Here's a good Mexican restaurant in Diamond Springs

 

   Looking for a new restaurant to try in the Diamond Springs area?? Here's one. Have you ever been to Soriano's Mexican Restaurant in Diamond Springs?? It is right off Pleasant Valley Road where the old Chinese restaurant used to be, at 570 Pleasant Valley Rd, Diamond Springs, CA 95619. They opened at the beginning of 2022, so they have been in operation for almost two years now. The restaurant specializes in authentic Salvadorean and authentic Mexican food. They are open 7 days a week from 10am to 9pm, with Monday being open till 9:30pm. Since I go to church nearby, I have visited this restaurant twice. I enjoy their fajitas with steak and shrimp, which were really delicious!! From my visits, the owner was really friendly and kept checking on us to see if we needed any more food. I really enjoyed my visits to this restaurant and I think it would be a great restaurant for you to try. 

If you have the Clipper magazine, please check out the coupon section to see Soriano's ad.

    Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.     Hebrews 10:25

Thank you for reading my blogpost and God bless!!

Here's where Barnes and Noble has opened new stores last year and where they are opening this year.

 

Since Barnes and Noble claims to have opened 30 stores last year and plans to open 50 stores last year, I thought it might be good to see where they exactly opened those stores at, and since they relocated many of their existing stores, I am interested in what markets they actually entered into. 

Here's where they opened last year:

Here's what stores they relocated or replaced a recently closed location in 2023:

Stores they have opened or plan to open this year:

Store Relocations announced so far for this year:

Where Barnes and Noble could open in the future, according to some research on markets I have done. What other markets do you see them opening at this year?? 

Are you a fan of Barnes and Noble or do you prefer the mom-and-pop bookstores?? Or as I am, do you like visiting both?? Do you like the resurgence of books and bookstores, and are you surprised by it?? I would like to hear what you have to say. 

Thank you for reading my blogpost and God bless!!

              For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.                                                John 3:16

I like that Old Time fast food restaurant. That kind of playtime just soothes your soul.

 

Old school 90s Burger King in Lake Elsinore, California

Carl’s Jr at Foothill Pkwy in Corona, California. Saw this on the way to a friend’s house on our trip to see my brother.

The Carl’s Jr at W 6th St in Corona, California. My photo I took of it is blurry because we were rushing down the freeway to head to Newport Beach on our trip. I also provided a second photo from Google Maps to show you a picture of the front and in better quality. It not only has a 90s playground, but the restaurant has an unremodeled 80s paint job with the 80s logo in a 1970s building, maybe the last in the state with all those qualities.

Here is the author at the McDonald’s Playground at Iron Point Rd in Folsom, California. The restaurant recently received a remodel, but the original play equipment remains, which may be the last 90s McDonald’s PlayPlace in the region. The others have either removed theirs or, replaced them with new equipment, in locations that kept the Play Place, as is the case at the location on Broadway in Placerville, California, featured below.

Photo of McDonald’s in Placerville, California

As Bob Seger sings in Old Time Rock n Roll, there might be a tune playing in your soul when visiting fast food restaurants. This song might go, “Just take that old Ronald off the shelf. I’ll just visit him all by myself. Today’s McDonald’s ain’t got the same soul. I like that old time fast food restaurant. Just don’t take me to a cold and gray one. You’ll never even get me to order. In ten minutes, I’ll be out of the door. I like that old time fast food restaurant. That kind of playland just soothes my soul. I reminisce about the days of old. In that old time McDonalds.”

The fast food PlayPlace. What thoughts come to your mind. Do you still take your children to play on them, while you eat junk food?? Is it a regular playtime activity for the kids?? Or has the PlayPlace in your area been removed or it is still there, but has been closed for three years?? Why am I discussing playgrounds and fast-food play areas as a 21-year-old?? I don’t know. I don’t really think fast-food restaurants contribute much good to society and we would be much healthier without them. I know hanging out at the park playground and going outside in their own yards or at the community park would be of greater benefit to kids than hanging out at fast food restaurants. Fast food playgrounds and ball pits may not be the cleanest places and maybe the worst place to take your kid to if you are trying to stay healthy.

But my heart feels the same way it feels about preserving historic towns and small mom and pop businesses, video rental stores (see my blogpost on the remaining video rental stores: http://haydenbusinessblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/where-can-i-still-rent-videos-at-video.html), bookstores, historic theaters, and old electronics. I probably wouldn’t be writing this article if the only fast-food restaurant which had their dining room and their playground open which I knew of during the pandemic was the Carl’s Jr in my hometown of Cameron Park. Sadly, they removed their playground equipment in May of 2021, but the restaurant does remains open. I honestly don’t know if the playground or dining room was open the entire time during the pandemic, but it was at least open in May of 2020 because I saw someone cleaning it for customers to use. I believe this experience led to my quest to see if any other restaurants kept their playground open, or if this was sadly, the end of the Fast Food PlayPlace era as we knew it. Do you know of any other restaurant playgrounds that kept their entrance open to children during that time, or it doesn’t really matter anymore because so many more have reopened since then??

