Even this color photo of the Gilbert 5 – 10 – 25 cent store at the corner of East I St and Avalon Blvd in Wilmington (near Long Beach) was taken 1977, it looks like something out of the 1950s—well, except for the sign for the $11 bean bags. That’s a bit of a giveaway, I suppose.
It’s nice to see that the building still exists, even if it’s lost its eye-catching yellow awning. This image is from February 2022.
Unique building, but maybe a bit too much for a five-dime-and two bits type store. Looks almost as though it might have begun as a market like A&P or maybe a White Spot. I’m thinking origins back to the thirties perhaps, when Streamlined Deco was a hap-nin’ thing.
thanks for the photo. that was one of my dad’s stores. Leonard gilbert
Oh wow, Linda. That’s was one of your dad’s stores?! How many did he have?
Did he by chance own the one in El Toro as well?