[steps]

This Pavilions store in santa monica was a former Safeway...it is the marina style but since they built the top part where the sign is attached u cant tell from the outside...when u go in u can see the curve. These Safeway stores to me are very small....most of these stores dont have bakeries....



and to add the Pavilions on 9467 W. Olympic Blvd in Bervely Hills was also a former Safeway. An extremely small store at that...I'm assuming this was and still is one of the neighbhorhood stores.

Pavilions on 8969 Santa Monica Blvd was ALSO a Safeway. Dunno the details of when it became a Pavilions but i do know it was a Safeway then a VONS then a Pavilions...so i dunno if it was aquired in 1986 or not.

[klkla]

Pavilions on 8969 Santa Monica Blvd was ALSO a Safeway. Dunno the details of when it became a Pavilions but i do know it was a Safeway then a VONS then a Pavilions...so i dunno if it was aquired in 1986 or not.

The store at 8969 Santa Monica Blvd. was never a Vons. I was working there when Vons acquired Safeway Southern California in 1988.

It was a very successful Safeway averaging about $750,000 a week at the time. Vons Cos. closed the store for a week and remodeled it into a 'Pavilions Place' (200 of us worked arond the clock to make this remodel happen in a week - it was crazy). Customers HATED Pavilions Place and created a neighborhood group called PAP (People Against Pavilions) and the store dropped to an average of about $450,000 a week. A year or so later it was remodeled again and the 'Place' was dropped from the title and sales slowly began to recover and after a couple of years was doing very well, sometimes hitting sales of $1,000,000 a week. A lot of stores in the area have been remodeled since and sales have dropped but it's still one of their best stores.

[steps]

Pavilions on 8969 Santa Monica Blvd was ALSO a Safeway. Dunno the details of when it became a Pavilions but i do know it was a Safeway then a VONS then a Pavilions...so i dunno if it was aquired in 1986 or not.

The store at 8969 Santa Monica Blvd. was never a Vons. I was working there when Vons acquired Safeway Southern California in 1988.

It was a very successful Safeway averaging about $750,000 a week at the time. Vons Cos. closed the store for a week and remodeled it into a 'Pavilions Place' (200 of us worked arond the clock to make this remodel happen in a week - it was crazy). Customers HATED Pavilions Place and created a neighborhood group called PAP (People Against Pavilions) and the store dropped to an average of about $450,000 a week. A year or so later it was remodeled again and the 'Place' was dropped from the title and sales slowly began to recover and after a couple of years was doing very well, sometimes hitting sales of $1,000,000 a week. A lot of stores in the area have been remodeled since and sales have dropped but it's still one of their best stores.

ahh good to know! The store still is their highest grossing store....sales did drop to about 700,000 thousand after the strike...from the last time i was there, the sales are close to a million again....why were the people against a "pavilions place"...? is there a different to a "pavilions" and a "pavilions" place...?

btw, they are closing this store at the end of the year...they are going to tear it down, expand it, and add a 3 level parking structure...they tried for a 5 level but the city wouldnt approve it....the store will be closed for a year...i hope it doesn't hurt sales when it opens again....

[klkla]

why were the people against a "pavilions place"...? is there a different to a "pavilions" and a "pavilions" place...?

As a Safeway the store had very wealthy customers and was allowed to buy from vendors and suppliers other than Safeway. So, we carried a lot of gourmet items and produce not normally carried in a Safeway. As an example we had over 200 types of gourmet cheese. Initially as a Pavilions we only carried five different types. They didn't even carry brie! Also the stark white decor didn't look good with Safeways lighting and people complained about that, too.

A Pavilions Place was just smaller than a normal Pavilions (Beverly Hills and Santa Monica are on 18,000 sq ft. compared to 55,000 sq. ft. for new-build Pavilions).

btw, they are closing this store at the end of the year...they are going to tear it down, expand it, and add a 3 level parking structure...they tried for a 5 level but the city wouldnt approve it....the store will be closed for a year...i hope it doesn't hurt sales when it opens again....

That will be very cool. If they do it right I am sure it will surpass past sales. That's an amzing location. West Hollywood is the most densely poulated neighborhood west of the Mississippi River and Beverly Hills is only two blocks away.

ALSO: In case you didn't know it that store is a former gable (look in the back near the truck pit). It was expanded in 1984 when they took over an apartment building next door. You might notice the ceiling drops in the middle of the store's interior about two feet from front to back. If the ceiling tiles were removed you would see the old right-edge of the gable roof that couldn't be removed when the store was expanded. Sneak into the back room and you can still see the exposed beams.

