South Lake Avenue Lost Its Supermarket. Here's How the Neighborhood Errand Run Works Now.

Where do you buy milk, a rotisserie chicken, paper towels and a birthday card in one trip now that the store at California and Lake is dark?

For years, the answer for the blocks around South Lake Avenue was the Pavilions at 845 E. California Blvd. Pasadena Now reported in July that the store was set to close in September. The state-recorded closure date was Sept. 5. By Aug. 18, the same outlet described the store as "nearly empty" and said the shutdown seemed to be happening ahead of schedule. The closure notice covered 55 employees.

Around South Lake, the weekly grocery errand now takes several stops. The businesses that have opened along the corridor since July sell chai, coffee, Thai dinners and birria. None of them is a full-service supermarket, and the councilmember who represents the area estimates that landing a new grocer for the old building could take a year to 18 months or longer.

The store that covered several neighborhoods

District 7 Councilmember Jason Lyon, whose district includes the site, didn't soften it. In remarks quoted by Pasadena Now, he called the closure "bad news, and sad news, for our neighborhood." He said the store "has been a walkable, full-service market for several residential neighborhoods in District 7" and that "its absence likely means more car trips, less choice, and less convenience for many residents."

Albertsons Companies, which owns Pavilions and Vons, told the outlet the decision "isn't one we made lightly." The company also said "with our lease term ending, we have carefully considered our options and decided to shift our strategy." Lyon said he asked Albertsons to reconsider and was told "their business model is focused on maintaining larger locations, like the Vons at California Blvd. and Pasadena Ave."

That last line matters for anyone planning a week of groceries. The company said it remains committed to serving Pasadena at its other Vons locations, and the one Lyon named sits on the west end of California Boulevard. For blocks that could walk to Pavilions, that probably means a drive.

The errand run, rebuilt across several addresses

Within the South Lake area and nearby, the pieces of that one trip are now spread across seven addresses and three different schedules.

Vons' store page lists the longest hours of anything on that list. On Lake Avenue itself, Trader Joe's carries grocery staples and fresh produce, and Erewhon appears as a grocery market in the South Lake Avenue business directory. Between those two stores and the farmers markets, most of the basket is still within reach. What's missing is having all of it under one roof.

Tuesday is now the produce day

Timing helped here. The South Lake Avenue business district announced a weekly farmers market at Pasarroyo, 225 S. Lake Ave., starting Tuesday, July 14. That was about a week after Pavilions' parent company filed its July 7 closure notice. The district's September newsletter still lists the market every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with produce, food, handmade goods and health-and-wellness vendors. Pasarroyo's October program still lists it every Tuesday.

That gives Pasadena two Tuesday markets that overlap but don't match. The Pasadena Certified Farmers' Market sets up at Villa Parke from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the Pasarroyo market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Someone with an early start can shop Villa Parke before work. Someone whose break falls after 12:30 still has Lake Avenue until 2. On Saturday, the certified market moves to Victory Park, which the City of Pasadena lists at 2575 Paloma St.

None of those markets sells laundry detergent. They cover the fresh part of the basket, which is the part Pavilions made easiest to grab on a weeknight.

What the corridor is adding instead

The new openings around South Lake since summer say a lot about what kind of business wants to be on this stretch right now.

• Mehfil Co., a chai shop at 82 S. Lake Ave., was open by the time of the city's Aug. 18 economic development update, serving chai, iced tea and lattes.
• Dalah, a contemporary Thai restaurant serving lunch and dinner at 851 Cordova St., appears on the same city list.
• Re: Coffee, at 498 S. Lake Ave., made the district's October "New on the Block" list for specialty drinks with house-made cream tops and matcha.
• The Loop Resale, at 380 S. Lake Ave., #103, joined the same list with resale brands and vintage pieces.
• Mike's Red Tacos, at 899 E. Del Mar Blvd., had a grand-opening ribbon cutting set for Friday, Oct. 16, on the Pasadena Chamber calendar. The district newsletter says founder Mike Touma spent a year perfecting the birria, slow-simmered beef and consommé.
• Aubergine Kitchen is listed as coming soon to 140 S. Lake Ave., with hummus plates, salads, bowls, entrees, smoothies and desserts.

Every food business on that list sells something to eat or drink right away. None of them restocks a pantry. Small counters and restaurants fit the storefronts open on Lake. A supermarket needs a big floor plate, loading space and parking, and around California and Lake, only one building offers that.

The clock on 845 E. California Blvd.

That building is already for lease. Pasadena Now reported that commercial listings advertise nearly 20,000 square feet at the site as "ideal for supermarket or specialty grocery use." The building dates to 1974, sits on a 1.11-acre parcel and is classified for supermarket land use.

Lyon's office met with the property owner's representatives and the city's Economic Development Department. "The good news is that we all agree that a market is still the best use for this property," he wrote. He also set expectations. "It may take the management firm a year to 18 months (or longer) to identify a new tenant, negotiate a lease, and complete any needed site changes," he told Pasadena Now, adding that the city will make sure the site keeps regular security in the meantime.

That estimate covers the full process of finding a tenant, signing a lease and readying the space. As of late September, no replacement tenant had been announced. The listing language leaves room for either a full supermarket or a specialty grocer. Those are very different stores to have around the corner, and the choice is still open.

Dates on the South Lake calendar

1. Every Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Pasarroyo Farmers Market at 225 S. Lake Ave.
2. Wednesday, Oct. 28, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Pasarroyo's pumpkin carving contest in Central Plaza. Registration closed Oct. 16, but anyone can stop by during the event to vote for a favorite.
3. Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon. South Lake Avenue's Holidayfest! Shop, Dine & Win runs noon to 6 p.m., with raffle drawings at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.

A neighborhood's daily errands are part of what a home there is worth, and around South Lake those errands will look different for a while. If you own near California and Lake and want to know how the wait for a new corner grocer might show up in your home's value, Mark Mintz Real Estate Group can walk you through what the local numbers say. Start with one question: What's My Home Worth?