Sebastian's General Store & Old San Simeon Village

Sebastian’s General Store has carried on through generations. Built in 1852 at the peak of the whaling industry, the Sebastian Brothers provided goods and services to whalers, fishermen, miners, and neighboring ranches.

Sebastian Brothers General Merchandise in San Simeon Bay was the significant shipping point for barrels of whale oil, cheese, butter and other commodities on the Central Coast. Old San Simeon Village was flourishing with two hotels, saloons, a blacksmith, a livery stable, a butcher, schools, a depot for a stage travel to Cambria and a telegraph line to San Luis Obispo.

In 1878, the Bay View Hotel was built; a first-class hotel with famous guests Thomas A. Edison, Winston Churchill and Calvin Coolidge, to name a few. Some remnants of the village are still visible today but by 1910, most of the village faded away. Sebastian’s General Store survived and is flourishing. Sebastian’s was the first post office in San Simeon until 1905 when it was moved to the pier. It was moved back in 1945, where it remains today. The Sebastian family bought the building in 1914 and operated the store for almost 100 years.

To see all of the locations along the Highway 1 History & Heritage Trail, check out our interactive map.