1973: Good News for Shoppers and Lovers of Shag

A look back at Lemon Grove, 38 years ago this week.

School District Hangs Tough:  Because of overcrowding in Lemon Grove's six schools, and projected growth from construction of 1,125 new homes, the school board levied a $300 fee per new housing unit on 10 developers to cover the cost of educating the influx of new students.

School board president James Dorman argued that the district should “negotiate with developers for a fee” and “reassess our facilities” to accommodate new students.

But District Superintendent Robert Sutton said classroom crowding from as many as 300 new students would “lower the level of service we now provide.” He said cost-cutting measures already included lowering school thermostats to 68 degrees, trimming school bus routes and holding district vehicles to a 50 mph limit.

A board majority concurred that developers needed to pony up to ensure construction of adequate classrooms.

FedMart Comes to Town:  Sol Price, CEO of the FedMart chain, invited all to attend the Nov. 15 grand opening of his 44th store, located at Massachusetts and San Altos Avenues. Lemon Grovian Brian Roble managed the 16,000-square-foot emporium, which included a supermarket, liquor store, pharmacy, auto service, sporting goods, toys and housewares.

Many recall fondly the FedMart phenomenon (1954 - 1983) which launched the membership club industry and led to Price Club, CostCo and Sam's Club. Price launched the original FedMart with $50,000 in an old airplane hangar in downtown San Diego. There were 45 FedMarts in all. When Price sold the chain to the German corporation Hugo Mann in 1975, family scion Robert Price was forced out of his leadership role and the chain failed in 1983.

Broasting Unplugged: Jim's House of Broasted Chicken, 7125 Broadway in the Alpha Beta Shopping Center, celebrated its grand opening with a 99-cent breakfast of two eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, coffee and two pieces of broasted chicken, and a 49-cent pack of broasted potatoes with hot rolls and honey.

“It's better because it's broasted,” asserted the ad. Plus, Jim delivered “anywhere.”

Broasting was invented by L.A. Phelan in the 1950s in his Broaster Company, Beloit, WI. Phelan licensed his equipment that combined pressure cooking with deep frying resulting in chicken that was “crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.” KFC later took up the gauntlet with a similar method.

Today, the Broaster Company is alive and well with thousands of licensees and its original quonset hut is a veritable historic site.  

Broaster Bits: Fledgling actress Darryl Hannah first got a job hawking broaster fare, and the hit TV series, The West Wing referenced broasting as “it's what they do to chickens.”

Drums in the Night:  The Lemon Grove VFW, 2885 Imperial Ave. (today, Lemon Grove Avenue) continued its series of free Sunday teen dances to a “wow eight-piece rock and roll band.”

VFW dance chair Joe Nelson said, “The dances are fully chaperoned. Youngsters who leave the dance for any reason can't re-enter. You must be 14 to 17 years old. The pizza and soft drinks are free.”

Ticket coordinator Sheila Neumeister said, “It's good, clean fun and keeps these kids off the streets. But bring earplugs if you don't like loud drums.”

Contributions were being sought to cover the cost of refreshments and all those drums.

The Shag House: The Shag House of Carpet, 7951 Broadway, offered “an exciting adventure in carpet luxury.” Patrons could reserve space on the tour of Lardon Carpet Mills, San Diego (“See them actually making shag”) and get a free spice box when ordering new shag over foam padding at $8.98 per square yard.

Lemon Grove's historic H. Lee House in Civic Center Park contains beautiful hardwood floors that survived the decades because they were covered in bright yellow shag carpeting. When Lemon Grove Historical Society members removed the carpeting in 2003, they found beautiful, but water stained, red oak flooring throughout the house. The flooring lives on today in gleaming splendor.

Compiled by Helen Ofield, president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, from newspapers archived at the H. Lee House Cultural Center.