Groceteria.com

This was mentioned in another thread, but I wanted to post what I think may be the definitive progression of the North Hollywood store. I had forgotten about the second store until today.

Location 1: 11641 Victory Blvd. Pylon store, now Valley Foods Market
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=6762921

Location 2: 6030 Lankershim. This is the same architecture as the store on the corner of Sepulveda and Sherman Way. Now a Drug Emporium.
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=6779308

Location 3: 4302 Lankershim. Based on the shape of the parking lot sign (it was designed for 7 letters, not 4) it was a Safeway, not a Vons, when it opened. The north view still shows Vons signage. Now a Superior Food Warehouse
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=6762945

Some other stores:
San Bernardino: 5th and E---that's a block north of the mall. Possibly this store, possibly the 2 empty lots on the corner:
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ene=741552

Chino: I'm going to guess that it's the one on the southwest corner, where the Smart & Final is. The last I remember it was an Alpha Beta. The Albertsons was built about 15 years ago as an ABS, not Lucky. This thread http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=30 says that the Gigante is a new build and was originally a Ralphs before it was rebuilt.

Culver City (Fox Hills)--now a Marshalls, 6221 Bristol Pkwy
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ene=544607

i pass by this area everyday! I KNEW there had to be a market there at one point! they had a sav on express there (only one i knew of..now a cvs). I thought it was odd to have a drug store there but no market. It even looks like a place a market should be!

ive noticed back in the 50s/60s there were ALOT of grocery stores in the same area. Example: Culver city

the safeway were marshalls is at now....the a few blocks away there is the Biglots which I'm pretty sure was a super market at one point. it just has the look....the pavilions down the street a lil further (yes i know its not from the 50s/60s but i heard before they remodeled the shopping center there was a safeway there.) Then the ralphs store down further (it was a alpha beta before that).

It seems they saturated the business at those times.

The Big Lots at Sepulveda and Jefferson is a former Mayfair. Some of TV shows that were produced by MGM in the 70s and 80s, like CHiPs, did a lot of their location shooting in the area. Pay close attention to the backgrounds in the CHiPs chase scenes and you'll see these stores. http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=7008179

Also in Fox Hills, the Comcast office at Green Valley Circle and Centinela is a former Boys. http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ene=549823

Nice Marina-style roof on the old Mayfair.

Apple Valley
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.prg ... he%20right.__

Has to be the right location, as this was the oldest shopping center in the city on Highway 18 and Navajo Road. The entire place is deserted except for a donut shop and a beauty salon. Once was anchored by Sprouse Reitz and Thrifty's. The city wanted Wally Mart to build their newest store there, but they passed.

A quick San Diego note:

http://www.modernsandiego.com/TuckerSadler.html

Apparently this firm designed a lot of the San Diego stores, including the Point Loma (Rosecrans St.?) location...this may explain why more of the San Diego marinas have the roof "indented" into the wings (like Vons in West LA) as compared to the Northern California specimens.

I think I have located the southernmost Safeway in California, the San Ysidro location.

Judging from this Googlemaps overhead shot, it is the Longs Drugs at 444 East San Ysidro Boulevard (former US 101) between Louisana Avenue and Virginia Avenue, less than a mile from the Mexican border. It looks to be a gable.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... 4&t=k&om=1

Chino: I'm going to guess that it's the one on the southwest corner, where the Smart & Final is. The last I remember it was an Alpha Beta. The Albertsons was built about 15 years ago as an ABS, not Lucky. This thread http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=30 says that the Gigante is a new build and was originally a Ralphs before it was rebuilt.[/quote]

I grew up within walking distance of Philadelphia and Central, my parents still live there, and here's the rough history of the area. The former Safeway is on the Northeast corner of the intersection. It was torn down about ten years ago, and rebuilt as the current Albertsons. The store was a Safeway until the early 1980's. It then became a Food Barn for a while, and then I believe it was Safeway again until around 1983. I lived briefly across town near the South Ontario Safeway (Southwest corner of Euclid and Philadelphia), and it was in 1983 or 1984 that the company eventually closed both of the stores. The Ontario store sat empty for a while, and the re-opened as a Ralphs around 1987, and then closed in 1992. The Alpha Beta on Euclid and Philadelphia moved to the old Safeway/Ralphs around 1994, and re-opened as a Food4Less, which then was acquired by Yucaipa, and thus brought back into the Ralphs family.

