Groceteria.com

The Safeway which has been serving Soquel, CA since 1972 will be demolished within weeks. The store has it's original bubble lettering and it's two circle S symbols which light up on the exterior of the store in perfect condition. The interior is early 80's. However, I spotted many key features dating from when the store opened in 1972. The original red tile flooring can be found where the liquor department was (and still is). In the dairy department there are two metal designs both of which hold two circle S symbols on each side of them. When I went to look behind the store for any hidden treasures I found over 50 shopping carts! To my surprise there was a cart from the 1970's with the circle S symbol made into the metal which made up the shopping cart. (Yes, this is very complicated to describe.) There were also a few Safeway "baskarts" behind the store too. This store is a must see, and unfortunately it will be demolished for a new store very soon (4 to 10 weeks). I would think if it rains a lot Safeway might not move into their new store until April or May. This store is located on the 1500 block of 41st ave. in Soquel, CA. It is very close to the town of Capitola and Santa Cruz.
B.T.W. If you go a mile down 41st ave. towards Capitola you will see a classic Albertsons now operating as Ralphs and an Alpha Beta now operating as Albertsons.

Since you are down in the area I would try to bargain for the circle signs. I'm sure they would work it out with you before auctioning or taking to the dump. Keep us posted if they hold an auction Id be interested in an original S, heck Id even like a few of the old grocery carts instead of it be melted down for scrap metal.

A friend of mine lived around the corner from that store for several years and didn't have a car so she walked there all the time. I shopped there a couple times when visiting her.

I just emailed her about the store closure (she now lives in Baltimore) and she replied that they were open 24 hours. She went out for a midnight food run and they were closed but had a big sign about their "new expanded hours" of 6 am to 11 pm!

I know exactly what type of Safeway cart you are talking about. When I was younger, the Safeway we shopped at had them with the "Circle S" on the front of the cart. Last year some of them turned up at MacFrugal's (Big Lots) with the "Ribbon S", but those carts are all gone, now.

For a while one of the Vons stores here was using carts with an "S-O" logo made into the wire basket in a similar fashion to what Safeway did, in this case "S-O" stood for Sav-On.