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Posted: 15 Aug 2007 06:04
by Steve Landry
As I mentioned above...........Pavilions had been credited with inspiring the Lifestyle format.

No knows at this point IF the PLUS will be monikered on the store front.

Posted: 15 Aug 2007 10:05
by Dean
Back to Palm Desert~

Steve, you mentioned the landlord @ the 111 VONS.

Did you mean the landlord has questions/concerns about the 2 tone paint?!

Can't quite figure it out why they did this!

Posted: 15 Aug 2007 19:11
by klkla
Steve Landry wrote:Interestingly, the Vons at Rimrock Shopping Center (Palm Canyon Bl.) which replaced the Vons at Smoketree Shopping Center (Sunrise and Palm Canyon) has a very similar sloping front roof line BUT, is an original Vons new build and not Safeway.
I know 100% this is not true. The Rimrock Vons was absolutelty built as a Safeway. Vons was forced to sell a smaller store down the street to Ralphs when they acquired Safeway in 1988 and moved into the larger Safeway property. Interestingly, it was a very risky move because the existing Vons did much more business than the larger and newer Safeway.

Posted: 16 Aug 2007 06:02
by Steve Landry
Then my internal sources (employees) are incorrect. It makes sense that the Rimrock Vons WAS a Safeway, by its "look". And yes, the Smoketree store was higher volume than the Rimrock store. Even recently Ralphs Smoketree did more volume than Vons Rimrock.

Another employee source indicated that Vons left Smoketree because of the IMPOSSIBLE landlord. Which made sense because Ralphs has had some horrible times with the landlord to this day (hence the neglect of that Ralphs and the shopping center aesthetics). Only recently did they finally negotiate something to enable the massive remodel finally in process. BUT........it does make more sense that the switch in stores were a direct result of merger divestitures :)

Regarding the Palm Desert Vons. The landlord was puzzled by the 2 tone paint because it was not part of the original rendering submitted. No big deal to the landlord......they were just wondering why?

Are you sure the Vons is larger than the Ralphs? I know for sure the Ralphs is just over 42,000 sq ft.

The Vons (Rimrock) does not look larger than that. In fact it does not look AS large.

Posted: 16 Aug 2007 17:45
by klkla
Steve Landry wrote:Another employee source indicated that Vons left Smoketree because of the IMPOSSIBLE landlord.

Are you sure the Vons is larger than the Ralphs? I know for sure the Ralphs is just over 42,000 sq ft.
Vons left Smoketree because the FTC forced them to sell the location. 100% fact. Ralphs may have enlarged the store after they took it over from Vons. Originally it was in the 30,000 sq. ft. range. Rimrock is in the 45,000-50,000 range and was built many years after Smoketree.

Posted: 17 Aug 2007 07:50
by Steve Landry
"Vons left Smoketree because the FTC forced them to sell the location. 100% fact. "

Thanks :)

I worked at the Smoketree Ralphs.......it was always the size it is now according to floor plans I looked at (and the managers recollection). But maybe he is wrong.

The assistant manager at Rimrock believes that his store is no more than 40,000 sq ft. and was built within 2 years of leaving Smoketree. I am going to ask him to search for the floor plans. In person, the store really does not look more than 40, but I have been fooled before ;)

Posted: 20 Aug 2007 21:54
by Dean
Okay...noticed another twist to this situation! Ha!

The current Palm Desert VONS (former Safeway) is in the Palms to Pines WEST Plaza.

In the Palms to Pines EAST Plaza is RITE AID, 99 CENT ONLY STORES, and STAPLES.

Is it safe to assume, that 99 and/or Staples was the old Safeway, and Safeway built a new store in the WEST plaza, that ultimately became VONS? The EAST PLAZA signage looks older & dated...so I would believe that center was built first.

Safeway & Thrifty Drug tended to be in many centers together. I assume that this Rite Aid is a former Thrifty Drug. I would gander that 99 & Staples moved into exisiting buildings...possibly a Safeway?!

Lastly, the Denny's across in the street (on 111, just west of Monterey)...is that a replacement Denny's for the current Baker's Square (on 111, just east of Monterey)? The Baker's Square sure looks like an ancient Denny's.

thanks again!

Re:

Posted: 17 Mar 2008 16:51
by Dean
Steve Landry wrote:My sources indicate that the Jensens was NOT a new build. Vons built it and was there pre 1979. Additionally, Jensens did not build stores with that kind of architecture. The center style (very distinctive) has got to be pre 1980's.
Mystery solved!

The Palm Desert Historical Museum is on El Paseo, behind VONS.

Hanging on the wall is a picture of the Jensons center...not long after it opened. The current Jensens was built as MARKET BASKET. Next door, was Sprouse Reitz.

So, possibly VONS was between Market Basket and Jensens...and VONS remodeled the exterior.