Carl’s Jr in my hometown of Cameron Park, California, without the playground

In Loving Memory of The Carl’s Jr Playground in Cameron Park. 1988–2021 RIP

The playground was removed 10 years after the other Carl’s Jr outdoor playgrounds in the rest of the Sacramento region including the two Folsom locations. But it wasn’t the last one in the Sacramento metro. There are a couple that remain, the Lincoln Way location in Auburn and the location in Galt. McDonalds and Chick fil A restaurants still have the playgrounds, and a couple Burger King restaurants in the area still have a playground.

McDonald’s in Elko, Nevada. Sadly, this restaurant was remodeled in 2022 and doesn’t have the 90s play area and old school McDonald’s look anymore. They could have made this an 80s McDonald’s museum . RIP

McDonald’s in Elko, Nevada. Sadly, this restaurant was remodeled in 2022 and doesn’t have the 90s play area and old school McDonald’s look anymore. They could have made this an 80s McDonald’s museum . RIP

McDonald’s PlayPlaces over the years-from the 1970s to today

Here is another question, are there any old-school McDonald’s that still look like the location in the photos that haven’t been remodeled or have no plans to get remodeled?? Could they be a tourist attraction like the last Blockbuster video in Bend, Oregon, historic main street mom and pop businesses, or the neon signs on Route 66?? Or will these places go the way of the dinosaur, and they get all redone in the modern 21st century look like everywhere else?? If so, what does that say about the direction of industries or values that are considered outdated: video rental stores, mall department stores, CD/DVD stores, old technology, items or places?? These questions bug me because one of the businesses I have thought about getting into is to open a Christian bookstore to fill the void the Family Christian Store left when they closed their stores. And I want to see the remaining Christian bookstore in the Sacramento area, Family Books and Gifts, succeed and be able to capture the Christian bookstore market that many of these places left behind. I have drawn several plans for new businesses and analyze the markets by researching populations and demographics of areas to determine the threshold of what the market conditions need to be to be successful. Is there still a market for these old-fashioned businesses or old looks of businesses and an opportunity for a newcomer to come in and be successful in these dying industries?? Can a remnant of these places be preserved for an entire generation and even until Jesus comes back. Or will they completely go away also? I am concerned that people, including myself, may someday (hopefully never happens) have to conform to a way and a lifestyle they may not have chosen for themselves, such as forcing people to wear masks and stay home, shop online, accept and conform to certain agendas or patterns of life even if they desire to do differently. I want there to be places where there isn’t the same grind and same trends and same lifestyles as everywhere and everyone else. Seeing an old school video rental store in the age of streaming, being able to watch tapes on a working VCR in 2023 and future years, having CD/DVD/Record/Book stores to shop at so I don’t have to stream my favorite movies or buy my favorite movies, or music albums, or books on the Internet, and being able to do all my shopping at local businesses or even nearby big-box stores that aren’t named Amazon, Walmart, or Target, so I don’t have to support companies that give money to ideologies I disagree with, or trying to live like its 1995, 1982, 1950, or even in the 1800s in 2023. Here is another question I am leaving you to think about, writing as an avid traveler, “Where is the excitement in going anywhere if every place looks the same and there are no differences with going to Duluth, Minnesota, or Dallas, Texas, versus staying in my hometown??”

But here is something that you and I need that we can turn to forever, regardless of what happens, to give us peace and comfort in tumultuous times.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

2 Corinthians 1:3–5

What stores or store types from the last century still bring the most nostalgia??

 

 What stores or store types from the last century still bring the most nostalgia?? Are they the places that have mostly closed down, but still have a couple locations open (Sears, Kmart, RadioShack, Ben Franklin, Sam Goody, Suncoast, and one Blockbuster/ or video rental stores in general)?? Or are they places that still have many locations(or have generally been in decline, but are starting to become more popular again), but still retain an old feel(mom and pop main street stores, independent bookstores, independent record stores)?? Or places in chains that are everywhere, but have very few locations remaining with their look from the last century(Walmart, Target, McDonald's)?? Or is it something that the store has that isn't common anymore in most places(a payphone, a fast food restaurant with a 90s outdoor playground, or still uses 80/90s Televisions)?? Do you like these places more, or do you like the modern places more??

Where are Office Depot/Max/Staples most likely to survive at??

 

I have a question about Office Depot/OfficeMax/Staples stores?? I have been following and researching the retail market and typing in the number of locations each of these stores have and I think it is very interesting. But maddening. From what I am discovering, I can't really get a straight answer at what areas can support these stores and what areas can't. From my research, there is an Office Depot/Staples type store for every 157,000 people in the United States. But there are markets that have more people per store, such as Minnesota with 271,000 people per store, and they have still closed stores in those markets, and areas with fewer people per store such as Reno, Nevada with 6 stores in the market with 78,586 people per store still being able to stay open.

I understand the US markets are different and some areas are more suitable for these stores than others. Which brings me to what I am talking about.

Here are the markets Office Depot, Max or Staples have abandoned that fit the criteria for their average store population or even larger(the population data has come from my filtering of the US Census Bureau's 2020 or 2010 Census population data or the Demographic Statistical Atlas. This is accounting that market's maximum radius of where it draws people from):

Davis, California: with 200,000 people. The town's OfficeMax store just closed in summer 2023.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado: with 131,734 people. The town's Office Depot closed in 2020.

