The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
QUESTION: Many businesses go out of business, and you never hear a word from them again. What are a few businesses from your past that have shut down, but you wish would come back?
Talk about it….
They aren’t officially dead, but I miss finding gems in record stores.
One business I can’t believe stays in business is Big 5. Most of the inventory looks like the same inventory you would see in 1980’s a Big 5. That company wasn’t good 30 years ago.
Dairy Belle.
One still in business in Hayward
.
Mervyn’s, would be my first choice. They always had a nice selection of men’s clothes at good prices.
Radio Shack, and the Screw Shop on Meadow Ln. always had stuff you just couldn’t find anywhere else.
Other stores I miss include Grand Auto, Montgomery Ward, Blockbuster, Pacific Stereo, Woolworth, and Orchard Supply.
Sears hasn’t gone completely out of business yet, but I’d like to see it make a comeback. It was a great store when Kenmore, Craftsman, and Die Hard, were good American made quality.
Yes Dawg…forgot about the Screw Shop. I miss Pacific Electronics too.
I forgot to mention, CC Ole’s Mexican restaurant.
fyi – Screw Shop is over near Costco – they just moved… if you go down Detroit you’ll see their sign near the sidewalk
Bank of America when it was a California based bank–
So true. I hate Bank of America now! It was the best when it was totally California operated.
B of A has the worst customer service I’ve ever dealt with.
I agree, Bob. I moved my “fortune” to CHASE 8 years ago. Great service & they know me by name.
Mostly out of Nostalgia:
B,B & B’s
Discount Mart
Gabardine’s
Green’s
Hood’s
Loray’s
Mexicali Rose
Montgomery Ward’s
White Front
Red Barn
Simon’s
Could go on and on…
I used to love The Red Barn
* Hamburger Day at school got their burgers at Red Barn. Tasty
* White Front, loved that popcorn smell.
* Disco Mart, great stereo dept…Pioneer Super Tuner and Jensen
triaxial speakers.
* Brooks Hamburgers, That buttered bun smell in the air was great
* BBB, I got my first Bat Man prime time shirt there. Super Cool
* Hoods, They had all the super cool stuff
* Mary and Joes, got my fist Gym outfit with a jock strap there
* Mc Farlens El Cerrito, Grandma would take me for a ice cream, yum yum.
* Monkey wards, all my bikes and toys came from there…Always wanted a Schwinn but got the Hawthorne.
* Kennys Shoes, great shoes, wanted the Cons but ended up with the Scats.
I remember Gabardine’s on the E One-Fo. And Mexicali Rose was a Town classic as was the Hof Brau on Broadway and W Grand
S
How about Chuck Burgers on E14 & High St and McFarlands on E14 & 35th?
wf,
a sister worked at the McFarlands in el portal plaza, it’s how I learned about mint chip ice cream…
Loray’s – My mom did her grocery shopping there, in the late 60s.
Red Barn – Right next door to the Snow White drive in, where we used to hang out and play pinball.
Simons – My dads go to hardware store. Two stores! Right across the street from each other.
And.. Cruising the main. Wow, good times back then.
Tri City in Fremont was pretty awesome, I also miss having a Toys R Us down the street now that I have kids.
The one I miss, was Above the Belt at Sun Valley Mall.
Moved to Contra Costa Blvd. at one point and closed in the mid/late 80’s.
Hogan’s sports
Whitebears
Hogan’s sports
Whitebears
Tower records
Pioneer Inn restaurant in Clayton–
Navlet’s, H Salt Esquire’s
@ Pat ~ Navlet’s didn’t go out of business, Sloat Nursery bought ’em & kept most of the employees too.
….. and Sloat’s on Kirker Pass is HIRING right now!
Their flowers looked beautiful yesterday, but I bit the bullet and left a few blossoms for the rest of you. They also have a great many healthy-looking vegetable plants.
Hogans, the Co-op, the Nut tree and the Screw shop
CC Oles!!
I miss Longs drugs and Mervyn’s.
Their replacements are nowhere near as good.
Longs Drugs still exists in Hawaii, but it is actually a rebranded CVS.
Gemco. I’ve never seen anything else quite like it.
I liked Gemco. I bet not too many readers even know where it once was located – I’m probably dating myself (lol).
Gemco in Mountain View, California…loved going there as a kid and remember buying going back to school clothes there!
I loved Gemco. With the full size Lucky’s, pharmacy and optical dept Gemco was truly one stop shopping,
TDD – the current Targets in PH & WC were Gemco’s. There also was one out by the Oakland Airport and one in Hayward too
wasn’t Gemco where Whitefront used to be?
Jelly
Whitefront, then The Treasury, then Gemco and now Target.
Beede’s
Blaze Pizza! I went there a week ago and there was a lock on the door. I loved their pizza!
Thrify
second on Simon’s also Gemco
Paradise bakery in the sun Valley mall. They had the best chipper cookies
Most recently, Carnes Jalisco on Solano Way and Broadmoor. The woman who ran that place made great birria tacos. She lost her business due to the COVID lockdowns. I hope she reopens somewhere else. Welcome to the American dream. 🙁
Andy’s Oak Pit, love that smell
Gemco
Jolly’s Beefburgers
Simon’s
Delta View GC and Zanondella’s
The putt putt course on Clayton Rd.
Alpha Beta
Red Barn
Best
Lupoi’s
Miller’s outpost
WC Bowl
Black Angus
Wards
Diamond Center, I miss those hammy commercials.
Sweet Tomatoes and their crack-like clam chowder that I haven’t been able to replicate.
My kids are still so sad about this one. Me too, though. Me too.
