A 1950s-era hamburger stand on Ocean Avenue near City College evokes the Sputnik era while still dispensing great hamburgers decades later. Courtesy of Western Neighborhoods Project.
Many of us had cars in those days, and the western part of the city was dotted with Volkswagen Beetles (which fit nicely between neighboring driveways), though Toyota was beginning to make inroads with its new Corolla and Celica models—many of them sporting a crooked “Toyota” decal on the rear window. Gasoline began to creep up in price after the 1973 oil embargo, and it was not unheard of to see prices beyond fifty cents a gallon, though the one-dollar-per-gallon mark was generally not breached until mid-1979.
As late as 1978, a ticket to a Giants game cost a mere dollar—and on Memorial Day weekend to boot! Times were, indeed, simpler and less costly for residents. Author’s collection.
Grison’s operated as popular twin dining houses—steaks and chops served in one building and chicken in the other—at Van Ness Avenue and Pacific from the 1930s until the 1970s. Run by Swiss-born Bob Grison, it was a formal place with tuxedoed waiters. Thanksgiving Day diners were given the boxed remains of their table’s entire roast turkey and trimmings to take home. Author’s collection.
Today, many of us who grew up in San Francisco, or who lived there in our early adult years, have now settled elsewhere for a variety of good and logical reasons involving family, careers and relative cost. It’s easy to remember, though, when we had so many longtime friends and relatives as neighbors, when entertainment and dining out was varied and inexpensive and when local merchants greeted us warmly as we ran our weekly errands. Just like the days of our childhood, the early adult years were also a golden time for many of us—not soon to be forgotten.
14
DOWN ON THE CORNER
No matter where you lived in San Francisco, there was always a little corner business that opened early, closed late and stocked many different items. It might be a small grocery store, deli, pharmacy, liquor store or candy shop/soda fountain. Whatever the format, these places were invariably the gathering place for young and old alike.
No one had to call, text or send an e-mail to learn what was going on in the neighborhood—you just went to the corner to pick up a loaf of bread, a quart of milk, a sandwich, a newspaper, a bottle of aspirin or a candy bar, and there would always be someone there to fill you in on the news of the day—from around the world and around the block.
Sometimes a parent would hand their child a dollar bill and request a pack of Benson & Hedges Menthol Lights. The corner store clerk would gladly hand the ciggies over to a nine-year-old, and the happy child would get to spend the change on penny candy.
In many areas, there was at least one of these establishments at every single intersection along the commercial streets. You often had credit there, the owners knew you and your entire family (sometimes for generations) and it was truly a home away from home. Sadly, these handy places have been disappearing at a faster pace than ever since the turn of the millennium.
Here are some current and past favorites, remembered by many:
RICHMOND/SUNSET/WEST OF TWIN PEAKS
Lee’s Market at 5th and Balboa
Eddie’s on Irving Street in the Inner Sunset
Lincoln Market at 21st and Quintara
Herb’s Deli on Taraval—hot meatball sandwiches every Thursday
Amity Market at 44th and Taraval
Pelican Liquors on Vicente—they didn’t check ID too much
Sea-Bee Liquors on Taraval—where they carded you until you were at least forty
Johnny’s at 18th Avenue and Balboa
Vicente Variety near 24th Avenue—gone since the late 1960s
Your Market on 48th Avenue
John’s Richmond Market at 41st and Balboa
George’s at 15th and California
P&G (Pete & George’s) Market on 4th Avenue and Balboa
Dubayah’s on 25th and Taraval
Mo’s on Portola Drive in Miraloma Park
Overland Pharmacy at 21st and Taraval, run by Mrs. Corsiglia
The Sweeterie at 21st and California
Appel & Dutch at 22nd and California
Gateview Market on 25th and California
The Royal Rose at 23rd and California
The Village Super at 17th and Irving
Sun Valley Dairy at 24th Avenue and Noriega
Herman’s Deli on Geary near 7th Avenue—the wonderful aroma of an old-world delicatessen
Selmi’s Market on the corner of Holloway and Ashton for afterschool snacks
Reis’ Pharmacy at 18th and Taraval—prescriptions, razor blades, cigarettes, magazines and all the neighborhood news—from the 1930s to the 1970s
Eezy-Freezy on West Portal—opened early and closed late 365 days a year for batteries on Christmas morning, Halloween candy, cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving or that last-minute birthday card
MISSION/EXCELSIOR/CASTRO/ NOE VALLEY/GLEN PARK
Sal’s Grocery at 26th and Dolores
Ramirez’s (or “Reymos”)—Chenery Street near Glen Park. A quarter would get two bags of Jack ’n Jill Popcorn and a Freezie Pop.
