Pavilions history

Uh...California.

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Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

runchadrun wrote:
Jeff wrote:I dont remember Pavillions in Chino.
That was the former Gemco/Pavilions/Vons/Pak n Save off of Central just south of the 60.

Before the total takever of Vons by SWY they introduced the Pavilions Select line of gourmet products, which was the same as Safeway Select but with a different name (and no Circle S) in the logo.

I figured that Safeway had given up on the Pavilions format since the newer Vons had most of the same amenities: gourmet deli, pharmacy, Panda Express, etc, but I guess they didn't because they just opened a new store in Valencia a few years ago on Magic Mountain Pkwy not too far away from a big Vons on The Old Road.
I thought that was an Expo location after Gemco.
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runchadrun
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Post by runchadrun »

Jeff wrote:I thought that was an Expo location after Gemco.
According to the Times when Expo closed in 1995, the locations were in Victorville, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Fontana, Colton, El Monte, Montebello and Pomona.

I don't remember when the Chino store was a Pavilions, but I know for a fact that it was a Vons in 1991. Maybe you're thinking of the Pomona store, which was a Gemco.
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Post by Jeff »

runchadrun wrote:
Jeff wrote:I thought that was an Expo location after Gemco.
According to the Times when Expo closed in 1995, the locations were in Victorville, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Fontana, Colton, El Monte, Montebello and Pomona.

I don't remember when the Chino store was a Pavilions, but I know for a fact that it was a Vons in 1991. Maybe you're thinking of the Pomona store, which was a Gemco.
I remember all those (Cudhay, HP, El Monte and Montebello) as being Tianguis stores.
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runchadrun
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Post by runchadrun »

Jeff wrote:I remember all those (Cudhay, HP, El Monte and Montebello) as being Tianguis stores.
They got converted. This is from the 11/6/1993 issue of the Times:
"While acknowledging Tianguis has problems, Vons executives declined to discuss them. Vons is converting the store in [Sonia Zepede]'s El Monte neighborhood to an Expo market, and is considering similar changes for the eight Tianguis stores that remain. Though no decision has been made to scrap the chain, analysts expect that to happen."

Another article from 3/15/1994 says that 6 of the 9 Tianguis had been converted to either Vons or Expo stores but hadn't decided what to do with the other stores, which were in Cudahy, Montebello, and Huntington Park. Apparently those three, along with El Monte, were converted to Expo. Add those 4 to the 3 original Expos (Fontana, Colton, Victorville) and the former Gemco in Pomona and those were the 8 stores that eventually closed in 1995.
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Post by Groceteria »

FYI, there is a pre-existing thread on Tianguis here:

http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtop ... t=tianguis

If we could keep all future posts on that chain over in that thread instead, it would be cool...
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Post by steps »

I found this interresting while I was looking on live search.

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp4 ... &encType=1

It's Santa Monica Pavilions located right off of Montana Ave. during "Life Style" make over construction. This location was a Safeway Marina which got the "80's" makeover before the Vons take over. I haven't been inside since the remodel so I don't know if they dropped the ceiling or not.

Another interresting side note is that this store never got the "generic" Safeway make overs after the Safeway takeover. It kept the same prototype from when it was remodeled from Safeway to Pavilions. I don't know why all of the sudden they decided to do it now.
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Post by klkla »

steps wrote:I found this interresting while I was looking on live search.

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp4 ... &encType=1

It's Santa Monica Pavilions located right off of Montana Ave. during "Life Style" make over construction. This location was a Safeway Marina which got the "80's" makeover before the Vons take over. I haven't been inside since the remodel so I don't know if they dropped the ceiling or not.

Another interresting side note is that this store never got the "generic" Safeway make overs after the Safeway takeover. It kept the same prototype from when it was remodeled from Safeway to Pavilions. I don't know why all of the sudden they decided to do it now.
The store, as you mentioned, was originally a Marina store (called the Malibu format in the Southern California division). In 1977 they added a small section to the right of the store with a flat ceiling and covered up the exterior view of the Marina roof. The interior of the store was remodeled again about a year before Vons took over and had the black walls with the photos of food and neon lights package and a service deli was added. Vons did a minor remodeling of the store when it became a Pavilions adding the white 'hospital' look with the purple and red graphics which the store kept for 17 years!

The new lifestyle remodel looks great. The exterior was completely redone as well as the interior and full service floral and bakery departments were added. They kept the open Marina style ceiling in the interior but removed all the lighting and painted the celing a light brown color and hung new lights just above gondola height. It looks great and the arrangement of the store makes exceptional use of a small space (the store is only 18,000 sq. ft. companred to about 55,000+ sq ft. for most newer Safeway stores).

I worked at that store from 1989 to 1992 and it was my favorite store during the 10 years I worked for Safeway/Vons because of the really nice customers.
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Post by TheStranger »

In the marinas I've been to (in the Bay Area) that have been lifestyle remodeled, those that did not have drop ceilings already received the hanging lights, while gable-roofed stores in the lifestyle look have retained their row lighting between the beams.

