Tuesday, April 22, 2008

REED'S SPORT SHOP TO CLOSE

If you grew up on the East Side, there was only one place for athletes and sportsman to go if they were taking up a sport or planning a camping or fishing trip: Reed's Sport Shop. But after 60 years in Alum Rock, Reed's is calling it quits. No word yet on the official story, but a clerk confirmed the rumor yesterday, saying Reed's planned to close it's store in July and move the gunshop to its indoor range in Santa Clara. There are no going out of business signs on the outside of the building, but store employees are telling customers informally of the plans. Reed's has been an anchor business and a family-run operation in Alum Rock since 1948

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What kind of business should follow Reeds...grocercy store, retail??

Anonymous said...

not another mexican grocery store! i dont have anything against them but we have too many now, how about something good like a trader joes?

Anonymous said...

Will Reed's have the annual Gun Clinic in July before they close? I will miss that.

Anonymous said...

Little known fact historical fact,



The Donner Party was a group of California-bound American settlers caught up in the "westering fever" of the 1840s. After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846–1847, some of the emigrants resorted to cannibalism. Although this aspect of the tragedy has become synonymous with the Donner Party in the popular imagination, it was actually a minor part of the episode

The nucleus of the party consisted of the families of George Donner, his brother Jacob, and James F. Reed of Springfield, Illinois, plus their hired hands, about 33 people in all. They set out for California in mid-April 1846, arrived at Independence, Missouri, on May 10, 1846, and left two days later.

On May 19, 1846, the Donners and Reeds joined a large wagon train captained by William H. Russell. Most of those who became members of the Donner Party were also in this group. For the next two months the travelers followed the California Trail until they reached the Little Sandy River, in what is now Wyoming, where they camped alongside several other overland parties. There, those emigrants who had decided to take a new route ("Hastings Cutoff", named after its promoter, Lansford Hastings), formed a new wagon train. They elected George Donner their captain, creating the Donner Party, on July 19.[2] At its height it numbered 87 people.[3]

The Donner Party continued westward to Fort Bridger, where Hastings Cutoff began, and set out on the new route on August 31. They endured great hardships while crossing the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake Desert, finally rejoining the California Trail near modern Elko, Nevada, on September 26. The "shortcut" had taken them three weeks longer than the customary route. They met further setbacks and delays while traveling along Nevada's Humboldt River.[2]

When they reached the Sierra Nevada at the end of October, a snowstorm blocked their way over what is now known as Donner Pass. Demoralized and low on supplies, about three quarters of the emigrants camped at a lake (now called Donner Lake), while the Donner families and a few others camped about six miles (ten kilometers) away, at Alder Creek.[2]

The emigrants slaughtered their remaining oxen, but there was not enough meat to feed so many for long. In mid-December, fifteen of the trapped emigrants, later known as the Forlorn Hope, set out on crudely fashioned snowshoes for Sutter's Fort, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, to seek help. This group consisted of 10 men and five women. When one man gave out and had to be left behind, the others continued, but soon became lost and ran out of food. Caught without shelter in a raging blizzard, four of the party died. The survivors resorted to cannibalism, then continued on their journey; three more died and were also cannibalized. Close to death, the seven surviving snowshoers—two men and all five of the women—finally reached safety on the western side of the mountains on January 18, 1847.

When Relief arrived a week later, they found that some of the 31 emigrants left behind at the camps had begun to eat the dead.

James F. Reed of Springfield,
was the grate grandfather of Joseph
Reed the founder of reeds sporting goods.

Anonymous said...

I used to live in neighborhood behind Reeds and I can tell you it is not what it used to be even back in the 80's. It's now a run down mexican barrio.

I have shopped at and purchased items at this store in the last few months. To get in the front door you usually have to walk though a crowd of illegal immigrants who are hanging out there looking for work due to the OSH next door. Whatever you may think about the whole issue of illegals it is never good for business to have a bunch of unemployed men loitering around the front of your store. Every other business that had been in the area has now long since left (other than OSH obviously) and there is really no reason for them to be in that area as most of their clientele no longer live in the area.

It's a shame but the time they are a changing now aren't they? Whoo Hooo!