Sleepy Hollow Centennial: Historic Photo #2

One of the landmarks of Sleepy Hollow for some 65 years was the building on the north side of Carbon Canyon Road at the west of the community that was last known as the Canyon Market, but which was also called Joe Tater's Oak Grove Inn and Party House Liquor #2 in more recent years, but started off as Ichabod's store and restaurant.

The wood-frame structure was built by David Purington, whose parents Cleve and Elizabeth were among the founders of the tract a centennial ago in 1923 and who oversaw much of its early development.  David was long involved in Sleepy Hollow, as well, including the building of two houses—both, sadly, lost to wildfires—and the Ichabod's grocery and café.

An early reference in the upper right column to Ichabod's, Chino Champion, 14 May 1953.

The earliest located reference to it was from summer 1952 and, within a short time, there was a post office located in the structure, with Purington's wife Leone as the postmaster, though that lasted only about a year or so.  A gas station was also long part of the property.  In 1961, tragedy struck with Lillian Ezell, who owned Ichabod's, was accidentally killed when a car rolled over her on the driveway of her Hillside Drive residence.

In 1967, owners Joseph and Dorothea Martin were successful in securing a beer and wine license for the establishment, over protests from some Sleepy Hollow residents, though the Martins argued it was necessary for their business to stay afloat because two other places in the area sold alcoholic beverages.  By 1974, Joe Tatar, a well-known Fullerton musician, purchased the place and called it the Oak Grove Inn.  He and his wife, Loretta, attended a Carbon Canyon history talk I gave several years at the Yorba Linda Public Library and he passed away in April 2022 at age 81.

A spread about Joe Tatar's Oak Grove Inn, Champion, 27 September 1974.

In 1981, the building became Party House Liquor #2 (the first being at the corner of Carbon Canyon Road [now Chino Hills Parkway] and Pipeline Avenue) and its owner was Gus Fedail, who also operated the Canyon Corral bar and restaurant where the CVS is now situated at Chino Hills Parkway and Peyton.  Thirty years later, it reopened as the Canyon Market, but its days were numbered by the opening of the convenience store east of Sleepy Hollow at Carbon Canyon Road and Canyon Hills Road.

Notably, Ichabod's was a school bus stop from at least that era and probably before and the site remains as one even though the structure was torn down a few years ago after the City of Chino Hills acquired the property.  The future of the site remains to be determined, though improvement of the bus turnaround zone is one major component of what will occur there.

A circa 1960s snapshot of Ichabod's as well as Dan's Sleepy Hollow Service Station, courtesy of Vance Stearns, who was born and raised in the community.

The photo shown here was provided by Vance Stearns, who was born in Sleepy Hollow and whose parents were very involved with such local institutions as the Carbon Canyon Women's Club and the volunteer firefighting department.  The date is probably from the later 1960s, around the time perhaps that the Martins secured their license.

Sleepy Hollow Landmark Purchased by City of Chino Hills

Championed by Chino Hills council member Ray Marquez, a longtime resident of Carbon Canyon, the historic liquor store property in Sleepy Hollow on Carbon Canyon Road has been acquired by the City.

As reported in this weekend's Champion, the store and lot, comprising just over an acre, were purchased for $600,000 with almost 30% of the price considered a charitable donation to the City by longtime owner Gus Fedail.  This means that the City effectively pays $425,000.  The last business to operate there, the Canyon Market, closed in 2012. 

Before that it was Party House #2 (the main Party House is on Chino Hills Parkway and Pipeline Avenue), Joe Tater's restaurant and tavern, Ichabod's restaurant and store, and others, including a gas station.  One of the concerns about acquiring the property was whether the old gas tanks were still present, but it was learned they were removed long ago.  The future of the aging structure is to be discussed.

Council member Marquez has long advocated acquiring the store property for a new community center, replacing the current one further east and on the south side of Carbon Canyon Road and where a former volunteer fire house and community center was located for decades. 

Noting that parking at the current Sleepy Hollow Community Center is very limited, Marquez said that he'd like to see recreational, social, and nature programs, adding that the City owns 3 acres just to the east along Carbon [Canyon] Creek, where improvements, such as a nature trail, could be made. 

In addition, he has wanted to improve the property as a bus stop to improve access and safety, as Chino Valley Unified School District's buses use adjacent Oak Way Lane as the furthest west stop in the Canyon, but have to make difficult roundabout turns there.

In fact, from the founding of Sleepy Hollow in 1923, that section along the creek had a swimming pool along with a well and served as an outdoor gathering place for early residents and property owners, many of whom had weekend cabins when the community was a rural get-away.

Council member Marquez is hoping to hold community meetings soon to discuss the future of the building and property, so stay tuned for future developments!

Sleepy Hollow's Canyon Market Closure in the News

In tomorrow's edition of The Champion, reporter Marianne Napoles has a short front-page feature on the shuttering of the Canyon Market, formerly Party House Liquor #2 (and before that Joe Tater's and Ichabod's, going back some decades.)

As noted in this blog in early June 2012, the store, which had only changed management and name the previous year, had closed its doors, though it was not known then if this was a permanent closure.  The boarding up of the windows and doors during the Fall, however, confirmed that it was a done deal.

The Champion article has a little bit of history and a reminiscence from a lifetime Sleepy Hollow resident, who also hoped that the site could be reopened as an artists' gallery or a coffee shop.  The piece also surmised that the opening the Circle K market up the road to the east had an impact and there's no reason to think otherwise.

The newspaper noted that the property has been owned by the same man for over thirty years and that Gus Fedail, who once owned the old Canyon Corral restaurant and bar that was an area landmark for many years and was razed when the shopping center that is anchored by CVS was constructed in recent years, still operates the Party House Liquor #1 store in the Big Lots/99 Cent Store shopping center at Pipeline and Chino Hills Parkway.

The future of the Canyon Market/Party House Liquor building and lot does not appear to be known currently and it will be interesting to see what happens to the property.

Canyon Market Closed Again?

A few times driving recently by the Canyon Market (formerly Party House Liquor) in Sleepy Hollow has found the store shuttered and lights out.  

There has been a new owner application notice, however, taped to a window at the front of the establishment for quite some time, so there might possibly be a transition to a change in ownership. 

If anyone happens to have any information on the status of Canyon Market, a comment to this post would be much appreciated.