[Jeff]

If you look on Google Map, you can see the gabled roof. Odd that I've never noticed it going down Santa Monica.

[Groceteria]

I've split this into a separate topic for clarity's sake.

[steps]

A Pavilions Place was just smaller than a normal Pavilions (Beverly Hills and Santa Monica are on 18,000 sq ft. compared to 55,000 sq. ft. for new-build Pavilions).

that's what I i thought...but the others on here were saying no. Beverly Hills and West Hollywood are the the square footage...? BH is very small compared to others....Torrance is a pretty good size but its called a Pavilions Place.

That will be very cool. If they do it right I am sure it will surpass past sales. That's an amzing location. West Hollywood is the most densely poulated neighborhood west of the Mississippi River and Beverly Hills is only two blocks away.

I believe its going to be simliar to the burbank store....have u seen the updated bakeries and service delis...? They have hot shrimp and salmon! Burbank is a must see store IMO its one of the best life style changes. Store looks very upscale. I believe this store was supposed to be their multi million dollar store....now that store has a wide variety of departments!

ALSO: In case you didn't know it that store is a former gable (look in the back near the truck pit). It was expanded in 1984 when they took over an apartment building next door. You might notice the ceiling drops in the middle of the store's interior about two feet from front to back. If the ceiling tiles were removed you would see the old right-edge of the gable roof that couldn't be removed when the store was expanded. Sneak into the back room and you can still see the exposed beams.

I'm goin to check that out soon! I wish there was a pic of the WH store before it was remodeled into a Pavilions. That would be strange to see tho! The santa monica Pavilions is/was a Marina style...they were supposed to tear that store down also...i read somewhere that it has been remodeled but not too sure....


Do you think the Pavilions concept has improved or gone down hill since the Safeway took it over ...?

one last question! this has always bugged me...what department did the panda express used to be...?

[runchadrun]

The Pavilions is in a great location since it's walking distance to a lot of the apartments (and bars) in Boys Town. It's also at the end of the LA Pride parade and I know I've stood in lines to buy water on pride day. I bet their liquor department is one of the higher-grossing stores in the chain.

It makes sense that they would want to rebuild this store. All of the competing stores I can think of in the area have been totally redone or rebuilt in the last few years: The Ralphs Fresh Fare (former Hughes) on Beverly and Doheney, Whole Foods (former Alpha Beta) on SMB and Fairfax, and the Rock n Roll Ralphs on Sunset. There's also a Ralphs at Beverly Connection and a Bristol Farms on Beverly.

[klkla]

I believe its going to be simliar to the burbank store....have you seen the updated bakeries and service delis...? They have hot shrimp and salmon! Burbank is a must see store IMO its one of the best life style changes. Store looks very upscale. I believe this store was supposed to be their multi million dollar store....now that store has a wide variety of departments!

I opened that store in 1992! I haven't been in it for many years. I'll have to go check it out. It was one of the most successful new stores ever for Vons and started out at more than $600,000 a week, which is a lot of a new store.

Do you think the Pavilions concept has improved or gone down hill since the Safeway took it over ...?

When Vons first took over Safeway in 1988 I asked one of the executives why they had two brands and he said that Pavilions was basically an excuse to charge more than Vons in higher income areas. The stores were nicer looking than Vons but compared to say a Gelsons didn't really carry much better product. Safeway at first ignored the concept and let it get a little tired but seems to be putting some life back into it now.

one last question! this has always bugged me...what department did the panda express used to be...?

The bakery used to be bigger and stretched down into that area where Panda is now.

[klkla]

The Pavilions is in a great location since it's walking distance to a lot of the apartments (and bars) in Boys Town. It's also at the end of the LA Pride parade and I know I've stood in lines to buy water on pride day. I bet their liquor department is one of the higher-grossing stores in the chain.

It makes sense that they would want to rebuild this store. All of the competing stores I can think of in the area have been totally redone or rebuilt in the last few years: The Ralphs Fresh Fare (former Hughes) on Beverly and Doheney, Whole Foods (former Alpha Beta) on SMB and Fairfax, and the Rock n Roll Ralphs on Sunset. There's also a Ralphs at Beverly Connection and a Bristol Farms on Beverly.

Don't forget the Gelson's on Santa Monica and Kings Road (former Mayfair Market).

