Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

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Pulling into the Mars Drive-in for a Lime Rickey. Ordering up a burger from the car hop at the A&W on Blackstone. Checking out the action at Bob's Big Boy. Your favorite grilled cheese sandwich at the Woolworths Counter. Don't forget loading up at Perry Boys Smorgy. What eats do you miss?
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FresnoFrank

Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by FresnoFrank » Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:38 pm

I went to Tehipite MS and I would got there with friends after school. I seem to remember a Casablanca cafe.

Fresmantic
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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Fresmantic » Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:09 am

Richie's Good Dog & Dai Ichi!! Fond memories of the Farmers Market as a kid. I remember our teacher taking us there one time for lunch during a field trip. Loved eating in the food court with friends. I seem to recall the whole place had its own kind of scent - don't know if they did it on purpose or that was the cleaner they used! The little magazine shop there had same amazing stuff - I remember reading about the making of the movie Blade Runner in a special effects magazine I found there. They also had a little Asian gift shop at one time. I remember buying a tiger scroll from there that's still hanging in my old bedroom at my parent's house.

Tjholme
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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Tjholme » Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:58 am

You have to be kind of old to remember this, but before there was an indoor food court at Tulare and Divisidaro (with Dai Ichi and magazine store, etc etc) there was a Mayfair grocery store with an attached pavilion. A covered structure which always made me think of a carnival tent with picnic tables, with all kinds of food vendors. That was in the 60s and that's the place I remember most. They had an Italian sandwich place that rocked. Anyone remember what else was there?

Lost Fresno
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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Lost Fresno » Thu May 21, 2015 8:46 pm

By the late 60's the Old Farmers Market has been renamed the Plaza Shopping Center.
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Lost Fresno
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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Lost Fresno » Fri May 22, 2015 12:02 pm

Research indicates that in May of 1953, a new state-of-the-art Mayfair Marker became the anchor store and with it, the new name change of Plaza Shopping Center.
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Fresno Bee - Fri. May 8, 1953 - Mayfair Market opens

Lost Fresno
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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Lost Fresno » Fri May 22, 2015 3:31 pm

This is a close up of the iconic Mayfair sign. Some say it was observable from outer space. Well, that may be a stretch but it was indeed, very large. Note the name change reference at the top right which states: Plaza Shopping Center.
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Fresno Bee - Thur. June 25, 1953 - Mayfair sign ad

Guest

Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Guest » Wed Jan 10, 2018 2:54 am

Just reminiscing about this place. I remember eating there with my parents back in the '80s-early '90s, stopping off for dinner before going to watch the Fresno State men's basketball games at Selland Arena. It had a great selection of restaurants (fond memories of eating beef teriyaki sticks and chicken bowls at Dai Ichi, gyros from the Greek place, and many cold winters eating a big bowl of soup from one of the other establishments).

And for a young kid, as soon as I finished my meal, I raced off to spend time in the magazine shop (to pick up the latest '80s comics of G.I.Joe, Transformers, and those early black and white Ninja Turtles). Even a tiny arcade was nearby to kill some time in. Really made it a fun outing for every basketball game that we had season tickets for.

Since so many college basketball fans would eat there before the games downtown (the majority of people inside during those nights wearing Fresno State red), I imagine it ended up hurting for business once the college built the Save Mart Center and shifted them back to the university area. Not sure if they had closed before that center got built or not. And now I believe an Office Depot exists in its location. Great memories though.

ntonyb
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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by ntonyb » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:04 am

The first Armenian restaurant was Rustigan's.

My family would go together and split up, usually Rossi's or Roundup BBQ or we would go to just Rossi's and order a Sausage Pizza (still my favorite pizza) and calzones. Then for dessert go next door to Mayfair and get a candy bar. Later, people were afraid to go there as new restraurants were opening out north. So many of my Sanger friends had never been so it was a treat to take them for their first time. What a classic idea. Somebody should think about it.
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Click to Enlarge / Rustigans Shish Kebab

Elizabird

Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by Elizabird » Mon Jul 02, 2018 1:11 pm

I remember the best Armenian food was in the round-roofed corner, where the lamb shanks were pure poetry along with the pilaf and grape-leaf roll-ups. I remember taking friends there for a true Fresno Experience, and a celebration dinner after we purchased a brand new Volvo station wagon after having endured 10 years with a VW "bug". We felt so darn rich that evening, and lamb shanks were just the ticket for a feast. The brother of the owner of this restaurant ran a little diner across the street from the Del Webb, where my boss had his architecture office. The brother's Lulu kebabs were absolute heaven, our payday treat for us worker bees.

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Re: Old Farmers Market on Divisadero

Post by MJB » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:14 pm

The Iran (Persian and Armenian cuisine)

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