Houma, Louisiana: with 253,701 people. The town's Office Depot closed in 2021.

Jamestown, New York: with 176,720 people. The town's OfficeMax store closed in 2020.

Blacksburg/Christiansburg, Virginia: with 178,237 people. The town's Staples store closed in 2018, and their OfficeMax closed in 2019.

Parkersburg, West Virginia: 279,613 people. The town's Office Depot store closed in 2022.

Where they have chosen to stay open at so far (it could change) in areas that have fewer and far fewer than 157,000 people in it's catchment area or that have way more than it's population would indicate(same data sources):

Cottonwood/Sedona, Arizona: 74,472 people. The area has both an OfficeMax store in Cottonwood and a Staples store in Sedona.

Jackson, California: 68,000 people, with a Staples store.

Placerville, California: 93,000 people, with an OfficeMax store.

Sonoma, California: 41,258 people, with a Staples store.

New Iberia, Louisiana: 68,000 people, with a Office Depot store.

Ruston, Louisiana: 75,000 people, with an Office Depot store.

Bemidji, Minnesota: 102,132 people, with a OfficeMax store.

Elko, Nevada: 45,000 people, with a OfficeMax store.

The population criteria may not be enough to tell where they will stay open or close at. So I have some questions you might help me answer. What are the best conditions for a office supply store to be successful in?? Is it being in a college town?? A higher income area?? Is the presence or absence of a Best Buy, Costco, or Sam's Club a factor in where they are closing stores at or where they are staying open at?? Do you think the population per store that they can successfully operate with is more like 250,000 people?? What do you think??

Lucky/Save Mart locations that have yet to be remodeled as of 1/15/2024. Is Save Mart remodeling these stores or is this their secret closure list??

Save Mart store with the previous signage which (though not seen in photo) has the previous interior design. This is in Rocklin, California

Save Mart location with the new logo and new design. This is at the Missouri Flat Road location in Placerville, California.

Previous interior design

New interior design

Here's my list of what Save Mart locations have yet to be remodeled. I am wondering, does this just mean the store has yet to receive a remodel and that it will, or are these the Save Mart locations that are holding Save Mart back and that Save Mart is about to get rid of?? As I was researching this list, I saw many of their non-remodeled stores are their "new" locations they built in the late 2000s, which is why if that is the case, that I made mention of that. And I even discovered that Save Mart recently remodeled a location using the prior red sign, which I mentioned also. I say this, because these are locations that I believe are still valuable to Save Mart and are some of their best performing stores. The ones I believe are underperforming are the locations that have been around before the purchase of Northern California Albertson's and that are the locations that were previously Albertsons. 

1701 Bellevue Rd, Atwater, CA 95301 (newer built store or remodeled in late 2000s, but doesn't have latest remodel)

9600 Hageman Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93312

1475 41st Ave, Capitola, CA 95010

1225 E Robertson Blvd, Chowchilla, CA 93610 (newer built store-late 2000s)

275 W Forest Ave, Coalinga, CA 93210 (newer built store-late 2000s)

40055 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539 (recently closed down in 2023)

34101 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94555

4041 E Ashlan Ave, Fresno, CA 93726

5750 N First St, Fresno, CA 93710

7075 N Marks Ave, Fresno, CA 93711

4120 N West Ave, Fresno, CA 93705 (newer built store-late 2000s)

22555 Mission Blvd, Hayward, CA 94541

11980 CA-88, Jackson, CA 95642

15240 S Harlan Rd, Lathrop, CA 95330 (newer built store-late 2000s)

260 CA-65, Lindsay, CA 93247 (received a remodel in 2019, but exterior doesn’t feature the newest logo)

2000 Portola Ave, Livermore, CA 94550

45 Murchison Dr, Millbrae, CA 94030 (recently closed down in 2023)

3601 Pelandale Ave, Modesto, CA 95356 (newer built store-late 2000s)

1312 Trancas St, Napa, CA 94558

1000 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA 94952

1453 Goodwin Dr, Ripon, CA 95366 (newer built store-late 2000s)

2237 Claribel Rd, Riverbank, CA 95367 (newer built store-late 2000s)

3021 Stanford Ranch Rd, Rocklin, CA 95765

5060 Foothills Blvd, Roseville, CA 95747

7960 Gerber Rd, Sacramento, CA 95828

1750 Fulton St, San Francisco, CA 94117

2000 California Ave, Sand City, CA 93955

3705 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051

150 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

776 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472

130 W Stockton St, Sonora, CA 95370

2595 Geer Rd, Turlock, CA 95380

1631 Lander Ave, Turlock, CA 95380

32300 Dyer St, Union City, CA 94587

777 E Monte Vista Ave, Vacaville, CA 95688

1979 Peabody Rd, Vacaville, CA 95687

3615 W Noble Ave, Visalia, CA 93277

4348 S Carson St, Carson City, NV 89701

525 Keystone Ave, Reno, NV 89503

10500 N McCarran Blvd, Reno, NV 89503