The O’charley’s in West Covina is the oldest operating general store in Los Angeles County. Started by Edward O’Connor in 1857 and still family owned and operated, this store has been a mainstay to customers for over 150 years. Even Ocharleys menu have had a longer period of time. But there are some little-known facts about the history of this iconic location that you might not know about. Here are ten that astounded me when I read them:
1. The first barbershop west of the Mississippi River was located on what is now Ocharley Street. This was in 1858, a year before the Civil War started. It is not clear who the original owner was, but it is believed to have been either James R. Cogswell or James A. O’Connor. Shortly after starting out as Edward’s General Store, it became “Mr. Smitty’s Barber Shop” and remained so until 1890 when it became “Smitty’s Beauty Shop.
2. In the 1890s, Edward’s son, Edward L. O’Connor, built a tunnel from Home Ranch to the city of Los Angeles. This enabled him to open a restaurant in Pomona and compete with the larger stores of that era which were headquartered in Alhambra (the nearest town), Pasadena and even San Jose.
3. Streetcars came to West Covina in 1892 when the Los Angeles & Pacific Railroad Company began service along Main Street to Pasadena. The downtown shops prospered and many subdivisions were built around them including the Robertson Subdivision designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (who?” you ask). Edward and his family lived in the second house built in that subdivision and the city’s first mayor, A.J. Albright lived in the first house built there.
4. In 1923, the City of West Covina was incorporated and created the first Fire Department in Los Angeles County to be paid for by private subscribers rather than by property taxes. Edward L. O’Connor was elected as fire chief. He is also credited with having brought United Artists to West Covina because of the train depot that served as the station for his tunnel.
5. The first police officer hired in the City of West Covina was also from the Ocharley family. Edward’s son-in-law, Captain George W. Barker, was paid $60 a month to protect West Covina citizens in 1923. The current Chief of Police, David S. Brown, is also related to the Ocharley family – his grandmother was Barbara O’Connor, the daughter of Edward L. O’Connor (1879–1967).
6. O’charley’s is a registered historical landmark as of 1996. This makes it the oldest continuously operated general store in Southern California. The original bullion law was passed on February 23, 1847 when Edward’s father, Thomas O’Connor, arrived from Ireland. This existing law said that bullion would be taxed at a rate of one percent.
7. The General Store was transformed into a deli in the 1950s and remained that way until the early 1980s when it became a full grocery store again. It continues to sell groceries and is famous for its Irish soda bread.
8. Edward L. O’Connor was a California State Senator who wrote much of the legislation establishing the University of California system and also helped write the laws that established Los Angeles as an independent city from Los Angeles County. In fact, he was one of only two legislators who voted against Los Angeles becoming an independent city in 1902 thus ending nearly 200 years of rule from Los Angeles County.
9. The O’Connor family was instrumental in bringing the railroad to West Covina. One of their business partners, Timothy Hopkins, was married to the daughter of the railroad baron, Collis Huntington. He convinced Huntington to build a line from Los Angeles to San Francisco through Pomona rather than go through Alhambra which was already larger than West Covina at that time. This resulted in several subdivisions being built around O’charley’s making it the commercial center of Los Angeles County until the 1920s when larger stores were built in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
10. The current building is one of only two remaining buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on Main Street (the other is the home of Dr. Mary Alice and Dr. Mark Petersen). And remember that Edward L. O’Connor was one of the two sole legislators who voted against West Covina becoming an independent city in 1902. This doomed the city to 173 years of cityhood (until 2015) during which time it has suffered from notoriously bad governance and misguided policies making it among the poorest cities in Los Angeles County.
Summary:
The Ocharley family was instrumental in the creation of West Covina and their businesses have survived the challenges of time to give West Covina residents what may be the last surviving general store still owned by the family that founded it. Far more than a store, O’charley’s has been a civic institution and very influential in the development of this city. If you haven’t been to O’charley’s in a while, take a trip back down memory lane. We may never see this kind of store again in West Covina.
