost@patch.com.

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