The New Bosworth Market at Bosworth and Cuvier
Helen’s right across from St. John’s Church
Roxie’s on San Jose Avenue at San Juan
Len’s on Diamond near 24th
Luke Morley’s on Chenery in Glen Park
Nick’s in Glen Park
Mr. Wong’s on Crescent and Andersen in Bernal Heights
Rossi’s near Mission and Geneva by the Amazon Theatre
Clara’s at 18th Street and South Van Ness. She was the owner who, sadly, was killed during a robbery attempt in the early 1970s.
Dell’s on Excelsior Avenue
Jefferson’s Market on 23rd and Florida for Italian ice bars
King’s Market on 23rd and Bryant for all the candy and especially “saladitos”—dried salted plums
Sunnyside Market
Harrison’s Fountain on Geneva Avenue—everyone stopped there after the show at the Amazon (later, the Apollo) Theatre
Del and Emma’s on Flood and Detroit Streets
Log Cabin Market on Staples and Edna Streets
Shufat’s on 24th and Church
Pete’s Grocery at the corner of Peru and Edinburgh
Lam’s on 29th and Noe
M&M on Castro and 29th
Nick’s (later Margarita’s) on Arlington and Miguel and the man who looked like Boris Karloff
The Hong Kong Grocery on the corner of St. Mary’s and Marsilly
Golden State Market at 15th and Castro
Joe’s on 22nd and Church
Sweeney’s at 21st and Castro
Johnson’s on the corner of Castro and 20th—Mr. and Mrs. Johnson lived above
Castelli’s at 26th and Bryant
St. Francis Candy Store & Soda Fountain, 24th and York—since 1918
Diamond Market on 20th and Diamond
Norman’s Liquors on Randall Avenue
Butler’s at 26th and Diamond—had a nice deli and allowed charge accounts
Chenery Market on the corner of Chenery and Randall
Ronnie’s at Army and Sanchez
St. Clair’s Liquors on 24th Street—once owned by Poly High grad and 49ers football great Bob St. Clair
WESTERN ADDITION/HAYES VALLEY HAIGHT
Goodwin’s Grocery on Hayes Street—nice store run by nice people
Fred’s at Haight and Divisadero
Little Joe’s on the corner of Masonic and Fulton—always a stop for USF students from the dorms
MARINA/NORTH BEACH/CHINATOWN/RUSSIAN HILL
Mike’s grocery store on Greenwich and Grant
Lucca Delicatessen on Chestnut Street—everything Italian
Molinari’s on Columbus Avenue
Sherman Market on Union and Franklin
Guidi Brothers on Greenwich—when you want to avoid the “dating game” at Marina Safeway
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sp; Ara’s on Washington Street
POTRERO/PORTOLA/VISITACION VALLEY/BAYVIEW
Tom’s on 24th Street at Vermont
Potrero Liquors on 24th Street
Lee’s Grocery at Silver and Revere
Mary’s Grocery at Quesada and Quint in the Bayview
Guttner’s on Wilde Avenue
The 7-Mile House on San Bruno Avenue at Wilde
Jiminez on Blanken and Tunnel Avenue—great sourdough-salami sandwiches and fresh pomegranates
Mr. Bill’s on Scotia
Armanino’s Deli on San Bruno Avenue—great sliced meats, cheeses, salads
In addition to the hundreds of small corner stores, San Franciscans had many other places to shop in the era before the mall. Trips downtown—particularly to Market Street and the Union Square area—were generally reserved for large purchases or holiday shopping. Most neighborhoods had retail shopping districts where people found the necessities, but across San Francisco, many people headed to Mission Street’s “Mission Miracle Mile” for “Dollar Day” events.
