Jul 20
Remember dot-matrix printers? Remember people who had too much time on their hands who delighted in creating visual patterns with type? Apparently the tradition goes back further than I thought. This ad is from the Tribune, July 4, 1888 but it ran on several occasions during this era. It is very different from the other …
Apr 28
Over five months into the war, advertising was taking a decidedly martial turn. Dollar stores are not a new idea. Discount shopping is a theme in some of the earliest advertising in the Tribune and the Telegram. Joe Shoong was the Sam Walton of his day. Born of immigrant parents the Chinese-American businessman started a …
Oct 12
Higuera Street before streets were paved, Sandercock moving wagon in the late 1800s. There aren't many businesses in the region that date back to horse and mule days, Sandercock Moving and Storage is one. They trace their roots back to 1872 when William Sandercock came to town. Mission San Luis Obispo turned 100 that year …
May 13
Delite Bakery circa 1950s photo courtesy Janice (Putnam) Reichert. Janice (Putnam) Reichert recently wrote in to share her photo and memories of Delite Bakery. My mother worked there for many, many years. As a matter of fact she came up with the name for the bakery and the unique spelling. I was just a baby …
Apr 27
San Luis Obispo city hall circa 1938 on Higuera street where Charles Shoes is today. ©The Tribune Top five signs your fire department needs an overhaul. 1. Fire department catches fire. 2. No hydrant wrench on truck to turn on water. 3. Water pressure only reaches the story below the fire. 4. Second fire engine …
Dec 27
When is farmer’s market? Even folks who never buy produce know about the one Thursday night in San Luis Obispo. It is hard to imagine Thursday night without the food, entertainment and farmer’s market downtown but before the summer of 1980 the tradition was different. Cruising. Higuera and Marsh streets were a nonstop parade of …
Nov 15
Blake Andrews shared this post card of Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo. I am guessing this is the early 1950′s though if you have a better guess from the make of the cars please post a comment. Higuera was a two way street then, with no trees planted but lots of awnings on the …
May 26
When I worked at Cal Photo during my college years in the early 1980s there were three places within walking distance for a quick coffee and breakfast. Sunshine Donuts, Boston Bagel Co. and Delite Bakery. Cal Photo was on the corner of Higuera and Morro Streets where the Apple store is today. Delite had fabulous …
May 05
Travel through a town and you pass through areas that don’t match up with their surroundings. When something looks out of place I always wonder what the story was behind the change. Today 157 Higuera St. is a gas station next to Sunshine Donuts. Most of the other buildings nearby are steel warehouses. Until late …
Apr 03
Undated photo of The Laughery Hotel at the corner of Higuera and Morro streets. The corner was once home to the Golden State Hotel (1935-1940), Cal Photo, and now the Apple Store. The photo is pre-automobile but post telegraph/telephone. The May 5, 1894 editon of The Tribune carried ads for a half dozen hotels including …
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