Northeast corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets, 1932. The Johnson building on the corner housed the Mendocino Justice Court on its first floor. The two small rental houses down Ukiah Street on the right, were built by architect/builder/undertaker J. D. Johnson. Stauer’s Grocery Store was located on the left and is currently the home of Goodlife Cafe & Bakery.
July 11, 1942 – The front page of the Beacon announced that Haugh Stauer, manager of the Stauer Grocery Store on Lansing Street, was selling out the store’s stock and preparing to close the store, because he was entering the armed forces. “Mr. Stauer is a graduate of the University of California, where he took military training and attained the rank of second lieutenant, and this training will be to his advantage. The many patrons of this store will regret to have it close but they extend to Mr. Stauer their best wishes and trust when the present conflict is over he will reestablish himself here again.”
Haugh’s father, Henry Stauer, opened this general merchandise store in 1916, and Haugh had operated the store since 1936. Haugh was stationed in Australia during the war, but he never reopened the Stauer Grocery Store. Upon his return, he joined his father’s successful auto dealership in Fort Bragg, and Henry sold his Mendocino properties, including the store, to the Mendosa family in 1945.
“The sale embraces this store, which is an historic coast building. First church services held in Mendocino were conducted there. The building also served as the town’s first elementary school, and one of the first two county high schools that established at Mendocino in 1893 utilized this building for its class rooms until the present building was completed. Together with this store building goes the Johnson building, erected by the late J. D. Johnson and sold by his estate to Mr. Stauer some years ago. Also in the deal are two cottages just east of this building on the north side of Ukiah street, also formerly owned by the Johnson estate. With these several properties go the former Mendocino Bakery, which operated successfully for a number of years and a small garage just north of it, formerly operated by Cecil Mallory. This sale gives Mendosa Brothers all property frontage on east Lansing street from the Ukiah street north to the Little Lake road with the exception of Mrs. Nettie Nichols home lot. The price involved has not been given out but it is believed to be in the neighborhood of ten thousand dollars.”
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