Aug 30, 2008
20 ways to know you’ve lived in Concord a really long time
Categories: Concord Feature News
Written By: Mayor Concord California
I wanted to write a guest post for the Claycord site highlighting some of these but that didn’t work out. Over the years, Concord has gone through many changes. It made me realize I’ve been here for a long time when I can remember this many things. I can’t imagine how much more will change in the next 10 years. especially when the Naval Weapons Station starts getting developed. The face of Concord will change drastically. As long as nothing spoils my view of Mt. Diablo from the backyard.
by stargonautone
- Centre Concord was “Roller World”.
- The tallest structure in Concord was the Park n Shop sign.
- Kohl’s was a Montgomery Wards (I know that’s a stretch.)
- A plane flew into the center of the Sunvalley Mall near Christmas.
- There was a Chuck E Cheese in the Willows Shopping Center. (I’d get lost in the cheese maze)
- Century Theaters (the dome) had a line wrapped around Montgomery Wards for the opening of T2
- The Sunvalley Mall had a movie theater.
- Olympic High was a real high school and the kids could smoke in class.
- There was a movie theatre in Park n Shop called Capri that played “Ghost” for like 2 years.
- The Sunvalley Mall had a full ice skating rink.
- You believed that Walnut Creek is full of snobs and Clayton is full of cowboys.
- Marsh Creek Road was where the kids went to party on weekends.
- The Hot dog palace in Todos Santos was family owned and had a roller skating drive up up on Clayton Rd.
- The Sunvalley Mall had a fountain in the middle.
- There was a miniature golf course where the retirement apartments are now.
- There was an A&W on Clayton Rd. where the Chinese restaurant is now.
- Brenden Theaters was an IHOP.
- Taco Acapulco (on Clayton) used to be Taco Bell
- Concord’s area code was 415.
- The community Center in Todos Santos was an X rated movie Theater.
I know I am missing some and feel free to remind me.
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August 31st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I remember…The A and W on Clayton had car hop service, Jessica’s night club was in the Willows, The community center at Todos Santos was 2 theaters before it, the first one was called the Enean the second one was called the Showcase…the dome was the only theater in Contra Costa worth going to…Concord Auto Movies in Concord Avenue where Concord Airport Plaza is now…Pleasant HIll Automovies were at Monument at Contra Costa Blvd is at..Treat and Clayton were rural 2 lane roads. Before IHOP there was the Contra Costa Water District offiices and a water tower behind the buildings…Ynez Avenue was the name of Cowell Road up until 1956…OK thats before my time but I have a map that says it and a friends parents house deed says it was Ynez!
August 31st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
@ Radar, there was a night club in the Willows?!? Too bad we can’t get photos of these things.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Big Fat Tony used to have a Blog with a “You know you’re from Concord, CA, if” list. It’s long gone, but he still has the list on his MySpace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=3784808
And I’ve been here long enough to remember TWO Anna Miller’s in Sun Valley Mall.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
@Cowellian, thanks. I had never heard of Big Fat Tony before and his list is pretty funny.
Mayor of Concord’s last blog post..Announcing – New Concord Job board
September 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
There are some photos around but I don’t have any. Remember Tony the Barber? Bosco the barber…Beede’s variety stores on the corner of Galindo and Salvio, Treat and Clayton and CV Shopping center. Fry’s grocery stores…Hilson’s for boy scout uniforms and other accessries…Wentling’s for cameras and other photographic products.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:18 am
You only remember the Sun Valley’s ice rink, theaters (midnight movies and, earlier, all the Disney first releases), and the fountain? When it first opened they had parrots, macaws, and other exotic birds in cages down the middle. Does anybody else remember that?
September 11th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Jessica’s had female mud wrestling– lots of cops to break up the fights
November 6th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Don’t forget the bowling alley and the great entertainer (lovely billiards, arcade and bar) where the Lucky’s shopping center is now at. (4 corners.) Man, we had some good times there!!!
November 6th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
So much before my time. I wonder if mud wrestling will ever make a comeback? I never hung out near 4 corners but I remember hearing a lot about the Great Entertainer.
Concord Blogger’s last blog post..How local blogs shaped the elections in Concord
December 12th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Oh! I must be getting old, how about the carnivals across from park n shop, the old field now called gate way.
william sawyers’s last blog post..Welcome To My Blog Site-Scroll Down
December 13th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Oh my god! Yes, I remember the circus there too. My grandmother lived right near there and we would walk to the Circus Vargas.
