Meet the Seashell Millionaire ‍️

Von Cannon shares his less than 1,000 square foot Hermosa Beach home with girlfriend Jodi and his dear belongings: stuff that washed up from the ocean.

We’re talking over 1 million seashells, ranging from classic to Sand Dollar, Moonstone and periwinkles, sea glass, dead starfish he’s painted over, odd flip-flops and broken sunglasses, cigarette lighters and more.

This is stuff he’s picked up on his daily beach walks, and he shows no interest in calling it a day. The collection is still growing, as he told me in a recent interview for the Easy Reader, the community newspaper of the South Bay of Los Angeles.

ER publisher Kevin Cody calls me whenever he comes across fascinating characters with amazing collections, as he knows I’ll say yes to “stories that lend themselves to video and have off-beat or a quirky angle to them,” he told me.

He’s got me pegged.

Photowalk to visit the retired Redondo Beach fire chief who collects giant fire trucks, and all things fire fighting related? You betcha. Or the guy who dons a wetsuit every December and surfs for hours as Santa Claus?

I live for these kinds of assignments.

I encourage you to read the article, but really, to get to know Von, you’ve got to click and watch the video for a tour of this amazing home and all that stuff.

And with this newsletter publishing on Memorial Day, can we say a word of thanks to Von, a Vietnam War vet, for his years of service to the military? He served four years, from 1966-1970, and was awarded 3 purple hearts.

Von Cannon photos by Sam Graham

Von’s most recent “Fetch,” from Hermosa Beach.

Pat Aust, the retired Redondo Beach fire chief with his collection

Thanks everyone for reading, watching and listening! Happy Memorial Day everyone. (And if you have an incredible collection, or off-beat hobby in the South Bay of Los Angeles, Kevin and Jeff want to hear from you!) Just click REPLY, please.

Jeff