She knew she’d seen the house somewhere before.
Samantha Bey was shopping at Consignment Classics in Sports Arena with her daughter when she spotted the picture. In a sea of antique jewelry, retro mod clothing and collectible figurines hung an oil painting of a lovely Victorian house.
Bey, who just finished remodeling her 1892 historic home, was keeping her eye out for something special when the painting jumped out at her.
“It just caught my eye,” said Bey, a mother of four who also runs the Studio at the Coronado Fitness Club. “This oil painting was hung up in this random corner. And I said…’I know that house! That house is in Coronado.'”
Bey couldn’t put her finger on when she’d seen the house, or exactly where on the island it was located, but she followed her instincts. She took a picture of it and posted it on the Facebook group, Coronado Happenings.
“I didn’t think anything of it, you know?” said Bey. “I just posted it, and then we finished shopping, and we left for lunch. I was like, it would be so fun if it was someone’s house that I knew who grew up here. Then, I got a Facebook message from a woman who said it was her childhood home!”
The house depicted in the painting was the home of longtime resident Diana Kidd. She moved to the home in 1983. Her daughter told her about the Facebook post.
“My four grown children and I were tickled to pieces that Samantha discovered the artwork,” said Kidd.
Kidd asked Bey to purchase the artwork for her (it cost $46) and Bey brought it back home to Kidd’s house in Coronado. Turns out, the painting was commissioned by a woman who was renting out the house in 2004.
“Although the painting never belonged to me, having it hang in my home today is wonderful,” said Kidd.
The artist commissioned to paint the piece, Cynthia Hammond, saw the post on Facebook too. She says she’s been working as an artist for more than 30 years, painting many different subjects from houses and landscapes to still lifes and even pet portraits.
But she remembers this painting well.
“I was dumbfounded and had to do a double-take when I saw it on Coronado Happenings,” said Hammond. “It brought me happiness and a touch of sadness. I shed a few tears. It was like seeing a long-lost friend.”
Hammond said she was close with the woman who commissioned the painting, Mary Singer. She remembers it was a surprise gift, and it was a challenge to sneak around in the front yard and take reference photos. She said Singer passed away in 2012 and the painting went to her daughter, who also recently passed. Hammond believes the painting was part of her estate sale.
“I had no clue where this painting ended up,” she said. She adds, “I think people are starving for a beautiful and warm story for a change, and want to celebrate it.”
Kidd agrees that everyone is in need of a “happy ending” right now, and she’s pleased Bey was able to share the story with others.
“Samantha’s gesture reminds us all that acts of kindness are never wasted and always needed,” said Kidd. “My children and I are so grateful for her thoughtfulness.”
For Bey, the story unfolded in the special way things do when everything is aligned. Bey says she made the personal goal to start shopping more mindfully and avoid overconsumption. She’s also boycotting companies like Amazon, Target, and Whole Foods.
So she spends more time in shops like the vintage consignment store.
“I want my dollars to be spent in a way that align with my values,” she said. “And then this connected me with my neighbor, and then it connected me with the community. It was just a very positive, happy moment.”
The best part? Turns out that the Victorian home is right across the street from where Bey and her family lived for years on A Avenue.
“I mean, the colors are a little different now, and there was a big tree that’s not there anymore,” said Bey. “So I gave myself a little bit of grace that I didn’t fully recognize it.”
Overall, Bey is grateful to connect with Kidd, the community and other historic home owners.
“Everything just came together,” she said. “I feel like we are living in times that are so hard right now, and it’s really nice to have this connection with humanity. I think we all need more joy.”
