Groceteria.com

Downey is/was still one of the few old stores with the old red/white interior.

The following are photographs of pictures taken at a Vons on W. Ocean Ave in Lompoc, CA. It opened originally as a William Bros Market (a local Central Coast grocery chain) sometime in the early 1960s(?). I don't know the precise date, but Vons acquired many stores from William Bros sometime in the 70's/early 80's. This Vons appears to have maintained an outdated interior package that probably hasn't been touched since the grocery store was converted to a Vons. Maybe some vintage Vons connoisseurs can put a date on this interior design layout? One interesting fixture in the store are framed "retired uniforms" of former employees who have worked over 30 years.


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vons-lompoc03.jpg)
Antiquated light fixtures and the noticeably fading aisle signage. Not sure if the red stripe on the wall was a previously used decor touch.


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vons-lompoc04.jpg)
Out-dated linoleum flooring--this finish was popular in the 1950s-60s.


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vons-lompoc02.jpg)
A closer look at the red and white painted stripe panel running along the wall. When was the last time you all have seen the old 7 Up logo?!?


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vons-lompoc01.jpg)
Although the topic is about old interiors, I had to include this photo in the article just because you rarely see such a unique mid-century modern design preserved these days on a supermarket. The exaggerated low horizontal layout, large floor to ceiling glass windows and flagstone rock siding are all cues from 1960's retail architecture. Note: The vacant store front on the adjacent left side of Vons was a former J.J. Newberry's.

Passed by a VONS in Pasadena today....It's on Colorado (forgot the cross street). It looks to be a large store with the Red/White decor. The outside looks to have gotten a face lift, but the inside was left untouched for some reason....

Barstow2Needles wrote:The following are photographs of pictures taken at a Vons on W. Ocean Ave in Lompoc, CA. It opened originally as a William Bros Market (a local Central Coast grocery chain) sometime in the early 1960s(?). I don't know the precise date, but Vons acquired many stores from William Bros sometime in the 70's/early 80's. This Vons appears to have maintained an outdated interior package that probably hasn't been touched since the grocery store was converted to a Vons. Maybe some vintage Vons connoisseurs can put a date on this interior design layout?

Vons acquired Williams Bros in 1992. The decor package was Vons' standard interior package from around the time they acquired Safeway's Southern California division in 1988 until about 7 years or so later when Safeway turned things around and bought Vons and started installing their own interior prototypes during remodels.

What's really interesting about your photos is, as you said, that the exterior is still pretty much original and the floors from the interior appear to be original, as well. Floors like that were never installed in Vons with that package as far as I know. That package usually had white floors with certain areas accented with gray and white checkerboard pattern with a black border. Nice find.

klkla wrote:

Barstow2Needles wrote:The following are photographs of pictures taken at a Vons on W. Ocean Ave in Lompoc, CA. It opened originally as a William Bros Market (a local Central Coast grocery chain) sometime in the early 1960s(?). I don't know the precise date, but Vons acquired many stores from William Bros sometime in the 70's/early 80's. This Vons appears to have maintained an outdated interior package that probably hasn't been touched since the grocery store was converted to a Vons. Maybe some vintage Vons connoisseurs can put a date on this interior design layout?

Vons acquired Williams Bros in 1992. The decor package was Vons' standard interior package from around the time they acquired Safeway's Southern California division in 1988 until about 7 years or so later when Safeway turned things around and bought Vons and started installing their own interior prototypes during remodels.

What's really interesting about your photos is, as you said, that the exterior is still pretty much original and the floors from the interior appear to be original, as well. Floors like that were never installed in Vons with that package as far as I know. That package usually had white floors with certain areas accented with gray and white checkerboard pattern with a black border. Nice find.

The Hesperia CA VONS has the same flooring.

It had been a SAFEWAY...so I always assumed it had been a remnant from that era.

steps wrote:Passed by a VONS in Pasadena today....It's on Colorado (forgot the cross street). It looks to be a large store with the Red/White decor. The outside looks to have gotten a face lift, but the inside was left untouched for some reason....

