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Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 14 Apr 2008 20:53
by Jeff
I identified the second store as the Alhambra location. I remember it and the parking lot before they did the last mall remodel.
Plus I remember the bakery next door lasted into the 90's.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 14 Apr 2008 21:24
by Jeff
That first picture also looks like the store in Pasadena on Sierra Madre and Michilinda.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 14 Apr 2008 23:55
by runchadrun
I guess it's safe to assume that that first picture was the standard Fazio's prototype for their new stores. I think the stores mentioned as a possibility were new Fazio's, not those acquired from Shopping Bag/A&P.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 15 Apr 2008 00:07
by Jeff
yes, its also sad that the Albertsons-Grocery Warehouse-Max Foods-Lucky has had very minor remodeling since the Fazios days. I even think the coolers and produce bins are ancient. I mean, the produce section is still in the same spot!

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 15 Apr 2008 00:44
by Jeff
Ok, So I think I solved the mystery of the first store.
I am going out on a limb based on some evidence that I found suggesting (ok i just sat here on my @55!!! for an hour looking at live local) that this store is...............


.....drum roll please.............

.....ok i know most you already jumped past this.........


this store is La Habra. Based on the location of the sign that is still there and the big find, the light that can be seen to the left on the sign on the old Fazios picture looks like it is still there today. Even if the light has been changed, the electricity would be there still. Also, the brick on the east and north matches the red brick in the old pictures. I'm sure over the years the driveway has changed.

Any naysayers?

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 16 Apr 2008 12:28
by melrose1960
All Together Now at Fisher-Fazio's courtesy of Pleasant Family Shopping...

http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ei2Ik5quiI0/SAV ... y+1975.jpg
The Fisher-Fazio family is gathered together for this “family photo” from 1975. Even Uncle Ralph from Chicago drove in, with his basket of groceries from Dominick’s. (Just seeing that 70’s Dominick’s bag makes my arms hurt, when I think back on how many hundreds of those things I lugged from the family gas guzzler’s trunk to our kitchen back then. Definitely more good memories than bad of those days, though…) Along the wall are displays of Heritage House canned goods, Fisher-Fazio’s house brand, that were big sellers in the Ohio and Chicago stores.

Things began to unravel at Fisher-Fazio in the late seventies, with most of their divisions not faring well in the “price wars” of that era. In 1976, the company lost its number one slot in their core Cleveland area to Pick-N-Pay. The California stores, which had never really taken off under Fisher-Fazio leadership, proved to be a drain on the company’s profits and as mentioned were sold off to Albertsons that year. Within a couple of years, they would trim the sails in markets closer to home, including Youngstown and Columbus among others.

In October 1980, the company found itself in serious legal (and public relations) trouble when it was charged in a price-fixing scheme along with competitors Stop-N-Shop and First National Stores, owner of Cleveland’s Pick-N-Pay chain. Executives from the three companies, including Fisher CEO John Fazio, were indicted. Fazio received probation in 1982, and his sentence was commuted two years later. The three companies were ultimately forced to make restitution to Northeast Ohio customers, sending out coupons for $20 worth of free groceries to some one million households.


The company lost one of its major (and only) bright spots in 1981. Unhappy with Fisher's direction, Dominick DiMatteo Jr. bought back Dominick’s, the company his father founded, for nearly $100 million. By that time Dominick’s had grown to 71 stores and second place (behind Jewel) in Chicago market share.

In 1983, Cincinnati-based American Financial Corp., headed by Carl H. Lindner, purchased an interest in Fisher Foods. Lindner is a well-known Cincinnati industrialist, whose interests have included Chiquita Brands International (yep, the banana company is actually based in Cincinnati), United Dairy Farmers (a chain of dairy/convenience stores) and for a time, a major interest in the Cincinnati Reds. In 1984, Lindner’s company would buy out the Fazio family’s holdings in Fisher Foods, ending an era.

