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Saying Goodbye to Familiar Faces
By Deborah Taylor-Hollis
March 1 brought huge changes to Lincoln Avenue when longtime merchants Bill and Vicky Shaheen sold Willow Glen Liquors and retired from retail sales.
Most people in Willow Glen have met Bill. He bought the liquor store in May 1976, when it was located across the street from Bill's Restaurant (no relation), occupying the space where the indoor dining room now stands.
"Andrea was born in February, and Bill bought the place in May" reminisces co-owner Vicky, about their first child. "I can remember when Bill had to go a few times, so I used to stay with Andrea in the store while he went to get stuff for the store ... old people would come around to the store and I loved to hear their stories. They had so many wonderful stories to tell, and that was the best part. I still love it, even now. To talk to the people, that's the best part of it: the connection."
Bill also has fond memories.
"There were so many people, so many acquaintances and friends I've made!" he says, thinking back over his more than 25 years at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street. The business moved across the intersection in 1978, and became a thriving family business, supporting the Shaheens and their three children.
"Andrea was 3 months old," Bill remembers, "And now she's in law school, getting married in October, and Nicole is 19 and a sophomore at UC-Santa Barbara. Jaclyn is 18, going to Cal Poly."
The store at 1110 Lincoln Ave. was a local outlet after hours for milk, ice cream, and snack foods, as well as soda, beer and the upscale wine selections the Shaheen family offered to the burgeoning Willow Glen market in the late '80s.
But their claim to fame (aside from the fact that they have a side door parking lot entry) was the mural--a beautiful pastoral painting on the northern wall of the store that was visible from the intersection for more than a decade.
The mural was originally designed by Tim Sterling, a graphic artist who designed corporate murals. Its motto "Welcome to Willow Glen" enticed newcomers from early 1982, until it's removal in the late '90s due to age and vandalism. A similar motto was later painted on the southern wall of a store at Lincoln and Minnesota avenues, and can still be seen today. Another equally stunning mural was planned to replace the first one at the liquor store, but the artist and Bill Shaheen just couldn't get their timing right and it was never completed.
Aside from Bill and Vicky, most locals also knew the rest of their family, who came in to help out from time to time. Bill's father, John Shaheen Sr., was a regular behind the counter for many years and worked at the store right up until his passing two years ago. Bill's brothers Chris, John and Joe have also spent time behind the counter, along with part-time help Mike and Ron, mainstays of the Saturday night shift for over a decade.
Most folks in the neighborhood didn't know that Bill had been quietly deciding on this change for several years now, waiting for the right moment, and the right people to come along. Their notice of ownership change came as a shock to the regulars, especially those who read about it in The Resident.
"The last couple of days people came by with really nice things to say after they saw the news article," Bill said "I was on a cloud."
Now, he says he's focusing on what's next.
"It hasn't sunk in yet, and I'm trying to get myself organized. Maybe take a trip to Europe for a couple of months" he muses, settling into the idea of no longer being responsible for the day-to-day operations of one of the Glen's most recognized retail sites for much of two decades.
Vicky says she sees the change as good for everyone involved. On top of that, the new owners, Tom and Lan, are expecting a baby in June.
"This is such good luck because that's how we started out! So maybe they'll be there for 25 years!" she says. "It just boggles my mind--so many people I'd like to keep in touch with, but can't. It was so cool having met and having known so many people. That was the biggest thrill. I learned a lot from my customers. It was just so fun talking to a lot of nice people."
All of us who know them wish them well.
Contact Deborah Taylor-Hollis at DTHollis@metronews.com.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
