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Marking the end of an era, it was announced the VONS store on Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena will be closing in early September after losing its lease.
The longtime grocery fixture was a popular shopping location for local residents. The closure had been forecast for the last several years but had been delayed until Pavilions (its sister store), across the street, completed its remodeling.
There has been no official announcement on what will replace the large supermarket.
On a personal note, Vons has been a great contributor to local homeless/indigent service organizations. With the cooperation of their corporate HQ, I started a program four decades ago by which they would donate grocery items that would normally be discarded, due to minor flaws like damaged or discontinued products. For over 40 years I would make rounds in downtown’s skid row to distribute food from the stores and the SPHS cafeteria to those living on the streets, doucmenting daily life on the streets with my camera. Their generosity will be greatly missed. Also their employees have become good friends over the years and I will miss them also.
I’ve seen rumors that this space will become either a Trader Joe’s, a Stater Brothers or an Amazon Fresh. No idea if any of these are true. Does anyone have insider knowledge?