The economic difficulties – loss of manufacturing jobs, population decline, etc., which plagued the Cleveland area made for a difficult operating environment, and in 1987 American Financial decided to sell their controlling share in Fisher Foods to a group of familiar names in the Cleveland grocery industry. A new entity, named for a Bedford Heights, Ohio address - “5300 Richmond Road Corporation”, was put together by American Seaway Foods, Rini’s Stop-N-Shop and Rego’s Stop-N-Shop. In a way, the forming of this consortium was reminiscent of the process that reconstituted Fisher Foods back in the sixties. The “5300” company would fold into Riser Foods, the name of which incorporated (sort of) the first initials of the Rini, Seaway and Rego names. In 1997, Riser was absorbed into Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 17 Apr 2008 16:10
by Dean
Jeff wrote:Ok, So I think I solved the mystery of the first store.
I am going out on a limb based on some evidence that I found suggesting (ok i just sat here on my @55!!! for an hour looking at live local) that this store is...............


.....drum roll please.............

.....ok i know most you already jumped past this.........


this store is La Habra. Based on the location of the sign that is still there and the big find, the light that can be seen to the left on the sign on the old Fazios picture looks like it is still there today. Even if the light has been changed, the electricity would be there still. Also, the brick on the east and north matches the red brick in the old pictures. I'm sure over the years the driveway has changed.

Any naysayers?
Yes, Jeff, agreed!

As mentioned previously, this was my first impression.

The site has been a number of chains, including Fazio's, Sav-On, Sears Outlet Store, and currently 99 Cent Only, correct?

The center could also fall under the thread of two (2) grocery stores in the same center. At the other end of the center is a Hughes turned Ralphs now vacant. Altho, not sure if the markets ran simulatenously or not!

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 17 Apr 2008 21:45
by Jeff
Wasn't the Hughes at one point a Market Basket? It has the similar design.

And Its a Kragen and 99 cent store today.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 17 Apr 2008 22:33
by Dean
Jeff wrote:Wasn't the Hughes at one point a Market Basket? It has the similar design.

And Its a Kragen and 99 cent store today.
Yup! You got me! Indeed, the MB design!

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 18 Apr 2008 21:10
by Jeff
I'm sure Chad will tell us when the Fazio's closed and Market Basket Opened.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 19 Apr 2008 08:18
by Dean
Jeff wrote:I'm sure Chad will tell us when the Fazio's closed and Market Basket Opened.
Yes Chad, please do! :)

I got a kick out of the Long John Silvers that is/was in front of MB/Hughes/Ralphs.

It was built in the traditional LJS "feel"...with the wood "plank" and ropes. It closed, and became a VANS shoe store...with the LJS "feel" still around it!

VANS closed, and I believe is currently Tommy's Burgers, correct?!

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 19 Apr 2008 13:08
by Jeff
Dean wrote:
Jeff wrote:I'm sure Chad will tell us when the Fazio's closed and Market Basket Opened.
Yes Chad, please do! :)

I got a kick out of the Long John Silvers that is/was in front of MB/Hughes/Ralphs.

It was built in the traditional LJS "feel"...with the wood "plank" and ropes. It closed, and became a VANS shoe store...with the LJS "feel" still around it!

VANS closed, and I believe is currently Tommy's Burgers, correct?!
Yes. Vans had a store down the street on Whittier and Valley Home which they kept open (even though its at an odd location) and today LJS's is Tommys/

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 19 Apr 2008 14:00
by runchadrun
Jeff wrote:I'm sure Chad will tell us when the Fazio's closed and Market Basket Opened.
Such pressure!

1611 W. Whittier Blvd became an Albertsons when they bought Fazio's in 1978. There was a store at 851 N. Harbor Blvd (now Stater Bros), so presumably they closed the Whittier Blvd store shortly after the merger. By 1984 it was a Sears Outlet Store.

I don't see a La Habra Market Basket location listed in the 1977 list of stores I have. My guess is that the Market Basket became a Hughes in 1982 when Kroger sold off the chain in chunks. Hughes bought 7 of the stores. There was a Hughes on Whittier Blvd (I don't have the number) in 1984.