The FoodsCo in an ex-Safeway marina in SF also has the hanging lighting.
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Post by klkla »

TheStranger wrote:In the marinas I've been to (in the Bay Area) that have been lifestyle remodeled, those that did not have drop ceilings already received the hanging lights,
Did they have this lighting before the lifestyle remodel?

The Santa Monica Pavilions had bright hanging flourescent tube lighting down the aisles before the lifestyle remodel but still had the original lights on the ceiling as well (which have now been removed).
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steps
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Post by steps »

klkla wrote:
steps wrote:I found this interresting while I was looking on live search.

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp4 ... &encType=1

It's Santa Monica Pavilions located right off of Montana Ave. during "Life Style" make over construction. This location was a Safeway Marina which got the "80's" makeover before the Vons take over. I haven't been inside since the remodel so I don't know if they dropped the ceiling or not.

Another interresting side note is that this store never got the "generic" Safeway make overs after the Safeway takeover. It kept the same prototype from when it was remodeled from Safeway to Pavilions. I don't know why all of the sudden they decided to do it now.
The store, as you mentioned, was originally a Marina store (called the Malibu format in the Southern California division). In 1977 they added a small section to the right of the store with a flat ceiling and covered up the exterior view of the Marina roof. The interior of the store was remodeled again about a year before Vons took over and had the black walls with the photos of food and neon lights package and a service deli was added. Vons did a minor remodeling of the store when it became a Pavilions adding the white 'hospital' look with the purple and red graphics which the store kept for 17 years!

The new lifestyle remodel looks great. The exterior was completely redone as well as the interior and full service floral and bakery departments were added. They kept the open Marina style ceiling in the interior but removed all the lighting and painted the celing a light brown color and hung new lights just above gondola height. It looks great and the arrangement of the store makes exceptional use of a small space (the store is only 18,000 sq. ft. companred to about 55,000+ sq ft. for most newer Safeway stores).

I worked at that store from 1989 to 1992 and it was my favorite store during the 10 years I worked for Safeway/Vons because of the really nice customers.
I haven't been in this store since the remodel but had seen a picture of it and got really interrested in seeing how it came out. From the outside shot it looks beautiful. The original pavilions look was too bland for me (even as a child I wondered what the hell they were thinking) but the new Lifestyle format is really breathing new life into the Pavilions concept. I haven't seen a "Pavilions Marina" style store other then the one in Santa Monica although I could be wrong.
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Post by runchadrun »

steps wrote: I haven't seen a "Pavilions Marina" style store other then the one in Santa Monica although I could be wrong.
I believe the West Hollywood store is a former Marina, though it's been heavily remodeled.
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steps
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Post by steps »

runchadrun wrote:
steps wrote: I haven't seen a "Pavilions Marina" style store other then the one in Santa Monica although I could be wrong.
I believe the West Hollywood store is a former Marina, though it's been heavily remodeled.
I thought that store was a gable? I used to work at that store and saw nothing that looked "Marina"...there is proof though that at one point in time it was a Gable. A Marina I am 70% sure it wasn't....though I could be wrong.
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Post by Steve Landry »

Wait until you see Safeway's new Pavilions "Plus" format. It's their "Lifestyle" remodel of Pavilions.

:)
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Post by runchadrun »

steps wrote:I thought that store was a gable? I used to work at that store and saw nothing that looked "Marina"...there is proof though that at one point in time it was a Gable. A Marina I am 70% sure it wasn't....though I could be wrong.
You're right. I thought I read here somewhere that it was a Marina store, but in looking at the local.live.com image, it's definitely a gable. FYI, the Weho store opened on April 30, 1961. The store on San Vicente opened in November, 1961.

A replacement store for Weho is working its way through the city government. The store will be replaced with a new 54,000 sqft store with rooftop and surface parking. The Pavilions and the small minimall in the parking lot will all be demolished.
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steps
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Post by steps »

runchadrun wrote:
steps wrote:I thought that store was a gable? I used to work at that store and saw nothing that looked "Marina"...there is proof though that at one point in time it was a Gable. A Marina I am 70% sure it wasn't....though I could be wrong.
You're right. I thought I read here somewhere that it was a Marina store, but in looking at the local.live.com image, it's definitely a gable. FYI, the Weho store opened on April 30, 1961. The store on San Vicente opened in November, 1961.

A replacement store for Weho is working its way through the city government. The store will be replaced with a new 54,000 sqft store with rooftop and surface parking. The Pavilions and the small minimall in the parking lot will all be demolished.
I heard from friends that they were going to tear it down and replace it. They were supposed to tear the store down end oof the year LAST year. Only problem is the parking structure. From what I heard is that Safeway wants a 5 level parking structure but the city would only allow them 3 levels plus the city wants to be able to use the parking structure and with Safeways thinking is that there wont be enough parking for the city and the store with 3 levels. Since as you know that store and area gets VERY VERY busy. Although I would love to see what Safeway will do with their #1 store. It should but all the surrounding stores out of business.

also, where is the store on san vacinte? I'm going through my head and can't picture a Vons/Pavilions/Safeway in that area.
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