West Covina CA

Uh...California.

Moderator: Groceteria

socalgrocer

West Covina CA

Post by socalgrocer »

This is the first in a series of responses to several posts from throughout this message board regarding the banner history of several store sites in and around the West Covina area.

First, someone mentioned that the current Marukai on Azusa at Francisquito first opened as Smiths Food King. When I was growing up, it was a Lucky. When Lucky closed in the late 1990's, it was replaced by a banner operated by Certified Grocers (now Unified Grocers) called Louis Foods. Louis lasted only about 1.5 years and closed. A couple of years later it became Marukai. Next door is what I now think first opened as a drug store to pair with the Smiths/Lucky. Then it became Watterson College and now Calvary Chapel of South Hills.

Second, the former Albertsons/Max Foods on Sunset and Francisquito just celebrated its grand opening as Northgate Gonzales, a fast growing hispanic grocer in East San Gabriel Valley. About two miles away on Hacienda and Maplegrove is another Northgate Gonzales.

Third - most of eastern West Covina is now Filipinorized. When I was growing up in the 1980's, I used to go to Alpha Beta #73 and the Vons across the street (Amar and Azusa). Today AB is Seafood City and Vons is Island Pacific, both filipino-owned small chains.

Finally for now, someone mentioned that Ralphs acquired several former Zody's and converted them to Giant warehouse stores. Great example is on Azusa and Puente, which opened as a Giant and is still owned by Ralphs/Kroger - operating as Food4Less.

More to come in later posts

socalgrocer
Dean
Veteran
Posts: 738
Joined: 11 Jan 2007 23:27

Re: West Covina CA

Post by Dean »

socalgrocer wrote: Second, the former Albertsons/Max Foods on Sunset and Francisquito just celebrated its grand opening as Northgate Gonzales, a fast growing hispanic grocer in East San Gabriel Valley. About two miles away on Hacienda and Maplegrove is another Northgate Gonzales.

Note that this Sunset/Francisquito site was originally THRIFTIMART.
socalgrocer

Quail Village Shopping Center (Nogales/La Puente)

Post by socalgrocer »

When did the brown wood-framed Quail Village Center open and what were the original anchors? When I was growing up, the center had two anchors - on one side was Ralphs, the other I don't know (Ralphs was on the right). When Ralphs closed, Savon Drugs moved into the left space and had a garden center (circa 1990). Ralphs later became Seafood City/Foremost Foods (Filipino) and when that closed, it was a blighted eyesore but Savon/CVS stayed until early 2006 when it moved towards the intersection. The Foremost building was just razed and the Savon side remains vacant. I heard Staters might move into the old Ralphs/Foremost site.

To make it short, when was Quail Village opened and what were the original 2 anchors?

socalgrocer
Dean
Veteran
Posts: 738
Joined: 11 Jan 2007 23:27

Re: Quail Village Shopping Center (Nogales/La Puente)

Post by Dean »

socalgrocer wrote:When did the brown wood-framed Quail Village Center open and what were the original anchors? When I was growing up, the center had two anchors - on one side was Ralphs, the other I don't know (Ralphs was on the right). When Ralphs closed, Savon Drugs moved into the left space and had a garden center (circa 1990). Ralphs later became Seafood City/Foremost Foods (Filipino) and when that closed, it was a blighted eyesore but Savon/CVS stayed until early 2006 when it moved towards the intersection. The Foremost building was just razed and the Savon side remains vacant. I heard Staters might move into the old Ralphs/Foremost site.

To make it short, when was Quail Village opened and what were the original 2 anchors?

socalgrocer
Is that at the corner of Azusa & ?...across the street from the former VONS/THRIFTY center?

If so...that was an Alpha Beta
socalgrocer

Post by socalgrocer »

It is not Alpha Beta - as said in the subject line, it is Nogales/La Puente, across the street from Nogales High School.

socalgrocer
luckysaver
Veteran
Posts: 295
Joined: 22 Feb 2007 17:10

Post by luckysaver »

Was Albertsons on Citrus at i-10 originally built as Lucky?
luckysaver
Veteran
Posts: 295
Joined: 22 Feb 2007 17:10

Post by luckysaver »

Does anybody know the history behind this location:

Glendora and Vine (Hong Kong Market)

luckysaver
Jeff
Veteran
Posts: 940
Joined: 21 Nov 2005 21:44

Post by Jeff »

luckysaver wrote:Was Albertsons on Citrus at i-10 originally built as Lucky?
This was an old 60's Lucky market that was added as Avenue shops to the Eastland Mall. It was remodeled in the late 90's when the mall was turned into big box stores. It then was converted to Albertsons.
luckysaver wrote:Does anybody know the history behind this location:

