North County Trophies: One of Downtown Oceanside's Oldest Businesses

NORTH COUNTY TROPHIES

Alyce Solomon KNOWS Mission Avenue and downtown Oceanside.

She looks out the door of her business at 612 Mission Ave. and explains where the bakery used to be, the five-and-dime, Huckabay's Department Store, the hardware store, the A&W root beer parlor.

There was Mesdames Dress Shop and the Tots to Teens children's clothing store and Karl's shoes.

All around her, businesses have come and gone.

But North County Trophies has stayed for an amazing 31 years and is still going strong making trophies and plaques for schools, the city and the military.

Actually, Solomon's personal history in downtown Oceanside predates the trophy store.

She arrived in 1956 as a single mom with a 2-year-old and a new baby and worked in Randall's and Sheldon's jewelry stores.

Later, she married Ferrin “Dutch” Solomon and worked at “Dutch's Jewelry.”

In those days, Alyce Solomon said, Oceanside celebrated San Luis Rey Days and everyone dressed in Spanish or Western attire.

Otherwise, she said, “you dressed up every day to come downtown” and wore dresses or a suit, high heels and hosiery.

The Solomons married in 1967 at what then was the Oceanside-Carlsbad Country  Club golf course (now called the Center City course or Goat Hill).  She shows a snapshot of herself and Judge Stevens walking up an “aisle” of friends holding up golf clubs.

Alyce Solomon learned to set type on a pantographic engraving machine and engraved watches, bracelets and lockets until she learned  the Chamber of Commerce was looking for someone locally who could produce award materials.

Solomon found she liked making trophies and plaques so much better than being responsible for someone else's heirloom jewelry.

“That's where it started,” she said. “I guess I had some kind of inner talent.”

She and her husband, since deceased, divorced as the business was being established, and for 31 years, she's rented from the same landlord.

Her store consists of both a back shop where supplies are stored and engraving is done and a display area full of plaques and trophies and clocks waiting to be engraved. The trophies come ready-made, but she cuts the plaques and does the engraving.

“Clocks are huge as gifts,” especially for retirements, Solomon said

Except for the computer running the engraving equipment, Solomon does not own such a contemporary gadget either in her business or at home.

“I do not have any techie stuff,” she said. “I'm a people person.” 

Solomon has transferred some of those people skills into helping out the community, according to Marva Bledsoe, executive director of the Women's Resource Center. Among her many other charitable acts, Bledsoe said, Solomon donates plaques and engraving for the quarterly awards program at the center.

North County Trophies is located at 612 Mission Avenue. Telephone (760) 722-3212.

Story and photos by Lola Sherman. Historical photos provided by Alyce Solomon.