Harold Breyde writes:

I enjoyed your site! My sister and I grew up in the Valley of old from the 50's to the 70's. I see no mention of the huge landmark Builder's Emporium Store that thrived on the corner of Oxnard and Sepulveda. It was definitely a "hardware superstore" long before the term was recently coined. We lived close to it on Norwich Avenue which is a short bicycle ride out it's back gate down Califa . If Builder's didn't have what you wanted you were told to go to their major competitor, Murmak Hardware which was located in Reseda on Sherman Way It was also way before it's time but burned to the ground on a Sunday just before Christmas. My uncle managed that store. I worked my first job there as a clerk in the Garden department. I was glad to see the old Valley Market Town mentioned. I can remember shopping there with my mother. You mentioned cruising Van Nuys Blvd. We both attended Van Nuys Sr. and Jr. High. I remember we would often end up in the crowd at the Copper Penny, it was located just off Van Nuys Bvld. Sometimes we would venture down to Panorama City to Mike's Pizza or the Lowe's Cafeteria. (Hotdogs soaked in beer...) I remember the time my mother accidentally backed over the sign in front of Andy Devine's Crystal Plunge on Kester Avenue one day. My father being the thrifty individual as always, tackled it's remounting in their cement parking lot on a summer day with me as his sidewalk supervisor. Boy did I learn something about cussing that day... It was one of those days when he was sweating and swearing like crazy.