Glendora and Vine (Hong Kong Market)

luckysaver
This was a Ralphs market for most of the 80s and closed sometime in the 90's. Next door was a Thrifty that closed not long after the market closed.
luckysaver
Veteran
Posts: 295
Joined: 22 Feb 2007 17:10

Albertsons on Citrus and Workman

Post by luckysaver »

According to the website Mall Hall of Fame (mall-hall-of fame.blogspot.com), there was a small LA area chain called Hiram's Supermarkets and operated primarily at shopping malls. There was one at the Whittier Quad and another at Eastland in the Avenue Shops. The Avenue Shops is the 1950's style row of stores facing Target (former May Company's first floor) on Citrus and Workman currently anchored by Albertsons-Savon and Longs Drugs. Hiram's was in the Albertson's space and most likely the site was sold to Lucky later. I don't know how long Lucky has been at Eastland, but I do have a plant potholder from that store dating back to 1977. Longs Drugs was approximately where the Kids R Us is, closest to Citrus until it moved to the Avenue Shops, possibly in 1978-79 during a remodel of the mall.

luckysaver
User avatar
runchadrun
Veteran
Posts: 618
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 14:29
Location: Granada Hills (Los Angeles), CA
Contact:

Post by runchadrun »

Some of the other Hiram's locations are in this thread: http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=832

BTW, Jeff, do you write for the Mall Hall of Fame blog? It looks like you took some of the pictures and there's some good history there.
Jeff
Veteran
Posts: 940
Joined: 21 Nov 2005 21:44

Post by Jeff »

Chad, no I dont.
I did help out Dennis though.
I took several pictures of the malls and have some interior shots of the Eastland Mall from the Babies R Us, showing the old mall and how the mall was divided. I may post them in the other forum if you like.
Jan
Contributor
Posts: 10
Joined: 11 Feb 2009 22:56
Location: southern California

Re:

Post by Jan »

Jeff wrote:
luckysaver wrote:Does anybody know the history behind this location:

Glendora and Vine (Hong Kong Market)

luckysaver
This was a Ralphs market for most of the 80s and closed sometime in the 90's. Next door was a Thrifty that closed not long after the market closed.
And now Hong Kong Market has closed. The postman heard that it's supposed to become a Superior Grocery Warehouse, but there's been no movement over there for quite a while.
melrose1960
Contributor
Posts: 12
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 14:00

Re: West Covina CA

Post by melrose1960 »

The original tenant of the Glendora / Vine site was a rather bland Shopping Bag. It was torn down to build the Ralphs Shopping Center. Does anyone remember Flakey Jakes at the Glendora / Vine site? Was similar to Fuddruckers. Back to the Shopping Bag (without the giant sign wall), I remember it had a huge Van de Kamps bakery (to the right) as soon as you walked in. It was the Van de Kamps clearance center. What deals!
Jan
Contributor
Posts: 10
Joined: 11 Feb 2009 22:56
Location: southern California

Re: West Covina CA

Post by Jan »

melrose1960 wrote:The original tenant of the Glendora / Vine site was a rather bland Shopping Bag. It was torn down to build the Ralphs Shopping Center. Does anyone remember Flakey Jakes at the Glendora / Vine site? Was similar to Fuddruckers.
Oh, yes! Similar, but (for me, anyway) much, much better. Their brownies were heavenly. The one in Anaheim was still operating until relatively recently. Not sure if the freeway expansion, which made it extremely hard to get to, killed it, or if it was already on its way out.
melrose1960 wrote:Back to the Shopping Bag (without the giant sign wall), I remember it had a huge Van de Kamps bakery (to the right) as soon as you walked in. It was the Van de Kamps clearance center. What deals!
I never realized there were two Shopping Bags that close together! We used to shop at the one in the Plaza, and I loved that store. I cried for weeks when it went away (hey, I was kid, what can I say?), and never quite forgave the Broadway, which I blamed for its demise. After it was gone, we started shopping at the Alpha Beta on Sunset, until it, too, was razed. That mall has a lot to answer for.
Jan
Contributor
Posts: 10
Joined: 11 Feb 2009 22:56
Location: southern California

Re: West Covina CA

Post by Jan »

I guess technically this would be West Covina-adjacent, but as the sites are pretty much on the borderline I'm going to add it to this thread. I'm hoping someone will be able to fill in the blanks for me on two locations.

1) There was formerly a Safeway on the southwest corner of Sunset and Puente (building, which faces Puente, still there) which closed, then became a church. Almost directly in front of this, but at Sunset - possibly Irwindale at this point) and San Bernardino Rd, there is another church in what I think also used to be a market. Does anyone remember which chain this one was?

2) When the Alpha Beta on the east side of Citrus between Rowland and the Citrus entrance to Shopper's Lane closed (building which later housed Chick's sporting goods), was it because the store moved to the Citrus/Puente location (most recently the site of the Ralphs which closed last year), or were the two things unrelated?

Thanks in advance for any info.
Post Reply