This small Richmond beach near Point Isabel is a former dumping ground for the now-defunct, highly collectible ceramics manufacturer TEPCO (Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company). Though TEPCO dishes have frequently been described as “ugly,” “clunky,” and “poorly made,” surviving examples have a cult following among California collectors. Founded in 1930 by Italian immigrant John Pagliero, the TEPCO factory produced dinnerware for restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. As well as consumer lines, TEPCO produced custom dinnerware for local restaurants and for the U.S. Army and Navy. The company was El…
