San Gregorio General Store still an enduring step back in time
It seems like a world away, but it’s just an hour’s drive west (in reasonable traffic) from the heart of the Peninsula to tiny San Gregorio on the
San Mateo County coast.
There, nestled in a rural landscape that hasn’t changed much through the decades, the San Gregorio General Store continues to provide local residents and occasional visitors with almost anything needed to survive and thrive.
The store, which includes a miniature post office, has served the coastal community well and faithfully since 1889. This year marks its 131st year of operation.
In many ways, the establishment is a step back in time. It features bare wooden floors, an impressive bar, a small library and a woodburning stove that throws off enough strong winter heat to warm the entrance and a pleasant nearby sitting area.
You can browse and/or buy all manner of goods, ranging from ranch/ farm supplies and foodstuffs (some prepared on the premises) to clothing and artwork. There are no public Wi-Fi and no cable TV. Actual face-to-face conversations are encouraged. What a novel concept.
The owner, former college professor George Cattermole, has run the place since 1978, so this year is his 42nd. An avowed environmentalist, he has stocked the store’s shelves, in part, with material devoted to that subject.
He also has made sure that his enterprise provides weekend space for a variety of musicians. You can check the stores’s website, sangregoriostore.com, for a list of programs.
The store is easy to find, located at Stage Road and Highway 84, 1 mile east of Highway 1. For a further cultural treat, may we recommend starting your drive on Stage Road south in Pescadero and meandering north on that country byway? Eventually, you will end up at Cattermole’s little store. It’s a reward worth waiting for. The business is open seven days a week.
Dr. Richard Williams
A longtime principal at Burlingame High School has died. Dr. Richard Williams died earlier this month at the age of 96 in Palo Alto.
He served as Burlingame’s principal for a quarter century, beginning in the late 1950s and concluding in the early 1980s. Such a lengthy run as principal at one San Mateo County public high school is unheard of today.
His long tenure was marked by highs and lows and lots in between, including a growing postWorld War II enrollment followed by a steep decline as well as significant and very challenging societal changes that affected campus life.
By 1980, with an enrollment below 1,000 students, his school was threatened with closure; it survived the San Mateo Union High School District’s fiscal chopping block, but just barely.
He is survived by his wife, Grace; two adult children; and two grandchildren.
Sam’s to close
Three blocks from Burlingame High, another institution (and a favorite lunchtime haunt for hungry students) is scheduled to shut down. Sam’s Italian Sandwich Co., in operation in Burlingame since 1972, is set to close by this weekend.
According to a Facebook post, the reason for the decision is that the city wants to take over the rented shop’s building, a former Greyhound bus depot at the busy intersection of Howard Avenue and California Drive.
The last official day for the outfit is Saturday — not a lot of time left for a tangy salami and Swiss on fresh Dutch crunch, garlic spread optional.