BUFFUMS--Southern California

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Dean
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BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by Dean »

BUFFUMS was a department store chain...I belive started/owned by the Chandler family, then owners of the Los Angeles Times.

The location in Pomona now houses a chiropractic college.

Where were the other sites? Any still standing? What's in 'em?
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runchadrun
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Post by runchadrun »

The Buffum family married into the Chandler family though Dorothy Buffum and Norman Chandler. The department store chain, founded by her father and uncle, had already been established by that time. Dorothy's name became famous as the namesake of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. She led the fundraising drive to build the Music Center, sometimes even returning checks to donors because they weren't big enough.

I remember the Buffum's at the Santa Anita mall in Arcadia. (The store was torn down and the Nordstrom wing built in its place.) The mall was built in the race track parking lot. For some time the Rancho Santa Anita land (including the race track, a lot of the land to the west, and what is now the Arboretum) was owned by the Chandler family.

There's a great bio of Otis Chandler, son of Norman and Dorothy and the last Chandler to run Times Mirror, called Privileged Son by Dennis McDougal that covers a lot of the history of the Times and the Chandlers' influence on the development of Southern California. I could go on and on but it's way off topic :)
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

The Santa Anita location was not torn down. It was gutted and made into mall shops, while the Nordstroms was built at the end of it. You can see it in Live Local shots.

Buffum's had a three level flagship in Long Beach. When the chain closed in the 90's, the first floor became a Ross and the top two levels were empty.
This was torn down when the mall closed.

They had a location in Glendale, that was torn down for the now closed Robinsons-May store.

There was one in Westminster that was torn down for a new Macys (now closed)

One in Lakewood became a Pacific 9 Theatre. That store is still there.

Manhattan Village had a Buffum's that is the Macy's Mens store today. Still has the fancy Buffum's interior.

They had one in San Diego at Fashion Valley that became I Magnin and is now Sax Fifth avenue.
OCRedCub
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Post by OCRedCub »

Buffums stores were often paired with Bullocks in the Fashion Square shopping centers.
There was a Buffums location in Santa Ana on north Main Street (between 9th and 10th, I believe). The building is now home to some Orange County office - Sheriff's or Probation.
Another Buffums was in the La Habra Fashion Square mall - paired with a Bullocks in the late 60s mall - now demolished. I remember a restaurant or tea room at that location. The store seemed to cater to the older shopper.
I still remember the commercial with their tagline "I've been to Buffums!"
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

OCRedCub wrote:Buffums stores were often paired with Bullocks in the Fashion Square shopping centers.
There was a Buffums location in Santa Ana on north Main Street (between 9th and 10th, I believe). The building is now home to some Orange County office - Sheriff's or Probation.
Another Buffums was in the La Habra Fashion Square mall - paired with a Bullocks in the late 60s mall - now demolished. I remember a restaurant or tea room at that location. The store seemed to cater to the older shopper.
I still remember the commercial with their tagline "I've been to Buffums!"
So true. The Buffums in Manhattan village was paired with a Bullocks.

Also, the Lakewood Buffums was next to a Bullocks store (it was torn down for the Home Depot)
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Post by Dean »

The mall was built in the race track parking lot.

That's interesting...never knew that, thanks! Now, isn't there talk of building a SECOND center/mall on the rest of Santa Anita?!
mike t. whittier ca
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by mike t. whittier ca »

There was a location in santa ana ca. at the fashion square. that center was replaced with an enclosed mall. the main place mall.
OCRedCub
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by OCRedCub »

I don't believe there was ever a Buffums in the Santa Ana Fashion Square (now Westfield MainPlace). I. Magnin, yes. Desmond's, yes. Bullocks, yes. Buffums had a freestanding location nearer to downtown Santa Ana. On the east side of Main Street near 10th. That's where I went to their store closing clearance sale.
It's now a county office of some sort.
rich
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by rich »

On trips to California, I got the impression that Buffum's was like some of the old line upscale stores in the East & Midwest: Halle's (Cleveland), Lamson's (Toledo), Best & Co. (NYC & all over), the kind of store that got caught in a time warp during the 60s & 70s and wound up with few customers, mostly in the blue hair set. The Santa Anita store usually had few shoppers--being far from their base probably didn't help. They lasted longer than these other chains, though.
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by Jeff »

One problem with Buffum's was that it was more "upscale", but had stores in locations that were not as upscale.

