Lucky-Castro Valley, Calif.-3443 Castro Valley Blvd.

[Jason B.]

Does anyone know the history of the Lucky store (today Store #704) at 3443 Castro Valley Boulevard in Castro Valley, Calif.?

It is in the shopping center at the southwest corner of Castro Valley Boulevard and Redwood Road; a Safeway store is located in the shopping center at the northwest corner. A Wachovia (former World Savings Bank) is located in a building that resembles a 1950s-era Purity supermarket at the northeast corner (with a perpendicular barrel-dome roof).

This Lucky has one of the most unusual layouts that I have ever seen. This must be one of the smallest Lucky stores that is currently operating in the San Francisco Bay Area. This may be an expansion from a 1960-era 16,000 square foot structure; it certainly is not a 2000-era 70,000 square foot building. It also has relatively few windows.

[storewanderer]

I tend to think this is an original Lucky probably from about the early 70's. The structure and layout is sort of similar to the freestanding style Lucky used then (notably the front door and the side door also customary to even older Lucky Stores such as Alma Palo Alto or Broadway Placerville).

Albertsons had remodeled that store and did a rather complete job with it, I suspect expanding departments among other things.

This store holds an interesting spot with me because it was the first of the Lucky Stores I visited after the Save Mart store conversions.

http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa11 ... EY%20BLVD/

[romleys]

Quite a nice little store...
Lucky opened this store in 1969 and how the exterior looks in the drawing (below link) it seems like there have been very minor modifications. There were windows along the front and side of the store which were covered over (probably during the mid 1990's).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/romleys/2195989861/

The bank was never a Purity Store as the Purity was located on the site now occupied by Blockbuster Video.