May Company (Gone)
Lakewood, CA Postcard courtesy Brent Higginson
A familiar department-store name greeted shoppers at May Company in Lakewood. Later known as Robinsons-May, the store carried on through changing fashions and shopping habits before the May name disappeared from the frontage in 2006. 01-07
Opened in February 1952, the enormous Lakewood Center anchor offered approximately 346,000 square feet of shopping. Albert C. Martin & Associates designed the building with broad, smooth walls and a curved corner entrance, giving the new suburban shopping center a substantial centerpiece.
The Robinsons-May name arrived in 1993, combining two longtime Southern California retail identities. Another change followed in September 2006, when Macy’s lettering replaced the familiar name.
UPDATE: The former May Company building continues as Macy’s at Lakewood Center. The department store survives, though the May Company and Robinsons-May signs have gone into the shopping-memory department. 10-26
Thrifty Drug (Gone)
Various Locations, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
White lettering on a red background once made Thrifty Drug easy to spot in shopping centers throughout Southern California. Prescriptions, household odds and ends, and an ice cream counter gave customers several reasons to walk through the doors.
A quick stop could include browsing an aisle or two before joining the line for a scoop. The cylindrical ice cream servings became as much a part of the Thrifty memory as the merchandise on the shelves.
Rite Aid’s acquisition of Thrifty PayLess in 1996 brought the beginning of the end for the old drugstore name. Familiar storefront letters came down as the locations adopted their new identity.
UPDATE: The Thrifty drugstore banner disappeared following the Rite Aid takeover, but the ice cream name outlasted the retail signs. Those red-and-white storefronts remain a familiar part of an earlier Southern California shopping trip. 10-26
Builders Emporium (Gone)
East Los Angeles,
CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Back before the days of the huge hardware conglomerate (i.e. Home Depot,
Orchards and the like), chain stores such as Builder's Emporium used to rule the nest. Alas, Builder's eventually got smooshed by its
bigger rivals and has not been relegated to the land of hardware stores
of yesteryear.
Founded in 1946, the chain grew into a major Southern California hardware name. Its neighborhood stores served everyone from experienced builders to homeowners hoping a small repair would stay small.
The East Los Angeles location stood along Whittier Boulevard, with prominent signage announcing the store. A trip inside could mean finding the right part, then heading home to see whether it actually fit.
UPDATE: Builders Emporium liquidated its remaining 97 stores in 1993. The former East Los Angeles building was later divided for other retail uses, while the old hardware-store signs disappeared. 10-26
Woolworth (Gone)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Another one of the general merchandise stores, Woolworth's used
to be THE place to go when looking for stuff. Unfortunately, like Newberry's,
Woolworth's could not survive the 90's for a variety and reasons and has
now passed its name down the retail food chain.
The downtown Broadway store belonged to that older variety-store landscape, where customers could move from one counter to the next without entering a sprawling shopping center. A modest purchase could still involve a fairly thorough look around.
Changing shopping habits eventually caught up with the chain. In July 1997, Woolworth announced the closure of its remaining American variety stores, ending a long chapter behind those familiar storefront letters.
UPDATE: The former Woolworth space at 431 S. Broadway was repurposed for smaller shops. Portions of the older exterior remain, though the five-and-dime counters and Woolworth name are gone. 10-26
Lucky Grocery (Demolished)
Pico Rivera, CA Photo courtesy Sal Garcia
A Tommy’s burger next door and a grocery stop at Lucky could take care of two errands along Whittier Boulevard in Pico Rivera. This old supermarket and its roadside sign had already disappeared when the original entry recorded an empty lot in their place. 01-07
The store belonged to the earlier supermarket landscape, when a tall sign by the street helped customers pick out the entrance among the surrounding businesses. Its familiar lettering marked a regular stop for neighborhood shoppers, whether stocking up for the week or grabbing something forgotten on the last trip.
Having Tommy’s nearby added another temptation. A grocery list might have brought someone to this corner, but a burger could provide a reason to linger before heading home. Apparently the shopping bags weren’t the only things leaving the area full.
Lucky Grocery (Demolished)
Pico Rivera, CA Photo courtesy Sal Garcia
The Lucky name was once common throughout Southern California. After the 1999 Albertsons merger, widespread conversions removed it from many familiar storefronts, changing the appearance of shopping centers that customers had visited for years.
UPDATE: The former Lucky at 8510 Whittier Boulevard was demolished, along with its roadside sign. The cleared property later became part of a newer commercial development, taking another familiar grocery stop out of the old neighborhood view. 10-26
Montgomery Ward (Demolished)
Pico Rivera, CA Photo courtesy Sal Garcia
Here’s the former Montgomery Ward in Pico Rivera, another familiar department-store name that disappeared from the shopping landscape. Often shortened to Wards, the store offered a local stop for a company generations had known through its catalogs. 01-07
Aaron Montgomery Ward began the mail-order business in 1872, with retail stores following in 1926. Clothing, appliances, tools, and household merchandise eventually brought the catalog assortment into department stores across the country.
The company entered bankruptcy in 1997 and emerged in 1999, but the recovery didn’t last. After the 2000 holiday season, the remaining stores began their final closing sales, ending operations in 2001.
UPDATE: The Pico Rivera Wards at 8800 Whittier Boulevard was demolished, and Target replaced it in the redeveloped shopping property. Another destination for a shopping trip, though the old Montgomery Ward name no longer greets customers. 10-26
Thrifty Drug (Gone)
Builders Emporium (Gone)
Woolworth (Gone)
Lucky Grocery (Demolished)
Lucky Grocery (Demolished)
Montgomery Ward (Demolished)