For decades, Mission Street’s “Miracle Mile” attracted shoppers from every neighborhood in San Francisco on “Dollar Day” events sponsored by local merchants. This happy crowd was bargain-hunting in 1958. Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
The Crystal Palace, located at 8th and Market Streets, was a shopper’s paradise from the early 1920s until its closing in 1959. The location had individual merchants selling everything imaginable under one roof—meats, poultry (feather-plucking cost a bit extra), fish, produce, eggs, cheese, dried fruits, housewares, appliances, tobacco, pets, phonograph records and more. It was demolished for a then state-of-the-art motor lodge, which morphed into apartments in the 1980s, only to be demolished in 2013 and replaced by a new high-rise residential complex. Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Another spot that attracted shoppers from all neighborhoods was the gigantic seventy-thousand-plus-square-foot Crystal Palace at 8th and Market Streets. Operating from the 1920s until 1959, it was a vast open space, populated by dozens of different merchants in individual stalls—all of them selling a variety of different goods. Easily reached by MUNI, the location also had a vast parking lot facing Mission Street. It was a gathering place for all San Franciscans, regardless of income or neighborhood, with unique items and daily bargains for all.
15
DECK THE HALLS
Growing up in the San Francisco of the past, Christmas was a civic celebration for everyone in addition to being a religious holiday for many.
Everywhere you went, there were signs of merriment and celebration, from Christmas trees in virtually every residential window to exterior lights on homes in many neighborhoods and the classic department store images—especially the decorated tree in the rotunda of the City of Paris at Stockton and Geary. That store closed in 1972, and the building was demolished in 1979. The new Neiman-Marcus store that was built there managed to save the stained-glass skylight from the original store. The new store has also put up a large tree each year since the early 1980s, but it quite simply does not evoke the same warm feelings as the one at the City of Paris.
A visit to downtown also included checking out the windows of the Emporium, as well as a visit to the carnival “Roof Rides.” A stroll through Woolworth’s and presto—a child shopping for parents or siblings could find countless stocking stuffers for the entire family for well under a total budget of one dollar. The floral shop Podesta-Baldocchi was yet another entirely free walk-through experience to admire thousands of twinkling lights.
Neighbors banded together in many areas to hold community-wide decorating contests, and in the years just after World War II, San Francisco firehouses joined in the competition. Many families walked block after block after dinner each night just to take in the sights. Public caroling was also a popular pastime, and I have fond memories of being invited to a home on 38th Avenue each year, where participants would enjoy munchies and hot cider and then go out “Carrolling with the Carrolls” up and down the local blocks of the Outer Sunset.
Each December, Emporium Department Store featured an attraction known as “Roof Rides”—carnival entertainment on the top of its Market Street store and, later, also at the Stonestown location. Santa’s arrival at Powell and Market Streets by cable car kicked off the annual holiday shopping season. Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Throughout the city, from Twin Peaks with a lighted tree high above Market Street to Fisherman’s Wharf and the Marina Green, where boats were strung with colorful lights, the city had a festive air, including a giant Hanukkah menorah in Union Square. Holiday music dominated the radio waves, and across the neighborhoods, smells of holiday baking filled the air. Cookie exchanges proliferated in many schools, office workplaces and community groups, and neighbors also sent paper plates filled with homemade treats to those living across the street or across the backyard fence.
The old red-brick Shriners’ Hospital on 19th Avenue joined in by decorating an immense tree that had long been growing in its front lawn with multicolored lights, a beacon for drivers along busy 19th Avenue. A similar decorating theme appeared on an equally large tree in front of McLaren Lodge on the Stanyan Street end of Golden Gate Park near the Panhandle.