As for the Chino Safeway, after it was closed, it became a Fabric King store for many years. It was eventually closed, torn down, and re-built as the Albertsons. On a side note, the Petsmart next door was a Sprouse-Reitz when the Safeway was there.

On the other corners, the Alpha Beta was always that. It moved there in the mid 1970's from the old center on the northwest corner of Walnut and Philadelphia, where the Walgreens is now. It became a Ralphs after the merger, and then closed in the early 2000's. It is now a Smart & Final and a 99 Cents store. On the Southeast corner, that store was built in the early 1980's as a Market Basket. It then became a Ralphs for a very short while around 1983 (with the black food pictures), and then became a Vons around 1985 (with the black and red interiors). The Vons moved from it's old location at Walnut and Central, which is now a Big Lots, and still has the old Vons large window exterior. The Vons then moved into the old Gemco building on the southeast corner of Central and the 60 freeway when Gemco closed. It was at first a Pavilions, then became a regular Vons, then a Pak 'n Save in 2000, and then closed recently. When Vons left the Central and Philadelphia corner, it became a Drug Emporium for many years. After that chain left California, it sat empty for many years, and the was re-built into the new supermarket.

Just found a nice night far view of the marina I mentioned earlier in San Diego's Ocean Beach...

http://flickr.com/photos/southerncalifornian/497102501/

Here's a photo of it (on 4949 Santa Monica Avenue) now operating as the Apple Tree Grocery (presumably no relation to that former Texas chain that tried to operate former Safeways):

http://www.oceanbeach.mysdlife.com/Appl ... fault.aspx

Back wall clock looks to be original (1965-era or so).

The Bloomington marina ex-Safeway (at 18565 Valley Blvd) appears to now be "Casa de Ceramica" according to Google Street View, and apparently used to be Bloomington Bargain Barn.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 37715,,0,5

TheStranger wrote:The Bloomington marina ex-Safeway (at 18565 Valley Blvd) appears to now be "Casa de Ceramica" according to Google Street View, and apparently used to be Bloomington Bargain Barn.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 37715,,0,5

I was able to swing by this site today.

This Marina site was divided into two (2) stores.

The right side is currently vacant. It had been a furniture store, as the furniture sign is still on the front. It still holds the Marina-feel, with the rounded ceiling inside, what appears to be the SAME flooring, and the upper wall areas with trim are painted blue. There is a big rolling metal door in the back of the store. The BEST remnant...is an OLD "foot pad" which activated the automatic doors. One (1) of the pads on the inside of the store STILL has the Safeway red S emblem!

The left side is CASA DE CERAMICA. A drop-down ceiling has been added, so the Marina-feel is gone in the showroom area. Yet...I was able to peek (snoop!) in the back warehouse area...and the rounded Marina roof is still evident.

I have passed this site on the 10 freeway for years...and never got off to see.

It is very well maintained.

Come On Dean... At least get a photo with a disposable camera!

To add insult to injury, I drove past this store three weeks ago....and could have taken cell phone pics but didn't

Yup. Will try to do so in the future.

What is funny is that the address is Valley Boulevard...yet, the store faces the side street. It is odd...as you'd think they would've faced the store the other way.

There a handful of independent stores (cleaners, etc.) that exist to the right of the Marina.

They must have enough foot traffic to keep open...even tho the center has obviously changed over the years.

TheStranger wrote:I think I have located the southernmost Safeway in California, the San Ysidro location.

Judging from this Googlemaps overhead shot, it is the Longs Drugs at 444 East San Ysidro Boulevard (former US 101) between Louisana Avenue and Virginia Avenue, less than a mile from the Mexican border. It looks to be a gable.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... 4&t=k&om=1

I will try to get shots of this location when I return home after the 18th...