Many of us carry a picture in our head of an old-timey general store, the kind that offered more to the people of town than just merchandise and a place to shop. The store served as a community gathering place and social center. Like a present-day pub, meeting hall, convenience store, hardware depot, pharmacy, tailor and grocer rolled into one, it was the place locals gathered to talk politics, share news and local gossip.
Today, the 99 Cents Only store in the Hobby Area District fits that description for a regular clientele.
“We have a lot of return customers, and you make friends,” said store supervisor Janie Rivera recently as they were selling out of Halloween costumes for kids, fall decorations and bulk candy. “You see them every day and they see you. They tell you about their life, like, their daughter got engaged and things like that. It’s nice.”
The store in the 8300 block of Broadway is nestled among half-a-dozen large apartment complexes, including Thai Xuan Village, the legendary complex that houses hundreds of Vietnamese-American families. And while the customer base for the store is diverse, the business functions almost as a community center for the large Hispanic population in the area, many of whom walk to the store several times a day to pick up different supplies.
“You see a lot of our same customers several times every day,” she said. “They are here Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and they know when the aisles are being refilled on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.”
Rivera noted that most of the staff at the store is bilingual, which makes shopping for produce, medication and other important household products a lot easier for the Spanish-speaking customers.
When asked what she most wished people knew about the 99 Cents Only store, Rivera said that the store has moved beyond being just a dollar store: Not everything costs 99 cents.
The latitude in pricing means the store can operate grocery sections, where items cost more. The beer and wine section is one of the most popular in the store. There are six-packs of tall boys of Budweiser and bottles of Corona next to popular brands of red and white wines like Yellowtail and Barefoot. The section is in the back next to the English muffins and other breads.
You can stock up there on staples like spices, soaps and detergents, candles and fresh fruits and vegetables. There are also home goods, office supplies, beauty supplies and clothes (especially socks). The motto is “Save more, Shop here first!”
Founded by Dave Gold in 1982, the California-based stores can also be found in Arizona, Nevada and Texas. The concept dates to the 1960s when Gold inherited a liquor store in downtown Los Angeles and decided to run a test by selling bottles of wine for 99 cents. The test was an instant success, and Gold thought that selling everything in the store for 99 cents would be hugely popular.
“Whenever I’d put wine or cheese on sale for $1.02 or 98 cents, it never sold out,” Gold said in a 2001 interview with The Los Angeles Times. “When I put a 99-cent sign on anything, it was gone in no time. I realized it was a magic number.”
When it comes to quick and economical shopping on Broadway, loyal customers agree that 99 cents is the magic number.
— by Brian Rogers