The only VONS in Pasadena is on Sierra Madre Blvd between Walnut and Colorado....is this the one?
Or there is one in Eagle Rock on Figueroa and Colorado.

Those are the only two that I know that are off Colorado.

Jeff wrote:

steps wrote:Passed by a VONS in Pasadena today....It's on Colorado (forgot the cross street). It looks to be a large store with the Red/White decor. The outside looks to have gotten a face lift, but the inside was left untouched for some reason....

The only VONS in Pasadena is on Sierra Madre Blvd between Walnut and Colorado....is this the one?
Or there is one in Eagle Rock on Figueroa and Colorado.

Those are the only two that I know that are off Colorado.

Colorado and Sierra Madre is the one. I didn't stop in, but it does look like a huge store or it may be the bright white walls that make it look deceiving.

steps wrote:

Jeff wrote:

steps wrote:Passed by a VONS in Pasadena today....It's on Colorado (forgot the cross street). It looks to be a large store with the Red/White decor. The outside looks to have gotten a face lift, but the inside was left untouched for some reason....

The only VONS in Pasadena is on Sierra Madre Blvd between Walnut and Colorado....is this the one?
Or there is one in Eagle Rock on Figueroa and Colorado.

Those are the only two that I know that are off Colorado.

Colorado and Sierra Madre is the one. I didn't stop in, but it does look like a huge store or it may be the bright white walls that make it look deceiving.

I could have sworn it was remodeled years ago, but I never stopped in.

This store used to be a Safeway, I can tell you that. It was idenitcal in design to the store in Burbank.

Just by chance my buddy and I stopped by a Vons on our way to Lake Los Angeles (no, there's no lake there but that's another story...) and stumbled upon another location with an old interior. This store is in Palmdale (off E. Palmdale Ave.) and was built in 1984. The signage design and wall fixtures were the big indicators that the store has not yet had a complete remodel (though some elements of the store have been updated). I wanted to know if anyone can confirm that these fixtures are dated to circa 1984, and if this package was used anytime before or after 1984 (early 1980's/late 1970's??).

Note: I would have taken more pictures, but if you've ever been to Palmdale, you know its not a place you want to stand out :-)


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vonspdale04.jpg)


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vonspdale01.jpg)
The "Dairy" sign is placed inside a mounted frame on the wall. Just to the right of the frame you can see an interesting yellow geometric square that is also embedded into the wall.


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vonspdale02.jpg)
A close up of the "frame" geometric design and a look at a modern new-wave wall clock. You can tell in this view that the frame wraps around the store walls.


(http://usera.imagecave.com/djrun1/vonspdale03.jpg)
The "Seafood" and "Meats" signage following the store's interior design package.

Looks like a classic Safeway 90's design, though modified for a lower ceiling (the department signs would have been arched like this):


Chances are the store would have opened with this or a similar 80's VONS package:

The Hesperia CA site has the same interior.

I referred to this as the "face lift" remodel.

They came in, and did a quick fix...versus an entire remodel.

The Hemet, CA Vons had the same "face lift" interior for about 3 or 4 years (maybe less) before getting the Lifestyle treatment in 2002-2003. The exterior was altered during both remodels, with the entry points moved both times. I always thought it was odd that it was remodeled so quickly. It was for the better though.

The Vons on Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage Ca. (in the shopping center with Longs [now CVS]) is closed and is rumoured to be a Henry's soon.

Also the Vons on Tahquitz near Baristo in Palm Springs (former bowling alley) is rumoured to close in January.

Additionally, the Vons on Palm Canyon Bl. in the Rimrock shopping center (Palm Springs) has been totally remodeled.

The VONS in Hesperia CA is still quite a unique store!

Remnants of the original SAFEWAY still exist. The favorite: the faux brick flooring in the liquor and pharmacy areas.

They have done the bare minimum over the years. Guess the store does well enough to stay open.

The site had an in-store WELLS FARGO. A free-standing WELLS-FARGO opened recently across the street. The former in-store branch has been converted to a VONS Credit Union.

http://vonscu.com/contactus.html

Sun City Vons (which I think is a former Alpha Beta) has the 90s Safeway interior. It was looking pretty dated.