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The Grant Boys

by Steve
Friday, December 07, 2007

The Grant BoysAnyone driving along Newport Blvd in Costa Mesa can't miss The Grant Boys, an old-west themed set of stores, selling Levi's, guns, and camping gear. It's been there since 1949.

A year ago, I received an e-mail from Mike Grant, the son of the guy who opened up the store (which was then called, Grant's War Surplus). He mostly described many of the restaurants his family loved to eat at...
My family moved to Orange County in 1949. My Father and Grandmother opened Grant's War Surplus (now The Grant Boys) in Costa Mesa, a town of 4,000 people. The store is still family owned and operated. During the 50's and 60's we were the place to buy Levis. We were among the top 10 single Levis retailers in the country.

We lived in Santa Ana because my mother did not want to live out in the sticks of Costa Mesa. I went to Santa Ana High School and graduated in 1960.

Some of the places we always ate at were: Pop's Steak House, they had the best salad dressing, melted cheese on baked potato and garlic bread. All that and a steak for $3.95. We ate at Yummy's at 17th and Bristol. Kono Hawaii in the Japanese Tea House where the waitresses always made us laugh when the served dessert, Rime Sherbert.

I went to Lathrop Jr high and we always ate at the Kwik Snak, which everyone called the In and Out. They had the best fries!! We would swim at the pool at Memorial Park and at the YMCA downtown. We swam naked at the Y, men only.

Always cruised Merle's drive in Newport Beach. Went to the Buffalo Ranch, which is now Fashion Island. The Good Humor truck came through our neighborhood but we could never buy one, too expensive 15 cents. My mom shopped at Market Basket on 17 and Flower.

I remember the Snack Shops. Great Hamburgers and onion rings and their Sour Cream salad dressing. For a fancy place we went to Victor Hugo's in Laguna, or the Arches. We ate a lot at the Zorba Room at Buffum's in Santa Ana. Chung King in Anaheim on Lincoln was one of our chinese places along with Koo's on Main.
Tell us your memories of The Grant Boys, or anything else you see in Mike's letter, by clicking on "Post a Comment" below.

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5 Comments:

  • We moved to Santa Ana in 1947, and I went to G.L. Martin gram. school. I remember eating INSIDE Koo's chinese restaurant for many years, and watch the children grow up. They finally took over and changed it into take-out only.

    By Blogger CoxPilot, at December 13, 2007 12:18 PM  

  • During the ugly late 60s and early 70s, when all the clothes a junior high or high schooler could buy looked like something Greg Brady would wear, the Grant Boys was one of the few places in OC where a regular guy could buy regular Levis jeans and cords (yes, in white, wine and light blue) to go with your wallabies.

    By Blogger hungry_i, at January 27, 2008 11:01 AM  

  • OMG, I just bought a gun there today! My dad says he remembers there was other locations in OC of the Grant Boys long ago. He remembers buying a rifle a long time ago but my mom made him take it back due to financial reasons.

    We live on the border of OC/LA county by the 605/91 but we still go here to buy guns sometimes. I bought the odd camping accesory here and there also over the years. I took my hunter safety class there also.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 25, 2008 1:35 AM  

  • Hi,
    It was great to read your comments about Pop's Steak House. That was my Grandma's restaurant. I have such good memories of growing up there. Santa Ana was such a different place back then. I now live in another State but still have lots of family in So. Cal. And I remember the Grant Boys, it was a landmark!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 26, 2008 9:15 AM  

  • I'm restoring a house at 1212 Louise st. I think this was the Grants' house. Am I right? Basically the corner of Bristol and Washington.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at April 30, 2008 10:00 PM  

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