Department-store Santas, the retail industry’s most seasonal employment position, were always on the visiting list for parents with young children. Some kids loved the annual visit, while others were afraid of the guy with the white beard and some—whether in fascination or terror—were inclined to “accidents.” This author, having had to pinch-hit for more than one AWOL Santa during a quarter-century career in the retail business, knows how important it is to have a spare pair of red velvet pants nearby, along with a sign reading, “Santa is out feeding his reindeer and will be back in 5 minutes.”
Residents of Sylvan Drive, south of Sloat Boulevard, banded together in 1948 to celebrate the Christmas season. Courtesy of Christine Meagher Keller.
Shriners’ Hospital was located on 19th Avenue in the Sunset District from the 1920s until it relocated to the Sacramento area in the 1990s. A crowd gathered annually on the front lawn to celebrate the facility’s Christmas tree–lighting ceremony. This was the image viewed by local residents and by thousands of motorists traveling through San Francisco, along the route between San Mateo and Marin Counties. The hospital has been replaced by a senior housing complex and townhouses, with the original brick structure preserved. Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Even the post office managed to spread good cheer by hiring extra carriers and delivering mail multiple times a day during the month of December, plus adding a new commemorative stamp each year beginning in 1962.
Schoolchildren often pooled their pennies, nickels and dimes to buy a small gift for their teacher—often items along the lines of handkerchiefs, cookies, candy or lotion. Even in the city’s public elementary schools, 1950s sing-alongs included religious Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs.
Church groups banded together for many years to put on a “living Nativity scene” in Lindley Meadow of Golden Gate Park—something that many people would visit, bringing children in their jammies, who could ooh and ah while warmly bundled up in the backseat of the family car. In one of the production’s final years in the late 1960s, some of the sheep managed to stampede just a bit, providing the actor-shepherds with a real need to display their talents!
St. Cecilia School at 18th Avenue and Vicente Street in December 1950. The lighted banner reads: “The Children of St. Cecilia’s School Wish You a Holy and a Happy Christmas.” The adjacent 2600 block of 18th Avenue was equally decked out in holiday lighting in that era. Note the sidewalk Nativity scene and the lighted Christmas trees in each of the classrooms. Courtesy of Monsignor Michael D. Harriman, parish archives.
The 2600 block of 18th Avenue was fully decorated wit
h trees and outdoor lights every year, from the 1930s when the homes were first built until the dawn of the 1970s—with just a brief “time-out” during the World War II years. On a Saturday night about two weeks before Christmas, Santa would arrive by fire engine, courtesy of the SFFD, sit on his golden throne in the garage entrance of one home and have children (and a couple of moms) sit in his lap and tell him their wishes. Peppermint candy canes from the old Hromada Candy Company near the Embarcadero (picked up by my father and myself a week or so earlier) were dispensed to everyone, as Christmas carols played from rented loudspeakers. Everyone held open houses that night, and all the neighbors mixed like family with one another.
Throughout the city, decorations were strung from MUNI wires by local merchant groups, seeking to bolster both holiday spirit and retail sales. Red plastic “mission bells” hung from the wires of the 14-Mission line, while silver scrolls, giant red-and-white-striped plastic candy canes and smiling reindeer heads graced streetlights from the Richmond to the Sunset and from Stonestown to the Excelsior. Buses, streetcars and cable cars often displayed a festive wreath on the front of the vehicle, provided by cheerful MUNI operators. Even the mundane corner gas station took steps to spread cheer to their patrons.
This Flying-A (standing for the firm’s corporate name of Associated) service station at the southeast corner of Junipero Serra Boulevard and Ocean Avenue was truly a winter wonderland in 1940. The location was long ago torn down for a bank building. Photograph by Chas. M. Hiller, Fred Deltorchio Collection, courtesy of Bud Sandkulla.
Growing Up in San Francisco Page 10