[Jeff]

I noticed that yesterday that the Food 4 Less on Holt and Indian Hill across the street from the Indian Hill Mall has closed. I was wondering what it was in its former life. I know that Ralphs had a Giant store (pre-cursor to F4L) across the street in the former Zodys in the Indian Hill Mall, this store closed in 1989-ish. The F4L opened around that time.

Here are a few pictures I took yesterday. It looks like they just wanted to get out of the store, as they left all the signage and banners on.

I have to say it reads sort of like a Vons to me. But that would be a rather strange predecessor and there are others who will no doubt (rightly) point out how I have erred...

<<Note from Groceteria/Site Admin: What you see above is not Jeff's original post, but my response. There was a problem, and my reply to it seems to have replaced Jeff's original post, which contained a photo. I've asked him to repost. Sorry for the confusion.>>

[runchadrun]

Do you mean the one on Holt and Indian Hill (1575 E Holt)? Ads from 1980 and 1982 list 1575 E Holt as a Boys. I thought it was a former Market Basket (see http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=698) but upon further investigation it was at 1486 E Holt which would put it in the Indian Hill Mall.

It's not showing up on the F4L store locator anymore. The Pomona College student paper ran an "obituary" for the local F4L store last March, I assume it's the same store. According to it, the store closed in February 2006.

[Jeff]

Zooming in on the original picture, the address is 1575, which means that I was originally correct with the idea that it was a Boys Market at one point.

And you are correct that this was a former Market Basket prior to 1980.

[mfricke]

It is a former Boys Market. I grew up near that location (when the Sears was across the street), and remember the Boys market. I don't remember the Market Basket, but it probably was there. Indian Hill Blvd. has a rich grocery history. The location in the mall where the Pomona USD now is located was a Ralphs Giant, and a Zodys before that. The Boys Market across the street followed the Market Basket. Further north was the old Gemco, which Vons purchased and ran for a few years. On the San Bernardino Ave. intersection was the Alpha Beta, which moved to the new store on Auto Center Dr. (within the Claremont city limits), and opened as a Skaggs/Alpha Beta. It became an Albertsons, which closed a few months ago.

While I'm on the topic of Pomona groceries, I remember the Hughes near Holt and White Ave., which moved to Haven Ave. in Rancho Cucamonga (a very long move). I also remember the old Alpha Beta on north Garey Ave., and my high school tennis coach always letting us stop there for snacks after playing against Bonita High.

On a side note, the Market Basket on Mountain and 4th in Ontario also became a Boys Market, which was razed and is now an Albertsons. It was a House of Fabrics for a very short while, probably the only H.o.F. in an old grocery store!

[scanman2]

Yes it was a Market Basket up until the late 70's, then it was a Boys Market, I'm not sure but a friend tells me that for a short time it was a Viva Mart which was a latino store run by QFI after QFI bought Boys, until Boys was bought out by F4L.

[runchadrun]

While searching for something else I found some renderings for redevelopment plans for this site at
http://www.redmountainretailgroup.com/p ... -d-53.html

[Jeff]

Boy its going to look funny with the old domed roof above it.

Wonder what the "market" is going to be....