January 6th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
How about when the canal that runs next to Detroit Ave (let’s out near Treat BLVD) was just a creek and it used to flood out? Riding BMX bikes at the sweet track at Nature Park. Getting shot with salt rock on the ranchers property over on Cowell Rd and Ygnacio. I miss Concord!
March 17th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
dang i have lived here for about half of these thats kinda scary lol
March 28th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Concord’s area code was 415?! good grief.
April 1st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Boy-oh-Boy was this jerk wrong…..
John Says:
October 17th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Read the complaint. It explains everything. When the city settles for millions of dollars some will have alot of explaining to do. I will feel bad for those who try to do their jobs. Mr. Koka isn’t the only one who has worn a uniform. Whether your in the military or law enforcement that uniform is supposed to be a constant reminder of what you represent it’s not just a piece of clothing.Telling the truth isn’t always popular but it’s the honorable thing to do. That seems to have gotten lost in todays society. I have heard of these surveys. I have asked my friends if they know anything about them. Amazingly not one person has ever seen one. Most of my friends are people of color as am I. That may explain why we don”t receive them. I am a small business owner too. I will continue to report what i see and hear. If my truth bothers you go stick your head in the sand. I care about my community and i want the best for it. I can assure you there are 2 America’s. The treatment i receive from a local official may be different than what you may receive. When i report that difference it doesn’t make it any less true. What is allowed to go on in minority areas of Concord would never be permitted in white areas. If you think this is unintentional, i can’t help you.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:34 am
The dealerships infront of Park N shop were old barns and The old Concord Feed. A&W was also where Leamers is now and there was a gas station on that same corner. I sooo rember the Entertainer! Bobs Big boy! Ohh that was a good one, I believe that it was origonaly in Park N shop!
Andys diner! Rember that one?
September 17th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
The fitness club at 1505 Willow Pass Rd. (Just past 242, which didn’t exist), used to be a movie theater. The Festival, maybe? And just across the street was a Tower Records.
I waited in line with my brother to see the first Star Trek movie at The Dome.
I loved the Capri, and saw “Blade Runner,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Flash Gordon,” and a lot of others there. Some nights were dollar movie night.
The thought of actual traffic jams on Ygnacio Valley Rd. was incomprehensible.
Northgate High was were were the rich, snooty kids went to High School.
The BART terminated at Concord.
I helped on remodeling the building that became The Hot Dog Palace–it was at first called “The Original Hot Dog Place”–for the official Todos Santos July 4 opening! 1982, maybe? 1983?
“Downtown Concord” didn’t used to exist; there was sort of a demilitarized zone between BART and, say, Park and Shop.
There were no big BofA buildings in downtown Concord. (Did I mention downtown Concord didn’t exist?)
The population was under 100,000.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Not only was the area code 415, but our phone number in Concord started with “Mulberry.”
Wasn’t there an A&W on Market behind Park & Shop?
Remember when the mapping dept of PG&E was on Willow Pass Road?
I remember having birthday dinners at the Adobe Restaurant by Park & Shop, and having them bring a piece of cake with a sparkler on top.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Olympic High School was Concord Elementary. There used to be a candy store on Port Chicago at Bonafacio across from Baldwin Park which used to be Navy housing.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
When I moved here the area where the Solano drive-ins are now ,was a swamp .I used to go to Glenbrook by walking across a hugh pipe that went across the swamp! There was no park either!
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
YA! JEESICA’S HAD A LOT GOOD TIMES THERE!
LADYS NITES!
October 30th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Jessica’s (at the Willows) had male strippers (think Chippendales).
The name of the theatre on Willow Pass (almost under 242–now a gym) was called Fox. I saw Grease there.
I can’t believe with all the talk of Park-n-Shop yet no one mentioned the department store Liberty House.
How about The Treasure store. Contra Costs Blvd (I believe next to Target, which would have been Gemco at that time).
Speaking of Gemco, how about the theatres located in that plaza. Regency I believe was their name.
How about that (chain) store Whole Earth Access. That was at the Willows for a while.