The Sprouse Reitz has been divided into smaller stores.

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 07:28
by Steve Landry
So, the Jensens at Sunrise and Tahquitz (Palm Springs) was an original Market Basket? Wow! What do you think it looked like as a Market Basket? Because, as it stands now.......it sure does not have any clues (architecturally) that it was. Also......it would have been uncharacteristically small for a Market Basket.

What do you think?

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 08:33
by runchadrun
Steve, I think Dean is talking about the Palm Desert store and not the Palm Springs store.

1974 and 1977 Market Basket ads list 73601 Hwy 111 in Palm Desert which is the Palm Desert Jensens.The 1974 which lists a Palm Springs location at 2425 Tahquitz, a long block down from Jensens, which is now Vons, but it was no longer listed in the 1977 ad.

Neither of these stores have MB architectures but the great thing about Palm Springs is that nothing there looks like anything else.

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 10:01
by Dean
runchadrun wrote:Steve, I think Dean is talking about the Palm Desert store and not the Palm Springs store.

1974 and 1977 Market Basket ads list 73601 Hwy 111 in Palm Desert which is the Palm Desert Jensens.The 1974 which lists a Palm Springs location at 2425 Tahquitz, a long block down from Jensens, which is now Vons, but it was no longer listed in the 1977 ad.

Neither of these stores have MB architectures but the great thing about Palm Springs is that nothing there looks like anything else.
Correct...the Palm DESERT Jensens was Market Basket.

Now...I would still love to solve the other history questions mentioned above!

The Palms to Pines Plaza EAST, is now Fresh & Easy, Rite Aid, 99 Cent Only Stores and Staples. I am wondering what 99 and Staples were!

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 10:43
by runchadrun
The Palm Desert Market Basket opened in February, 1966, as Palm Desert's first supermarket and was 19,500 sqft. Construction was of "red brick with composition panelized roofing supported by laminated beams" and was built by the ubiquitious shopping center developer Ernest W. Hahn. The architectural firm was Ainsworth-Angel-McClellan. In August 1983, a short Times article (actually just a paragraph) says that a Jensen's will open in the former Market Basket space. That's when Market Basket pulled out of Socal so I don't think it was a different store between MB and Jensen's.

The Palm Springs Market Basket opened in 1959. According to Jensen's web site the Palm Springs location opened in 1985.

As for the Palms to Pines shopping center, a 43,000 sqft Safeway was built there in 1979. I'm assuming that's the Vons on the west side. In 1976 an "entertainment complex" opened on Plaza Way between Hwy 111 and El Paseo which included a Century Cinema and various restaurants and clothing stores. I'm guessing that's what you're asking about. 72815 Hwy 111 comes up as a Big 5 in 1985 and the current Staples address is 72811.

The Office Max down the street is a former Smith's Food King.

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 12:31
by Dean
runchadrun wrote:The Palm Desert Market Basket opened in February, 1966, as Palm Desert's first supermarket and was 19,500 sqft. Construction was of "red brick with composition panelized roofing supported by laminated beams" and was built by the ubiquitious shopping center developer Ernest W. Hahn. The architectural firm was Ainsworth-Angel-McClellan. In August 1983, a short Times article (actually just a paragraph) says that a Jensen's will open in the former Market Basket space. That's when Market Basket pulled out of Socal so I don't think it was a different store between MB and Jensen's.

The Palm Springs Market Basket opened in 1959. According to Jensen's web site the Palm Springs location opened in 1985.

As for the Palms to Pines shopping center, a 43,000 sqft Safeway was built there in 1979. I'm assuming that's the Vons on the west side. In 1976 an "entertainment complex" opened on Plaza Way between Hwy 111 and El Paseo which included a Century Cinema and various restaurants and clothing stores. I'm guessing that's what you're asking about. 72815 Hwy 111 comes up as a Big 5 in 1985 and the current Staples address is 72811.

The Office Max down the street is a former Smith's Food King.
thanks for all the good info!

99 is @ 72845 A & B Hwy 111. Does anything formerly appear at that address?

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 14:36
by runchadrun
Dean wrote:99 is @ 72845 A & B Hwy 111. Does anything formerly appear at that address?
No. I wonder if that's the movie theater, which was a 3-screen complex called Palms to Pines 3. The theater ads didn't list addresses, just the names.

Re: Vons and Jensens, Palm Desert, CA

Posted: 18 Mar 2008 14:48
by Dean
runchadrun wrote:
Dean wrote:99 is @ 72845 A & B Hwy 111. Does anything formerly appear at that address?
No. I wonder if that's the movie theater, which was a 3-screen complex called Palms to Pines 3. The theater ads didn't list addresses, just the names.
I believe the theater address is 72745 Hwy 111. A church currently meets in the former theater complex.