DIAMOND BAR CA

[socalgrocer]

Does anybody have the history of these grocery chains in these Diamond Bar CA locations: (In other words - when was the original building opened and what stores were in it during its history until today:)

- VONS (Diamond Bar at 60 fwy) and Savon/CVS (HINT: the center opened up in 1970 as Gibson Shopping Center)
- Albertsons-Savon and Ralphs (Diamond Bar and Grand)
- Market World (Korean grocer 60 at 57 fwys)

Oak Tree Lanes near Diamond Bar and Temple was most likely a former supermarket because of its supermarket style exterior architecture. What occupied the bowling alley before?

socalgrocer

[socalgrocer]

To give you a hint, the Market World was an Albertsons Food and Drug when I was growing up. Any other store before Albertsons?

socalgrocer

[Jeff]

The Vons on Diamond Bar, to my knowledge, has always been there. It was remodelded around 2000 to the store you see today.

The Albertsons opened in the 70's as well on then-Colima Rd and Brea Canyon. It was closed during the Lucky merger due to the store on Grand-Diamond Bar and on Colima-Fairway.

The Ralphs, actually started out as a Safeway. It was closed in 87 and became a Ralphs around 88 or 89. For a few years there, you could see the Safeway lablescar on the building.

The Albertsons on Grand-Diamond Bar began in the 70's as a Lucky market.

[socalgrocer]

Vons just had a remodel in 2005/2006. CVS next door looks like it was a supermarket in the early days. Around Walnut/Diamond Bar, this was the largest Savon/CVS that I've been to and was remodeled in 2004 by Albertsons and when taken over by CVS they did a slight remodel to CVS decor.

socalgrocer

[Dean]

The site next to Albertsons [now Market World] was National Lumber. It is now a fabric store and a pet store.

There was an Alpha Beta on Diamond Bar Boulevard. It was in a center with Thrifty Drug, and later a theater was added.

Is this a different site than those already listed?!

[socalgrocer]

Dean,

You're right about the Alpha Beta. This is the Country Hills Town Center, where there is a Auto Club office. The buildings got a makeover in the '90's. Alpha-Beta/Ralphs first opened post '73. Last summer, crews demolished the Ralphs because Trader Joes will open there. The center is somewhat a demise to Diamond Bar because most of the businesses closed, including the theater. Rite Aid (former Thrifty) and a Chinese atm are left standing along with the restaurants, Auto Club, and the strip on the left side of the former Ralphs.

Does anybody know about the building currently housing Oak Tree Lanes?

socalgrocer

[Groceteria]

Oak Tree Lanes near Diamond Bar and Temple was most likely a former supermarket because of its supermarket style exterior architecture. What occupied the bowling alley before?

While this particular one may have been a supermarket in the past, my experience is that purpose-built older bowling alleys are often almost indistinguishable from purpose-built older supermarkets. If you think about it, it makes sense, as they're usually about the same size, both want a column-free interior and both were likely to have pylon signs. Strangely enough, though, there are very few conversions from one to the other.

[Dean]

Does anybody know about the building currently housing Oak Tree Lanes?

This is along the 57, correct? As long as I can remember...it has been a bowling alley. I'd have to look @ it next time I drive by...but I am not sure the parking lot warrants a former market. It is set back, correct? Probably not large enough to accomodate a grocery store.

I vaguely rememeber that stretch of shops being built...and believe it was built as the alley.

Unless somebody else remembers differently!

[Dean]

Does anybody know about the building currently housing Oak Tree Lanes?

I'd have to look @ it next time I drive by...but I am not sure the parking lot warrants a former market. It is set back, correct? Probably not large enough to accomodate a grocery store.

I vaguely rememeber that stretch of shops being built...and believe it was built as the alley.

Unless somebody else remembers differently!

socalgrocer~

Drove by the site today. It had been quite some time since I had actually gotten off the fwy in that area.

The parking lot is larger than I remember! Also, the strip shops seem to be thriving!

I drove BEHIND and the side of the building...to see if there any remnants of a loading dock. This would indicate it probably had been a grocery store. I did not see anything that resembled this. There only seems to be some "room"...which probably houses some equipment or something.

From this...leads me to believe it was not a grocery store.

Again, if anyone has further info!

[runchadrun]

The address of the Oak Tree Lanes is 990 N Diamond Bar Blvd and that address comes up in a search of the Times archive as a former Builders Emporium as late as 1983. The first reference of it as a bowling alley is 1989. I bet the small parking area on the side was the garden center area. (Builders stores were about the same size as the average supermarket of the day and often were former grocery stores.)

If it was a supermarket before it was a Builders Emporium and I were to make a guess as to what it was, I would say it looks like a Stater Bros to me. The entrance in the middle of the store, the shape of the awning, the large windowless walls on either side just say Staters to me.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=6416955

[Dean]

The address of the Oak Tree Lanes is 990 N Diamond Bar Blvd and that address comes up in a search of the Times archive as a former Builders Emporium as late as 1983. The first reference of it as a bowling alley is 1989. I bet the small parking area on the side was the garden center area. (Builders stores were about the same size as the average supermarket of the day and often were former grocery stores.)

If it was a supermarket before it was a Builders Emporium and I were to make a guess as to what it was, I would say it looks like a Stater Bros to me. The entrance in the middle of the store, the shape of the awning, the large windowless walls on either side just say Staters to me.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=6416955

Wow! thanks for doing the research! What a team effort! Ha!

I did notice a former door on the side of the building...that had been filled-in with brick. Probably an entrance to the garden area.

Well...now I am compelled to drive by again!

thanks again for the research runchadrun!

[Jeff]

It was always only a BE and then a Bowling Alley. My grandparents moved out there in 1983 and I remember the BE.

[Dean]

Dean,

You're right about the Alpha Beta. This is the Country Hills Town Center, where there is a Auto Club office. The buildings got a makeover in the '90's. Alpha-Beta/Ralphs first opened post '73. Last summer, crews demolished the Ralphs because Trader Joes will open there. The center is somewhat a demise to Diamond Bar because most of the businesses closed, including the theater. Rite Aid (former Thrifty) and a Chinese atm are left standing along with the restaurants, Auto Club, and the strip on the left side of the former Ralphs. socalgrocer

What is the latest with this center?

I noticed today from the fwy (you can see the backside only...from a distance) that a lot of construction is going on. TJs to open soon?

[luckysaver]

Dean,

The Walnut/Diamond Bar Weekly this week has a story on the status of Country Hills. Facing the Auto Club office in what used to be the Ralphs/Alpha Beta will be an ethnic (possibly Chinese or Korean) supermarket, identified as only "H-Market". It is said to have a food court inside, much like Island Pacific (Filipino) in West Covina, which replaced a Vons.

Here is the complete article on Country Hills:

http://www.abcpublicrelations.com/Weekl ... kly1-6.pdf
http://www.abcpublicrelations.com/Weekl ... y11-16.pdf

luckysaver

[Groceteria]

If we could edge the focus back to the history of the site, rather than the new tenants and new construction, that would be great.

Thanks,
David