Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Uh...California.

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
Jason B.
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 10 Aug 2006 02:43

Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Post by Jason B. »

I visited the Stater Bros. store in north Redlands, Calif. (about 70 miles east of Los Angeles on I-10, near San Bernardino) on Feb. 11th.

The site of the store on the northeast corner of Colton and Orange is historic. A plaque says that it was the site of the Hotel Casa Loma from c. 1896, later a University of Redlands dormitory from 1939 to 1955, when it was demolished. Presidents William McKinley, Thedore Roosevelt, and William Taft spoke there. A scan of a colorized postcard of the hotel is found at:
http://www.redlands-events.com/club_history.htm

At the front of the store is photograph of the original Stater Bros. store at the location, apparently taken in the the late 1950s. The caption says that the store opened on May 6, 1956. The store was re-built on the same site in 1966 and remodeled in 1999.

Does anyone know of other Stater Bros. locations with similar historical displays?
User avatar
runchadrun
Veteran
Posts: 618
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 14:29
Location: Granada Hills (Los Angeles), CA
Contact:

Post by runchadrun »

I went to the University of Redlands so I know a little bit (but not a lot) of the history of the Casa Loma Hotel. The hotel itself was used first as a men's dorm and later as a women's dorm and was known as University Hall. A new dorm was built on campus to accomodate the students (Anderson Hall, if anyone cares) and the University decided to dispose of the hotel since it was about a mile walk to campus. It was controversial at the time because of the historic nature of the hotel since even in the 1950s Redlands was very sensitive to its historic buildings. Today there a banquet hall on campus called the Casa Loma Room which had been decorated in the Victorian style of the hotel, though the last time I was there they had thankfully toned it down. Until recently the CEO of Stater Bros, Jack Brown, was on the U of R's Board of Trustees.

Back to the store... That Stater Bros was store number 10 and one of the first large stores in the chain and one of the first modern supermarkets in the city. The only other "big" stores in town were Gerrard's Market (which was likely founded by family members of the Alpha Beta founders--see this thread) and an A&P. The Stater Bros land was still owned by the University which at the time was a Baptist school so they weren't allowed to sell cigarettes or liquor (which I can attest changed by the time I went to school there...) By today's standards it's a small store and they can't expand much because of the size of the lot but it has a very loyal customer base and has outlasted other supermarkets like the Alpha Beta on Lugonia and Church and it still thrives despite the large Vons (former Albertsons) and Trader Joe's just on the other side of the freeway.
Dean
Veteran
Posts: 738
Joined: 11 Jan 2007 23:27

Post by Dean »

runchadrun wrote: By today's standards it's a small store and they can't expand much because of the size of the lot but it has a very loyal customer base and has outlasted other supermarkets like the Alpha Beta on Lugonia and Church and it still thrives despite the large Vons (former Albertsons) and Trader Joe's just on the other side of the freeway.
The site is locked...and can't expand. With the Albertsons/LUCKY merger...I had been told that Staters REALLY wanted to move into the Albertsons...yet VONS won.

VONS had been in the Redlands Mall (which became Sav-On, now CVS)...then moved near Mervyn's. It then closed, and left Redlands without a VONS.
Dean
Veteran
Posts: 738
Joined: 11 Jan 2007 23:27

Re: Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Post by Dean »

At this site this week. The picture of the original store is hanging in the front. Quite nostalgic!

Then happened to be driving down Redlands Boulevard, and noticed a COMPLETE remodel/stripping taking place of the old House of Fabrics @ 757 Redlands Boulevard.

They have torn/ripped/stripped down the original surface of the building. Clearly across the front of the building is O S...obvioulsy the tail-end of S T A T E R B R O S.

There is even the imprints of the traditional bricks that Staters' always had on the front of the old stores.

Chad...can you do your magic, and check the history of this old site? Wonder if the Colton/Orange site was a replacement for this site...as they are relatively close.

thanks!
User avatar
runchadrun
Veteran
Posts: 618
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 14:29
Location: Granada Hills (Los Angeles), CA
Contact:

Re: Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Post by runchadrun »

Sorry, I don't have any information on whether the store on Colton and Orange was a replacement store. It is a probably a good assumption.

The store on Redlands Blvd is rather close to the Redlands Mall. Part of the deal made to approve the building of the mall was that it would include a grocery store since there was a lack of grocery stores downtown. (I believe the last downtown store was an A&P where the BofA now stands.) In the 1980s Vons moved to Tri-City Center and the old Redlands Mall Vons became a Savon/CVS. Again downtown was without a grocery store until Albertsons opened on Orange in about 1989 and even then it wasn't really considered downtown, but it was close enough. Vons in Tri-City Center would close in the early 1990s, to be replaced by Pic-N-Save/Big Lots. Vons would later return to the downtown area when they got the former Albertsons in the Lucky merger.
klkla
Veteran
Posts: 364
Joined: 29 Jun 2006 18:39

Re: Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Post by klkla »

runchadrun wrote:In the 1980s Vons moved to Tri-City Center
Just a little trivia related to that site.... the store was actually built by Market Basket (a Kroger subsidiary) but was never opened by them because Kroger decided to exit Southern California in early 80's.
Dean
Veteran
Posts: 738
Joined: 11 Jan 2007 23:27

Re: Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Post by Dean »

klkla wrote:
runchadrun wrote:In the 1980s Vons moved to Tri-City Center
Just a little trivia related to that site.... the store was actually built by Market Basket (a Kroger subsidiary) but was never opened by them because Kroger decided to exit Southern California in early 80's.
I assumed the site had been a MB...as it has the MB arches...with the hanging lamps over the entrances!

thanks!
Dean
Veteran
Posts: 738
Joined: 11 Jan 2007 23:27

Re: Redlands, Calif.-Stater Bros.

Post by Dean »

The history of Stater Brothers in Redlands continues.

As mentioned above, I noticed a remodel, that once had been a Staters.

Now, an article in The Sun (tried to find online, yet, can't) states that the [small] independent Olive Avenue Market opened in 1924...and was a Staters for 35 years.

So, I assume that this was the first location. Then the other replaced this site. Then the site mentioned at the beginning of the thread replaced the 2nd, to become the current Staters.

Also, it is weird to see on their private labeled products: Stater Brothers, San Bernardino CA. This, since it had been in Colton forever, then moved to the former Norton Air Force Base.
Post Reply