I was quite surprised when I saw this 1934 photo of a Piggly Wiggly market in West Hollywood. I’ve always associated Piggly Wigglys with the South and had no idea that they were in Southern California. So imagine my surprise when I looked in the Los Angeles City Directory of 1933 to find there were nearly fifty of them! Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised – the sign does say “All Over The World.” This one stood at 7912 Santa Monica Boulevard. Not only that, but the building is still there and pretty much intact. I call that an L.A. miracle.
From the Los Angeles City Directory of 1933:
Andie says: “There was a Piggly Wiggly on Vanowen St. in Canoga Park in the late ’60s and I shopped there because they carried some canned goods from southern producers that I couldn’t find anywhere else in the area. In about 1971 the SoCal stores were bought by AlphaBeta and the stock changed so I no longer shopped there. Sad. Our house was on Owensmouth Ave and a block and a half from the Ralph’s market on the corner of Sherman Way and Winnetka so I had to go out of my way to shop at Piggly Wiggly and I think it was just over the border in Reseda, instead of Canoga Park.”
Well well..wonders never cease. Great to see that the original building on Santa Monica Blvd is well maintained and adds to the streetscape. The Piggly Wiggly brand struggles and I last visited one in Alabama (which has more than any state). It was a depressing, dilapidated place with tiny aisles and semi-rotten fruit. Their stores are often located in economically depressed areas where customers simply have no choice. Sad.
I was quite surprised when I saw this 1934 photo of a Piggly Wiggly market in West Hollywood. I’ve always associated Piggly Wigglys with the South and had no idea that they were in Southern California. So imagine my surprise when I looked in the Los Angeles City Directory of 1933 to find there were nearly fifty of them! Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised – the sign does say “All Over The World.” This one stood at 7912 Santa Monica Boulevard. Not only that, but the building is still there and pretty much intact. I call that an L.A. miracle.
And would you look at the prices!
And THAT is why it’s good to shop at the Piggly Wiggly!
Well well..wonders never cease. Great to see that the original building on Santa Monica Blvd is well maintained and adds to the streetscape. The Piggly Wiggly brand struggles and I last visited one in Alabama (which has more than any state). It was a depressing, dilapidated place with tiny aisles and semi-rotten fruit. Their stores are often located in economically depressed areas where customers simply have no choice. Sad.
According to this story there were over 200 Piggly Wiggly stores in Southern California in the late 20’s.
http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/2014/05/31/piggly-wiggly-grocery-chain-had-south-bay-locations/
More info on those ever wiggly pigs by ruttin’ around the stye found here: https://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/safeway/safeway-history/