Long Beach's Buffum's store was a three story flagship at the Long Beach Plaza that was also anchored by a Montgomery Ward and JCPenney. Not quite the competition. I still find it funny that the first level was occupied by Ross Dress for less up until the mall was torn down.

The Pomona Buffum's was in a dying downtown in a poor city. Same as Santa Ana.

Some were located in major malls: Fashion Valley, Glendale Galleria, Santa Anita...

Also, where was the Buffum's in Montclair? I ran across an article that says this:

Buskirk noted that he recently visited a newly remodeled Buffums in Montclair, and that the store still looked like a department store from the 1930s.


Also, the same article says at the time of closing, the chain had 16 locations.
Lets try to get them all. So far we have:
1) Glendale Galleria - torn down for Robinsons-May
2) Santa Anita Mall - gutted for mall shops and new Nordstroms
3) Westminster Mall - Became Robinsons May Home Store, then torn down for Macy's, now a Target
4) Santa Ana - Downtown on Main
5) Pomona - Downtown on 2nd St
6) Manhattan Beach - Now Macy's Mens
7) Long Beach Flagship - torn down
8) San Diego Fashion Valley - became I Magnin, now Sax Fifth Avenue
9) Lakewood - now Pacific's 9 Theatres
10) La Habra - torn down
11) Montclair - ??????
12) Long Beach - Marina Pacifica Mall (now a Barnes and Nobel I beleive)
13) La Canada-Flintridge - now a TJ Maxx on the first floor
14) Palos Verdes - torn down
15) ?????
16) ?????
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runchadrun
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by runchadrun »

There were also stores at Laguna Hills Mall and in Newport Beach Fashion Island. According to a 1993 Times article, the Laguna Hills store became a Limited and Victoria Secret on the ground floor and record and book store on the second floor.

I'm also confused about a Buffum's in Montclair. The only place it could have possibly been would have been Montclair Plaza but I don't ever remember a Buffum's there. Broadway, yes, but not Buffum's. Maybe the guy was thinking of Pomona.

The chain was sold to Australia's Adelaide Steamship Company in 1974. At the time of the Buffum's closing, Adelaide also owned the Aussie version of Woolworths. They tried to find buyers for the chain but since the stores were so much smaller than the typical modern department store, no one was interested.
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by Dean »

runchadrun wrote: I'm also confused about a Buffum's in Montclair. The only place it could have possibly been would have been Montclair Plaza but I don't ever remember a Buffum's there. Broadway, yes, but not Buffum's. Maybe the guy was thinking of Pomona.
Was NORDSTROM built from the ground up? I don't remember what/if anything was there prior. Possibly BUFFUM'S was there?

Was in the paper recently that Monclair Plaza will be undergoing a much-needed remodel. The currently vacant former Broadway turned Macy*s will be demolished. I don't recall what they planned to put there...
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runchadrun
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by runchadrun »

Dean wrote:Was NORDSTROM built from the ground up? I don't remember what/if anything was there prior. Possibly BUFFUM'S was there?
It was added when they "raised the roof" (the big sign by the freeway said "we're raising the roof!") and added the 2nd level to the entire mall. It was built from the ground up along with Sears.
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by Jeff »

Ah yes I see now, it was in the back of the Laguna Hills Mall, since the Limited store is still there and the upper level seems to be the food court now.

And that's the last one. I forgot about Fashion Island, that store became mall shops.

I'm still confused though about the Montclair store, unless it is Pomona, or Freestanding around the Mall.
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Re: BUFFUMS--Southern California

Post by Jeff »

Oh and thanks to me having no life whatsoever, I added it to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffum%27s
Please edit it and add to it. I didn't add the mystery Montclair store, or the 16th store we don't know.


Also, there was a Buffum's and a Bullocks store at the Marina Pacifica Mall too!
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