[steps]

I opened that store in 1992! I haven't been in it for many years. I'll have to go check it out. It was one of the most successful new stores ever for Vons and started out at more than $600,000 a week, which is a lot of a new store.

haha yes i forgot sorry! I cant believe they were still using the same prototype 8 years later! It took Safeway's buyout to get some remodeling done! Or am i wrong....

When Vons first took over Safeway in 1988 I asked one of the executives why they had two brands and he said that Pavilions was basically an excuse to charge more than Vons in higher income areas. The stores were nicer looking than Vons but compared to say a Gelsons didn't really carry much better product. Safeway at first ignored the concept and let it get a little tired but seems to be putting some life back into it now.

are u serious...? I remeber when i was about 5 or 6, always shopping with my aunt at the garden grove Pavilions...from my point of view even at that age they store was different from others. The salad bar/mexican food(?), many service depts, huge delis, more personalized service, fresher. I loved going there.They were always sampling something in the store! What things do u notice different that Safeway is doing to revive the concept...? From what i see the only thing they are doing to revive the concept is the lifestyle format. If anything i see them running it into the ground!

The bakery used to be bigger and stretched down into that area where Panda is now.

wow...well that explains why the service deli is so long. I cant imagine the bakery needing to be that big! Well back then they did carry alot of cakes and specialty pastries.

were any of the independent shops in the parking ever apart of Pavilions?*i.e. the small building on the corner of robertson/santa monica.

[steps]

It makes sense that they would want to rebuild this store. All of the competing stores I can think of in the area have been totally redone or rebuilt in the last few years: The Ralphs Fresh Fare (former Hughes) on Beverly and Doheney, Whole Foods (former Alpha Beta) on SMB and Fairfax, and the Rock n Roll Ralphs on Sunset. There's also a Ralphs at Beverly Connection and a Bristol Farms on Beverly.

Safeway was debating for about 3 or 4 years about remodeling but didn't want to close the store since its their big money maker. I guess now they have decided...They are supposed to take over the whole block (and expand to where the dry cleaners used to be)

[klkla]

are you serious...? I remeber when i was about 5 or 6, always shopping with my aunt at the garden grove Pavilions...from my point of view even at that age they store was different from others. The salad bar/mexican food(?), many service depts, huge delis, more personalized service, fresher. I loved going there.They were always sampling something in the store! What things do you notice different that Safeway is doing to revive the concept...? From what i see the only thing they are doing to revive the concept is the lifestyle format. If anything i see them running it into the ground!

That's cool that you remember the Garden Grove Pavilions. It was the first store in the chain and replaced an existing and very successful old Vons in the same shopping center. It was quite a bit larger than the stores that would come after it but fizzled after a couple of years. When I left the company in 1995 it was barely breaking even at around $300,000 a week. All those things you liked about it cost a lot of money to maintain and weren't sustainable.

Also, as it pertains to West Hollywood most of the features you mention were neat but weren't 'gourmet' or 'upscale' to that particular neighborhood. The Weho Safeway carried an amazing selection of gourmet products in every department. The produce department alone carried over 400 items. The floral department had it's own truck to get fresh flowers from the downtown flower mart every morning. We bought some our meat (and produce) from an independent gourmet company instead of Safeway (better quality), our selection of wine & cheese matched Gelson's. All that stuff initially went away when the store became a Pavilions and pissed a lot of customers off.

I agree that Safeway defintely screwed things up when they took back over. They cut out so many of the specialty items that Pavilions had started stocking again and the stores became more generic. The lifestyle interiors are beautiful, though, and a move in the right direction. There is so much potential if they continue to innovate and add more features (you mentioned hot salmon and shrimp in a prevous post), as well as olive bars, sushi bars (Which incidentally originated in the West Hollywood Safeway in 1985), the O Organics line, e.t.c...

were any of the independent shops in the parking ever apart of Pavilions?*i.e. the small building on the corner of robertson/santa monica.

No. Safeway and then Vons did everything they could to get rid of those shops to increase parking.

[J-Man]

That's cool that you remember the Garden Grove Pavilions. It was the first store in the chain and replaced an existing and very successful old Vons in the same shopping center.

I thought the Monrovia store was the first Pavilions. At least that's what I was led to believe.

[Daniel]

There's also a Ralphs at Beverly Connection and a Bristol Farms on Beverly.

There *used to be* a Ralphs at Beverly Connection...





Photos taken Thursday... The whole center is being redone, so I expect this spot will be redeveloped before long.