Sunday, June 28, 2009

Hot Dog Shack in Costa Mesa

Aimee C remembers a cool little hot dog shack in Costa Mesa, and wonders if anyone remembers it also?

Does anyone remember the little hot dog shack on Wilson Street in Costa Mesa? It was there in the early/mid 80's, at the side entrance of the old Harbor Shopping Center. I am not sure what it was called, Sammy's sounds familiar, but I am not sure if that's right. I remember going there a lot when I was a kid. I used to love it because they would give you a plain dog, and you could put on whatever toppings you wanted. They had the best chili cheese dogs ever!! I am pretty sure it closed when they started the huge remodel on the shopping center. I don't know if they moved to a new location or not, but if anyone knows what happened to it, I am curious.

Harbor Shopping Center was such a cool and interesting place. I think it's called something else now. I haven't been by there in a while, last time i drove by I was amazed at what it has become compared to what it was. It's a shame things have to change.

15 comments:

  1. It was definitely called Sammy's. I graduated in '87 from Estancia HS and used to go to Sammy's every week. It was the best and I was totally bummed when I came back to town from college one day and it was gone. I don't eat hot dogs any more unless I'm in H/Wood and can get to Pink's.

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  2. I grew up right near there in the late 80s and early 90s and would go to Sammy's all the time.

    Harbor Shopping Center was old and decrepit when I used to hang out there, but it was definately interesting. I saw a bunch of movies at the theater that used to be there, and shopped at that ancient Penny's a few times.

    When I was 12 or 13 I would go to Thrifty's and get ice cream, then next door to the "antique" store that happened to sell baseball cards.

    Later I would go on to work at the Chuck E Cheese there, and I learned to drive in the massive unused parking lot behind the shopping center.

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  3. Oh my god... Sammys, I loved that place. I HATE that godawful strip mall they put in it's place.
    I went to Estancia too btw

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  8. Sammy's was great, I think they closed down permanently and did not move anywhere. I think for a little while they had a cart at the OC Swapmeet at the Orange County Fairgrounds on Sat and Sun. I grew up down the street from the Harbor Shopping Plaza off of Harbor and Fair in College Park ( cinderella track homes) from 73' to 84' and my mother worked at the JC Penny's there for 30 years. They used to have a parade down Harbor Blvd. every year and the carnival and rides were set up in the harbor plaza parking lot. My favorite attraction at Harbor Plaza shopping center was The Original Chuck E Cheese's that opened in 80, 81, 82 ? , It was only 2nd best to going to Disneyland or Knott's Berry Farm. The one that is there now sucks. The thrifty used to sell square shaped scoops of ice cream on cones for .10 cents!!!! When I moved back to Costa Misery in 91' everything had turned to rot at the plaza except for Sammy's.

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  9. In the 50's, there was a Drive Inn in Costa Mesa that all the kids went to. Does anyone know what the name of it was? Jack

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  10. We used to go shopping at Harbor Shopping Center. I remember the Penney's, a Helen Grace candy store, a women's clothing store called something like Windsor? I loved Helen Grace. We used to get suckers with a flower design in the center, and they had these flat yellow, pink & green candies with soft mint filling that were used sometimes in weddings. If I remember correctly, the stores had both front and back entrances, and maybe there was another row of shops behind the front ones. When I lived in L.A. there was a very similar shopping center that was laid out that way, it still had an old Newberry's store into the 90's. I miss those old shopping centers & feel kind of sad when I see the big box stores like Home Depot in Costa Mesa now.

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  11. Sammy's Motto (printed on their T-Shirts) was:

    "Sammy's Hot Dogs - Small Buns Big Weenie"

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  12. There was The Brat Shop, Gene's Smart Shop, Windsor, a men's store, Thrifty, Helen Grace - even a Woolworth's where the Chuck E Cheese eventually wound up. JC Penney was at one end and the Food Giant on the other! Good old days...

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  13. Oh my gosh yes sammys that was such a good place i loved eating there. Also the little they had there to bad they had to close it down.

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  14. I used to work at Crocker Bank from 1971 to 1979 at Harbor & Wilson. I remember all of those stores. My husband and I were just talking about Woolworth's and their grilled hot dogs. Was it in JC Penney's or right next to it? The bank was next door to the Jolly Roger, and there was a stereo store close as well. There was a shoe repair store and Nick's! Nick's had the best meatball and sausage sandwiches. Anyone remember those days?

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  15. My mother hated the name, Brat Shop, but shopped there for my school clothes nonetheless in the early 50s.

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