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Re: Mervyns

Posted: 21 Oct 2008 22:22
by Jeff
Groceteria wrote:
Jeff wrote:chad, how large is that store? is it two levels or three?
It's two, I believe (even though I'm not Chad). I've got some great old photos of that store in the Milliron's days that I'll try to find and post soon.
Thanks David!

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 21 Oct 2008 22:54
by Groceteria
Milliron's (now Mervyn's) Westchester, from Baker and Funaro, Shopping Centers, 1950. I think there are other photos in Victor Gruen's book Shopping Towns USA, but I don't have a copy of that.

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Re: Mervyns

Posted: 22 Oct 2008 13:46
by runchadrun
Mervyn's operated the Westchester store as one level. I have no idea if there was a hidden unused second floor.

There's a picture of the grand opening at http://westchesterparents.org/?p=1204

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 22 Oct 2008 14:45
by Jeff
Wow, I may have to go by and check out this store before it closes.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 22 Oct 2008 21:25
by Groceteria
runchadrun wrote:Mervyn's operated the Westchester store as one level. I have no idea if there was a hidden unused second floor.
I was wrong. It was only one level (except for the "penthouse"), and the resulting larger footprint was actually the reason they added the rooftop parking.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 23 Oct 2008 00:47
by Jeff
So then those stairs must lead to the parking level.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 23 Oct 2008 01:00
by Groceteria
Jeff wrote:So then those stairs must lead to the parking level.
And the restaurant and small auditorium.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 23 Oct 2008 08:36
by Dean
Jeff wrote:Even though they are hurting, it would be prime for Dillards to move into the Los Angeles Region now.

As for San Bernardino, JCPenney would be a great fit for the mall.
The new Redlands JCPenney was supposed to have been the replacement store for the San Bernardino location. The Carousel Mall location closed quite some time prior to the opening of the Redlands site. Guess they simply were not making it in San Bernardino. Redlands was hyped, as the town had not had a full-service JCPenney since the OLD/small site had closed downtown years ago. JCPenney did maintain a catalog location in the Tri-City center for years...which since has closed. This is the same center which is anchored by Mervyn's!

As mentioned when this thread began, the original San Bernardino Mervyn's is currently a CalTrans office building. Would love to get into the site...to see how it was transformed. There had been an escalator in the middle of the store. I believe the Whittier CA Mervyn's is a duplicate of this San Berdoo site. Jeff, agree?

When the Highland/San Bernardino Mervyn's opened (Highland Avenue @ Hwy 330)...both sites still were maintained. Yet, ultimately, the original San Bernardino site did close.

The City of Industry CA Mervyn's was built ~1984. It was during the Target ownership. It is directly next to Target. Wonder if Target would acquire the Mervyn's building, and expand it into a Super Target.

Good 'ol Mervyn's. Yet, they seemed to have lost their focus over the years. Never really followed the MERVYN'S CALIFORNIA campaign/signage! What was that all about?! Ha!

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 23 Oct 2008 15:27
by Jeff
There are several Mervyns locations that were built in the early-mid 80's that are the same design both outside and inside.

Montebello, Whittier, Redondo Beach, San Bernardino and Alhambra all have the same interior layouts and for the most part same exterior. West Covina's was a slight variation too.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 26 Oct 2008 21:30
by TenPoundHammer
I found Mervyn's operating structure kind of weird. They had stores throughout the West and Southwest, sure. Even in Texas I could understand. I think they definitely overstretched by going into Louisiana, Georgia and Florida, and even worse by having stores in Michigan and Minnesota. The MI and MN ones were, no doubt, based on the fact that DaytonHudson owned the chain at the time, with Dayton's/Target being MN and Hudson's being MI.

If I recall correctly, all of the Michigan locations opened between 1985-1987. Oddly, all the mall based ones were the result of newly added wings, save for at Flint's Courtland Center. This one came a little later (1990?) in what used to be a store called The Fair. No idea what The Fair was, most likely a local one-off.

At least it didn't take too long to knock off the mall-based locations in Michigan. Crossroads in Kalamazoo and Genesee Valley in Flint both became Burlington Coat. I'm surprised to see BCF in a top-tier mall like this, especially given that Flint's was a relocation. This space should've gone to Dick's Sporting Goods (which doesn't have a store in Flint) IMO.

Courtland Center's became a relocated JCPenney, and the old JCP is now a Steve & Barry's. (JCPenney also had a home store and an intimate apparel store which are still vacant.) Lansing Mall is now Steve & Barry's. Meridian Mall in Lansing is now a second Younkers (very rare to see doubled anchors in the Midwest). Universal Mall was torn down and Livonia Mall is about to be torn down, so the only one left to fill, really, is at Southland Center. There's already a buttload of big box around the mall, as well as a Best Buy and Borders within the mall itself, so I don't know what this one could become.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 29 Oct 2008 23:51
by tesg
The Minnesota stores were the result of Dayton-Hudson taking over the Carson Pirie Scott locations around the Twin Cities. They turned those spaces into their "Mervyn's California" concept, which was intended to give Mervyn's a brighter, colorful, more fun atmosphere.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 31 Oct 2008 14:31
by Jeff
Apparently, the GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE starts tomorrow.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 31 Oct 2008 20:29
by javelin
Jeff wrote:Apparently, the GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE starts tomorrow.

I heard the radio commercials, select locations only. But they've already had the "50-80% off" sales even before they decided to close. BTW, the biggest deductions are on jewelry, since a department store's markup is already high.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 02 Nov 2008 13:12
by Jeff
ALL stores have started the sale. I drove by the West Covina Eastland store and Montebello Town Center store and both have GOING OUT OF BUSINESS signs in the doorways.

Re: Mervyns

Posted: 02 Nov 2008 15:08
by submariner
It's odd that some of the stores, you couldn't tell unless you walked into them. The Imperial Beach/South San Diego store has no signs on the outside, but is fully decked with the signs on the inside:

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