Actually, I’m on a Willows kick right now: The Cookbook, Souperb Salads and Chuck E. Cheese with probably the coolest stuff ever (when you’re that age).
The Pussy Cat theatre in Todos Santos that backed up to a church. Mysteriously, the theatre had several unexplained fires in the middle of the night…….hmmmm. I remember my mom driving us by there when we were kids and I read the marquee which said “Starring Candy Samples” Always thought that was a great name!
How about that travel agency in Todos Santos that had all the cheap cheap deals to Hawaii (this would have been early 90s).
Sattlers appliance store. Are they still there (anywhere)?
Ellis lake when it was safe to go there and feed the ducks.
Ginslerlee Diamonds (”the place to buy diamonds if you’re really smart, Ginslerlee Diamonds, the store with the heart!”)
Paul, President of the Diamond Center.
The food court in Sun Valley Mall. It was called “The World’s Fair (or Fare)” and it had these metal “trees” to give it an outdoor look. It was located basically next to Penny’s on the lower level. There was a food stand there called the Posh Potato and you could get anything you wanted on, yes you guessed it, a baked potato.
Sun Valley mall stores: Pleasant Thoughts (for all your sticker collection needs); Scott Allan (for all your male 80’s fashion); Sherman Clay (in case you felt inclined to buy a piano or organ while you were there); Merle Norman Cosmetics (in the “green house” on the upper level in the middle of the mall walkway); Patricia T and King John (why two bathroom stores in one mall?);
Oh how about this urban legend: Everyone knew someone who had a friend who had a cousin who’s hairdresser knew someone who had come back to their car (at Sun Valley) and found an old woman sitting in the passenger’s side of their vehicle. When asked what the old woman was doing there, she replied “I need a ride home. Give me a ride home!” When the vehicle owner resists and tries to remove the old woman from their car, the wig falls off revealing a man who is sitting on an axe! Yes, an axe! Everyone I knew had personal knowledge of this happening to someone they knew! Mmmm Hmmm…..
October 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
To correct my previous post: I meant THE TREASURY store.
November 7th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I remember:
going to The Great Entertainer (which was neither great nor entertaining) with $5 looking for pot.
shoplifting 8-track tapes from Tower Records and selling them to Rasputins.
sneaking beer into the Capri Theater and watching “The Road Warrior”
thinking that Martinez was a thousand miles away and smelled like raw sewage.
Swanson’s cleaners being right next door to Swensons Ice Cream at P&S
the Lime Ridge Open Space off Treat Blvd being a complete waste of open space
Shakey’s Pizza on Contra Costa Blvd?
getting my hair cut at Bosco’s
December 9th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Remember those spiky pole things on Concord Avenue that the vines were supposed to grow on but the poles were too slippery?
December 19th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I remember Rhodes Department store and getting my Christmas and Easter outfits. and getting my hair done at the Paris Beauty College. A big updo. O and yes the wonderful candy counter at Grant’s and getting chocolate stars….all in Park and Shop…
Yes I remember the candy store on Port Chicago highway…used to stop off there on way home from QAS to Sunterrace.
In the summer riding my bike home with a basket full of books from the public library…Concord was cool.
January 12th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I well remember the Enean Theater, Montgomery Wards, Park & Shop, Purity Store, Dairy Belle, Sun Valley Mall when it was built and those birdcages. I worked at the theater briefly when Jungle Book came out and In Cold Blood. Jolly Burgers at 4 Corners, A&W on Clayton road with car hops and where I went on my first date with husband of 41 years (in March). I remember Treat Lane (yes, it used to be lane).
The crossing guard lights for Clayton Valley Elementary at Clayton Road and Denkinger.
El Monte Variety & Top Notch Variety. The brief time there were trampolines to jump on for a dollar an hour.
I lived there from 1955 to 1971
January 28th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
“Top Notch” on Clayton rd next to the old Diablo Foods
January 30th, 2010 at 2:14 am
what about the go cart track?
and where the heck was that place?
I moved and came back and it was gone and im too old too remember which street that was
quarter pounder burger was on monument across from the great entertainer and had a huge parking lot
back then,you could park on the shoulder on monument blvd
mchugh’s junkyard was on monument by the old cemetary
we went bowling at the old bowling alley for PE class “0″ period YVHS
You could smoke at school but not inside class
same at olympic
no dope back then,only cool potheads