San Lorenzo Businesses

Four Corners

The original town of San Lorenzo was at Hesperian (then called Telegraph) and Lewelling (then called Main). This intersection was called "The Four Corners." According to the 1878 Atlas of Alameda County: "At San Lorenzo there is a railroad station, two hotels, post-office, store, a few shops, excellent school, and a neat church, in which are held union services."

Shiman's Store

John L. Shiman opened the first store in San Lorenzo in 1853. It was situated along the San Lorenzo Creek. Shiman and most of the businesses in San Lorenzo served the local farmers. Farmers only got paid once a year when they harvested their crops. So businesses let farmers charge their purchases all year then pay them off when the crop money came in. All the rest of the year, farmers would keep their debt down by trading eggs and butter for goods. Shopkeepers had to be able to run their businesses with customers who only paid once a year.

The Village Blacksmith

A blacksmith was essential to the community because he didn't just shoe horses. The smith repaired and made almost anything metal - wagon, harness buckles, plow and other farm equipment. The first business in the village of San Lorenzo was Boyle's blacksmith shop, built in 1853. Boyle died after a few years and his shop was taken over by Henry Smyth, then by Smith.

Willows Hotel, 1863

The trip from San Jose to Oakland was slow enough that people often wanted to stop overnight. The Willows Hotel was run by Ezra Livingston to accommodate travelers along this dusty route.

San Lorenzo House

A second hotel, called the San Lorenzo House, was located at Lewelling and Hesperian. The hotel was a stagecoach stop, and mail was left there for local residents. The first San Lorenzo Postmaster was hotel owner Albert E. Crane.

The 20th Century

David Bohannon and San Lorenzo Village

The man who developed San Lorenzo Village became a celebrity within the property development community. His "California Method" of assembly line-style home construction was written about in many building industry publications because of its remarkable results: 1,500 San Lorenzo houses were built in 500 days. Colliers magazine noted that "for their wartime $6,000, villagers got a package of house, a shiny new and accessible shopping center, a fine restaurant, movie palace and a round of activities in a social center supplied by the builder." For a "minimum wartime house," it had some unusual luxury touches: a fireplace, tile bathroom floors, linoleum floor in the kitchen and breakfast alcove, and cedar shingles.

Shopping in San Lorenzo Village

When David Bohannon planned the community of San Lorenzo Village, he included a downtown shopping area. Bohannon development retained ownership of the land, and leased out spaces for stores. Since San Lorenzo Village was surrounded by farmland, the downtown area had to provide every type of store and service the new residents could want.

Mervyn's Stores Start in San Lorenzo

Mervin Morris opened his first store in San Lorenzo in 1948. It was located at 341 Paseo Grande, although within a few years he moved to a larger store across the street. By 1960 the store had been expanded 13 times. Over time, more stores were built around the Bay Area, and San Lorenzo served as the distribution center. The Village Shopping Center formed the heart of a new residential area developed by the David D. Bohannon Corporation. Because he controlled the entire center, Bohannon played a vital role in the growth of the first Mervyn's. San Lorenzo residents were, for the most part, blue-collar workers and World War II veterans with young families. Most of them had just purchased their first homes. They wanted value from the merchandise they bought.

Mervin explained in his autobiography Mervyn's with a "Y" how his store came to have its unusual name. He had used his first name for his store to distinguish it from his father's Morris Department Store. "I had hired architect Herman Kanner to design the storefront. After reviewing his first sketch, I was surprised to find my name spelled with a "y." Kanner, however, explained that the "y" gave the name a more aesthetically pleasing appearance."