ABC Liquor
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Off Voltaire Street in Ocean Beach, ABC Liquor offers another reason to keep an eye on the neighborhood’s old storefronts. Perhaps a modest sign compared with some of San Diego’s elaborate neon displays, but retro old nonetheless. The kind of roadside find that deserves a second look between errands.

Standing at the corner of Voltaire and Ebers, the sign gets its message across without too much fuss. No giant bottle pouring overhead here. Just the familiar ABC lettering marking a neighborhood stop for drinks, snacks, and whatever else might have been forgotten on the last shopping trip.

UPDATE: ABC Liquor continues operating at the Ocean Beach corner, with its freestanding retro sign remaining part of the storefront’s appeal. The supplied research places the business footprint in 1956, while the sign’s precise installation date remains undocumented. There’s still a little history to sort out behind those three familiar letters. 10-26

Palomar Market
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Over on West Washington Street in San Diego, Palomar Market adds a familiar bit of neon to the neighborhood scenery. The liquor lettering may follow a fairly standard design, but that’s part of its appeal. Here’s the sort of market sign that once seemed to turn up around every other corner.

The business traces its history to 1929, giving this Mission Hills stop roots well beyond the age of the current lettering. Customers have been coming here for generations, while passing sign hunters have another reason to glance toward the storefront.

Check out the neon announcing what’s available inside. Liquor, lotto, and an ATM make for a practical shopping list, all spelled out before reaching the door. Sometimes an everyday commercial sign is worth a photograph simply for doing its job with a little glow.

UPDATE: Palomar Market continues operating on West Washington Street and has been independently family-owned since 1998. Its vintage storefront neon remains in use, carrying on the neighborhood look captured in the original photograph. The business dates to 1929, though the sign’s fabrication year has not been established. 10-26

Estrella Liquor (Closed)
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

An almost tiki-like appearance gave Estrella Liquor a little extra roadside flavor along University Avenue in San Diego. Check out the four-point star perched above the marquee. With the store name below and more sign boxes farther down, this one gave passing motorists plenty to look at.

The Hillcrest building dates to 1965 and features the angular roofline, stone veneer, and broad windows associated with Googie design. That sweeping overhang made a fitting companion to the sign out front. Apparently an ordinary roof and a plain rectangle weren’t quite enough here.

For decades, Estrella Liquor and Deli occupied the building, with its tall, two-pole marquee helping customers find the stop. The star gave the sign a distinctive finishing touch, something to remember after the snacks and drinks were long gone.

UPDATE: The former Estrella building has been repurposed as Négociant Winery, retaining its angular roof overhang, exterior stonework, and large windows. The roadside pylon sign was removed during later property conversions, leaving the building to carry on the mid-century look without its familiar star above the frontage. 10-26

Leucadia Liquor
Leucadia, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

A Googie-looking marquee catches the eye at Leucadia Liquor, right where the name suggests it ought to be. Along the coast highway in Leucadia, this angular sign gives passing travelers another reason to watch the storefronts instead of looking only toward the beach.

The lettering takes an unusual route through the sign, making it worth a moment to figure out how everything fits together. Once spotted, though, the shape is easy to remember. A handy trait for a business hoping customers will recognize it on the next drive through town.

This is the sort of marquee that adds a little fun to the highway. There may be snacks and drinks waiting inside, but the roadside attraction is already out front. Take a look at those angles before continuing down the coast.

UPDATE: A 2024 celebration of more than 60 years of Leucadia Liquor highlighted the store’s familiar sign as part of its local identity. The distinctive design has become an attraction in its own right, giving the old coast highway another memorable piece of commercial scenery. 10-26

Main Street Liquor (Gone)
El Cajon, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Over in El Cajon, Main Street Liquor was a familiar stop along the road. Its old lettering gave passing sign hunters something to admire, even without a cold drink on the shopping list.

The neighborhood storefront eventually gave way to redevelopment, bringing a different look to the corner. Main Street Liquor carried on with an entrance on adjoining Mollison Avenue.

UPDATE: City plans from June 2013 called for demolishing the old shop after its replacement was ready. The change fits the reported redevelopment around 2014, though the exact closure date remains unconfirmed. Main Street Liquor continues at the Mollison Avenue address. 10-26

Presidio Liquor (Gone)
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Another neighborhood liquor-store find turns up at Presidio Liquor in San Diego. Its storefront advertising joins the collection of signs that made the city’s everyday shopping stops a little more interesting to pass by.

There’s a familiar feel to places like this. The lettering marks a business that customers might visit week after week, while motorists come to recognize it as part of their usual route. A small landmark, perhaps, but a landmark all the same.

Take a look at the older storefront identity preserved in the photo. These are the details that can slip away with a new name or a fresh sign face. Fortunately, somebody stopped long enough to give this neighborhood business its moment in front of the camera.

UPDATE: The business is now listed as Presidio Market on Linda Vista Road. The market name carries the neighborhood stop into another chapter, while this photograph recalls its Presidio Liquor identity. Another everyday San Diego storefront gets a place in the roadside memory book. 10-26