It was announced Monday that the Safeway supermarket on North Carson Street would be closing Nov. 23 after spending 38 years in their location at 2035 North Carson Street.
But what wasn't apparent at the time is that Safeway's closing would mean an end to the second-oldest continually operating business in Carson City, according to retired state archivist Guy Rocha.
(Editor's note 10/21: After further review, Rocha found one other business that has been in operation longer, the Carson Hot Springs Resort, which began as a business in 1879, operating under different names and owners. That would make Safeway the third-oldest business in Carson City.)
Rocha said he has done some preliminary research on the issue and feels reasonably certain that Safeway is the second-oldest business, having first opened in 1930.
Safeway occupied six different locations in since that time, all along Carson Street. The first store was at 516 North Carson Street from 1930 to 1936, which is now the parking lot across from the Carson Nugget.
In 1937, Safeway moved to 200 South Carson Street, and did business there until 1940. From 1941 to 1960, the store was located at 808 North Carson Street, where the City Center Motel is today.
In 1961, Safeway moved to 1715 North Carson Street, where Kragen Auto Parts is today. It remained there until 1973 when it moved to its current location at 2035 North Carson Street.
From 1966 to 1983 there was a second Safeway store located at 1201 South Carson Street, where the Carson Mall is today.
Safeway Inc. is the second-largest grocery chain in North America. It began 99 years ago with a single store in Los Angeles, and has gone through many mergers and acquisitions since. At one point in the 1920s, the corporation was headquartered in Reno.
The oldest business still operating in Carson City is the Nevada Appeal, which began in 1865.