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 21 Jul 2008 16:28
by runchadrun
I just found an unusual ad from the 6/22/1967 edition of the LA Times announcing the separation of the Vons and Shopping Bag chains. It thanks customers for shopping at both chains but explains that the two chains are now separate. It looks like it was jointly paid for since it doesn't tout any one chain over the other. It lists all 70 Vons stores and 40 Shopping Bag stores.

This is the list of Shopping Bag stores from the ad:

1000 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra
300 W Main St, Alhambra
2408 Lincoln Ave, Altadena
9927 Katella, Anaheim
1407 S Baldwin, Arcadia
2150 N Glenoaks, Burbank
Naval Weapons Center, China Lake
960 W Arrow Hwy, Covina
Firestone and Lakewood, Downey
11039 E Valley Blvd, El Monte
16823 Foothill Blvd, Fontana
1845 W Orangethorpe, Fullerton
2904 N Brea St, Fullerton
331 N Glendale Ave, Glendale
515 W Broadway, Glendale
517 S Glendora Ave, Glendora
920 Foothill Blvd, La Canada
3100 Foothill, La Crescenta
1611 W Whittier Blvd, La Habra
1111 Avenue I, Lancaster
15421 Amar Rd, La Puente
140 W Foothill Blvd, Monrovia
127 N Garfield, Monterey Park
2280 Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park
815 E Avenue Q-6, Palmdale
3841 E Sierra Madre, Pasadena
451 S Sierra Madre, Pasadena
457 S Fair Oaks, Pasadena
9130 E Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera
127 N. San Dimas Canyon, San Dimas
8325 Foothill Blvd, Sunland
304 E Foothill, Upland
913 S Glendora Ave, West Covina
2470 N. Towne Ave, Pomona
1170 W. Garvey Blvd, West Covina
2200 W. Valley Blvd, Alhambra
1201 W. Whittier Blvd, Montebello
2270 Huntington Drive, San Marino
2256 Honolulu Ave, Montrose
44816 N. Beech Ave, Lancaster
2222 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock

Re: Shopping Bag Food Stores In Southern California

Posted: 21 Jul 2008 20:44
by Jeff
here are some current uses of the stores according to Live Local:

1000 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra - Lucky's
300 W Main St, Alhambra - Super A Foods
2408 Lincoln Ave, Altadena - Vacant, still standing
9927 Katella, Anaheim - Albertsons
1407 S Baldwin, Arcadia - Torn down for Super S store? Now its a large Sav-on.
2150 N Glenoaks, Burbank - Demolished
Naval Weapons Center, China Lake
960 W Arrow Hwy, Covina - Now Gigante. Max Foods for many years.
Firestone and Lakewood, Downey - Big Lots?
11039 E Valley Blvd, El Monte
16823 Foothill Blvd, Fontana
1845 W Orangethorpe, Fullerton
2904 N Brea St, Fullerton
331 N Glendale Ave, Glendale
515 W Broadway, Glendale
517 S Glendora Ave, Glendora - Demolished for Albertsons?
920 Foothill Blvd, La Canada
3100 Foothill, La Crescenta
1611 W Whittier Blvd, La Habra
1111 Avenue I, Lancaster
15421 Amar Rd, La Puente
140 W Foothill Blvd, Monrovia
127 N Garfield, Monterey Park
2280 Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park
815 E Avenue Q-6, Palmdale
3841 E Sierra Madre, Pasadena
451 S Sierra Madre, Pasadena
457 S Fair Oaks, Pasadena
9130 E Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera
127 N. San Dimas Canyon, San Dimas
8325 Foothill Blvd, Sunland
304 E Foothill, Upland
913 S Glendora Ave, West Covina
2470 N. Towne Ave, Pomona
1170 W. Garvey Blvd, West Covina
2200 W. Valley Blvd, Alhambra - Building Still there, Subdivided but you can tell the roof!
1201 W. Whittier Blvd, Montebello - Demolished for Tianguis in 80's, now Superior.
2270 Huntington Drive, San Marino - Demolished
2256 Honolulu Ave, Montrose
44816 N. Beech Ave, Lancaster
2222 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock