Groceteria.com

http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/

After spending several days this month on supermarket touring, I finally have enough photos milling around the Peninsula for a webpage. Thoughts appreciated as always :)

Well done. Interesting stuff.

FYI, the Cala on South Van Ness in SF (mentioned in the description of the Visitacion Valley store) was not originally a Cala. It began as a Siri's Market and was later a Purity. The former Purity on Third Street (now a church) was also a Siri's to begin with, as was (I believe) the Rancho Market in South San Francisco that you also have pictured on your site.

Groceteria wrote:Well done. Interesting stuff.

FYI, the Cala on South Van Ness in SF (mentioned in the description of the Visitacion Valley store) was not originally a Cala. It began as a Siri's Market and was later a Purity. The former Purity on Third Street (now a church) was also a Siri's to begin with, as was (I believe) the Rancho Market in South San Francisco that you also have pictured on your site.

Come to think of it, the Fort Bragg Purity does kinda look a bit like the ex-Cala on Leland, too.

I had never heard of Siri's - you have any more info on them?

Honestly I'm surprised that there hadn't been any mention of any 3rd Street supermarket sites until now, considering it is the main street of Bayview...

TheStranger wrote:Come to think of it, the Fort Bragg Purity does kinda look a bit like the ex-Cala on Leland, too.

I had never heard of Siri's - you have any more info on them?

I think any similarities between the former Cala on Leland and any Siri's or Purity location is purely coincidental, alas.

I don't really have any information on Siri's. I think someone may have mentioned them on the old board, but I'm not sure. I first heard of them based on a photo in the SF Public Library's database, and then I did a little more research and found out they'd occupied some of those old Purity stores first. It was helpful to find out about them, since it explained why Purity hadn't used their regular prototype for that period on their SF stores.

Groceteria wrote:

TheStranger wrote:Come to think of it, the Fort Bragg Purity does kinda look a bit like the ex-Cala on Leland, too.

I had never heard of Siri's - you have any more info on them?

I think any similarities between the former Cala on Leland and any Siri's or Purity location is purely coincidental, alas.

I don't really have any information on Siri's. I think someone may have mentioned them on the old board, but I'm not sure. I first heard of them based on a photo in the SF Public Library's database, and then I did a little more research and found out they'd occupied some of those old Purity stores first. It was helpful to find out about them, since it explained why Purity hadn't used their regular prototype for that period on their SF stores.

The one example of the regular Purity prototype I've seen is a Hollywood Video in Woodland at "Purity Center" (the shopping center apparently didn't change its name), near a Super Saver.

When was that Leland store opened and closed as a Cala, anyway?

Groceteria wrote: The former Purity on Third Street (now a church) was also a Siri's to begin with

Just did a maps.google.com look at that spot, is it exactly where the arrow is pointing?

Better photo, from Live Local:



It's at the corner of 3rd and Paul. I believe the church building (closest to the corner) was the original Siri's/Purity, but it's been about five years since I've been by there, so I don't really recall the specifics of the site. I do remember that when I drove by, it seemed pretty obvious which one had been the store, and that there had been drastic remodeling.

Groceteria wrote:Better photo, from Live Local:



It's at the corner of 3rd and Paul. I believe the church building (closest to the corner) was the original Siri's/Purity, but it's been about five years since I've been by there, so I don't really recall the specifics of the site. I do remember that when I drove by, it seemed pretty obvious which one had been the store, and that there had been drastic remodeling.

Ah, what was the address number for this intersection? When I checked the list in the SF section, I think it was 4820 3rd but that gave me the Oakdale intersection.

I'm guessing this store closed around the same time most Puritys did (early 70s), if not a bit earlier than that.

TheStranger wrote:Ah, what was the address number for this intersection? When I checked the list in the SF section, I think it was 4820 3rd but that gave me the Oakdale intersection.

It's 6190 Third. The store at 4820 was an older one dating from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s.

Groceteria wrote:

TheStranger wrote:Ah, what was the address number for this intersection? When I checked the list in the SF section, I think it was 4820 3rd but that gave me the Oakdale intersection.

It's 6190 Third. The store at 4820 was an older one dating from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s.

Oh okay, I didn't originally see that on the list...the newer location is actually a lot closer to 101 and a bit less deep into Bayview.

Is the Purity structure still standing at Oakdale?

TheStranger wrote:Is the Purity structure still standing at Oakdale?

I can't remember. I think it is, because I probably would've marked it demolished otherwise, but OI'm just not sure.

I've put the SF addresses up in spreadsheet format, which might make it a little easier. This is how I'm doing most of the new city sections, but I hadn't yet retrofitted SF. The information on this is also a little more updated, I think:

http://www.groceteria.com/sanfrancisco/ ... sheet.html

Groceteria wrote:

TheStranger wrote:Is the Purity structure still standing at Oakdale?

I can't remember. I think it is, because I probably would've marked it demolished otherwise, but OI'm just not sure.

I've put the SF addresses up in spreadsheet format, which might make it a little easier. This is how I'm doing most of the new city sections, but I hadn't yet retrofitted SF. The information on this is also a little more updated, I think:

http://www.groceteria.com/sanfrancisco/ ... sheet.html

Thanks for the link! I wonder if there's any way the table could be divided up (i.e. one table per x amount of addresses) so that it'd be easier to sort through and read and scroll...

Oh yeah, now that I'm thinking of it, I wonder if the old Rancho Supermarket (demolished some months ago) on Geneva Avenue near the Cow Palace and Bayshore was ever a chain store in a past life...building did look decent-sized, although I have no memories of that store actually being open.

Groceteria wrote:The former Purity on Third Street (now a church) was also a Siri's to begin with, as was (I believe) the Rancho Market in South San Francisco that you also have pictured on your site.

Good call there: I just found this photo in the SF Public Library collection.

[Siri's Market at Hillside Boulevard and Linden Avenue in South San Francisco, with inset photos of head butcher Al Perruquet and manager Frank Meisenbach] [graphic].
1955 Aug. 10.

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfph ... C-7008.jpg

As for Rancho, they apparently existed in the 1950s on a location a few blocks west of their later, now demolished store:

[El Rancho Meat Center, 2900 Geneva Avenue] [graphic].
1954 Sep. 15.
Photo ID Number: AAC-6726
Folder: S.F. Businesses-El Rancho Meat Center.

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfph ... C-6726.jpg