OMG! I missed EDUARDO’s, an Italian restaurant located at the corner of Adobe & Salvio in Concord.. I remember the family running the place. I wonder what happen to them? Really loved their food.
Yogurt park in walnut creek
Whole Earth Access
Some of everything!
Jawad’s Pioneer Inn
Beede’s dime store
CC Olé (and then Mr. Pickwick)
Ben Franklin dime store
the Craft and Paper Store in Dianda Shopping Center
Tandy’s
Hogan’s
Todos Santos’ Half Price Books
the arts/crafts/antique co-op in Bel Air Shopping Center (where Rocklin is now)
Wentling’s gift and jewelry shop (in the plaza across Salvio from Todos Santos)
……. geeeeese, somebody get the hook and drag me off stage left! 😁
The record store that was across the street from Henley’s Antiques on Clayton road. I think it was Memory Lane Records, I may be wrong.
Spencer’s Gifts! You could always find something there that pushed the “decency” envelope. Also loved their blacklights and blacklight posters.
Wow yes! Good one!
Used to Christmas shop there for friends. The black light poster room in the back – awesome.
Malibu Gran Prix
Marine World (Redwood City)
Mini Bike rental (South Lake Tahoe @ Stateline)
Horseback riding (SF Zoo)
Monkey Wards
Panelli Bros Deli (North Beach)
Emporium roof rides
Datsun Motors
Winterland
Raverty’s in Sun Valley–their peanut brittle was outstanding!
1. Radio Shack
2. Fry’s Electronics
3. Hubcaps (Restaurant in WC)
Afagatso’s in WC … and TOGO’s before they went corporate … oh, and BOSCO’s barbershop at Baily/Clayton … and Clayton Valley Skate Park … and Sundance of Chicago … and especially The Front Room in downtown Concord … so many memories … sighhh.
Yardbirds
Orchard
Navelets
I miss PJ’s Pizza in Walnut Creek…… I also miss being 17 years old.
Bob’s Big Boy, on Treat Blvd
went to the Treat Blvd many times in the early 80’s…
In the 60’s the one in Richmond. Then when they closed up that location became a Munchies which was a favorite… Then it became a Chinese food place, then a 7/Eleven, last I heard he location was a closed down dry cleaners….
Oh…. MOO’s across from Nicholl Park & Doggie Diner up on 23rd
Mel and Sons muffler and radiator shop
Fearless
My dad use to say if you couldn’t find it at Kelleway’s you couldn’t find it anywhere. He was also a Simon’s fan. I guess that was the Oakland boy in him. My mom bought lots of Pyrex things at Kelleway as well. And I always got a bag of peanut M & M’s or a tube of Flicks when I tagged along with dad.
I myself was a huge OSH fan when I lived in Concord. I lived close enough to the Monument store where I could walk to it. And if I walked I didn’t over spend. Loved buying flowers there for flower pots and hanging baskets. The flowers were top quality. But once they moved over by Ross in PH it wasn’t the same.
Fred Kelleway Hardware
Simon’s Hardware
Orchard Supply Hardware
Yardbirds
Morgan’s Machine & Marine
Vic Hubbard Speed Shop
Service Center Speed Shop
Don’s Workshop
My kid tells me she misses Bella Roma Pizza and Carlos Murphy’s.
this is sure a great Water Cooler…
Bob’s Surplus
Romano’s Pizza downtown Martinez. It was run by two brothers and they had the best handmade calzones to order! It’s where Luigi’s is today.
Yes, good one. Bella Roma pizza, too. Dave Reese playing the organ nightly packed the place. And, the brother of the Bella Roma owner, Frank C., ran Shams pizza in Pacheco.
The original/real OSH
Lettuce Romaine Friends in the CV Center
The real El Charro
Hobby Town
Burton French Lumber in WC
Oak Furniture Warehouse on Contra Costa Blvd (Loved the smell of that place)
Sawmill (?) Furniture
La Brie’s Waterbeds
Handyman Hardware/Lumber
Grossman’s Lumber/Hardware
In San Francisco:
Clown Alley Burgers
Zim’s
Fosters
Cable Car Burgers
Rexall Drugs
Gallenkamp Shoes
Swensen’s Ice Cream
I guess that’s enough for now.
Tullio’s
Woolworth’s lunch counter
Pizza Den
Giovanni
On and on….
I’m gonna try and stop now………..
CROGANS.
All in Oakland:
Doggie Diner
Hof Brau on W Grand & Broadway
JJ Newberry’s
Hershel Sanchez Jewish Mexican Deli
Mexicali Rose
Chuck Burgers on High & E 14
Berkeley Farms Restaurant WC
Pants Ladder WC
Hook n Ladder bar
Comptons next to Emporium Capwells
Pied Piper Buffet
Mr Steaks WC
The Peking Restaurant
Anna Miller’s pies Sun Vally Mall
Kelloggs on Arroyo WC
Snow White Burger, my very favorite
Universal Beauty Academy, where Bevmo is now
Nicks
Hofbrau in Walnut Cree kand Simons Hardware.
Hungry Hunter
Marie Callender
Emporium Capwell
Terrace Tea Room on Newell in WC
Elegant Bib
Copper Skillet
Happy Roll in Concord and Bronze Buddha near Clayton. Both have been replaced with other sushi and Thai restaurants but neither is anywhere near as good. Miss them both.
Hilton’s. The Emporium. Beedee’s. New York Fabrics.
How about those furniture shops that go into business to go out of business. Eh eh, they usually pop up for about 6 to 10 months at a time then go on a going out of business sale then they open up somewhere else in town under a new name lol or a sigh that says under New management lol it’s genius sad but funny… E.i https://youtu.be/4BUDwj_mXKE