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I noticed a Stater Bros store in Buena Park. (in Orange County - which is a distance from Stater's base in the Inland Empire) It had the older style rectangular free-standing signage with the Art-Deco style Stater Bros lettering - so this store must have been there a long time.

The question is - was Stater's in OC before they bought the group of Albertsons stores in the late 90s? And when did they originally enter Orange County?

I used to go to Stater Bros. as a kid in Riverside and I think they were in Orange County as well at that time (1990 ish).

According to the timeline on their web site the first OC supermarket opened in 1960 (it doesn't say where in OC)

I grew up in Orange, Calif. and I remember having a Stater Brothers Market at the intersection of Tustin and Collins St. sometime in the 1960's

I used to work at a Stater Bros. in Santa Ana. This was in 1987-88. I think it was the one on Tustin and Collins...but I'm a little foggy on the address. I do remember it being an older store at the time.

I don't know when the Stater Bros. at 2180 Newport Blvd. Costa Mesa opened, however, it appears to be a 1960's vintage with neon and terrazzo floors. The store recently did a partial remodel.

First: the address of the store on tustin/collins is: 1800 e. Collins ave. and is actually in the city of orange. It is store #28. Second: according to my list the store on Newprort Blvd. is most likely the fist in OC. it is store #25.
There are a few on my list that have been closed but I believe they were all inland empire locations. the 60's were a major growth time for Staters in OC, they opened about ten stores in those days mostly in santa ana.

Stater Bros. had quite a few locations in OC before the Albertsons/Lucky merger - 2 in Santa Ana come to mind: Edinger at Fairview and 17th/Fairview. Also one in Yorba Linda or Placentia. And another one in South Whittier (yeah, I know it's technically not OC, but I'm guessing they had even fewer locations in LA County, and still tough to find in LA) on Mulberry, I think.

store #15 Whittier at the corner of mulberry and mills, was one of only two in L A County before the aqusition of the former Lucky/Albertsons stores. The other location is in Norwalk on Bloomfield and Alondra. The Whittier location was one of the original 15 stores before Staters had a main warehouse. As far as i can tell the original store was actually on mills ave. and I think the building still exists as a carpet store. I am searching out for pictures of the area to confirm my idea.

Stater Bros has two locations in Costa Mesa - one on Newport Blvd and the other at Baker and Fairview, right across from what used to be the Pantry. The one on Newport Blvd is 1950s with a great old neon sign
See my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hungry_i/69899093/

store #15 Whittier at the corner of mulberry and mills, was one of only two in L A County before the aqusition of the former Lucky/Albertsons stores.

The stores in Azusa (Alosta and Barranca) and LaVerne (Foothill Blvd.) both seem to me like they pre-date the Lucky/Albertsons divestiture. Am I wrong about that?

Another location pre-Lucky/Albertson marriage was the (now closed) Stater Brothers on Nogales St and La Puente Rd in West Covina.

I don't even know if this is Orange County, but I went into what seemed like a 1970's era one on Beach Blvd. somewhere in or around Westminster. En route from a Claim Jumper to Disneyland, if this helps anyone better pinpoint the exact location...

j-man... do you know if that old 50's neon sign is still at that location in costa mesa... i would like to get some pictures of it myself and i havnt been down there in a while.