10 SLO County businesses that closed their doors in 2014
San Luis Obispo County residents said goodbye to a number of businesses in 2014.
The reasons for the closings varied from a lack of customers to making way for new development.
Here’s a look back at 10 businesses that closed their doors in San Luis Obispo County in 2014.
No. 1: Cass House in Cayucos
Tribune file photo
The historic Cass House property in Cayucos was sold in December to the owners of the Brown Butter Cookie Co. The restaurant that had been located on the property served its last meal in October, while the inn was to close Dec. 1. The new owners have not yet disclosed what they will do with the property, which was built by Cayucos founder Capt. James Cass between 1867 and 1875. Read more about the Cass House's closure »
No. 2: Foster's Freeze
Tribune photo by David Middlecamp
Foster’s Freeze, a popular downtown San Luis Obispo fast-food eatery and soft-serve ice cream shop, served its final customers in November. The Marsh Street restaurant, where patrons could order at a walk-up window or eat inside, had been a fixture in San Luis Obispo for 65 years. A mixed-use commercial and residential project is proposed for the site. Read more about Foster Freeze's closure »
No. 3: Morro Bay Power Plant
Tribune file photo
The power plant that operated in Morro Bay since the 1950s and once employed more than 100 people officially shut down in February. The Morro Bay Power Plant was widely identified by its three 450-foot stacks towering above the nearby bay. The closure marked the end of an era for a local industry that helped shape the community of Morro Bay. Dynegy, the Houston-based owner of the plant, has made no formal plans about its future intentions for the site. Read more about the Morro Bay Power Plant's closure »
No. 4: Hoppe's Garden Bistro
Tribune photo by Joe Johnston
Hoppe’s Garden Bistro, a classy American food restaurant in Cayucos, closed in August. The restaurant was started by Wilhelm Hoppe, who ran the restaurant on the North Coast for many years until his death in 2010. His family members sold the business in May 2013 to Brendan Fritzsche and his wife, Amanda, who also own nearby Schooners Wharf restaurant. Fritzsche said that sales had been dropping and never rebounded to what the owners hoped for. Read more about Hoppe's closure »
No. 5: Ocean View Furniture in Morro Bay
Courtesy photo
Ocean View Furniture in Morro Bay closed in April so that its owners could retire. The store has been a fixture in Morro Bay since 1972, when owners Steve and Kathy Semas bought the space. Before that, another family-owned furniture store had been in the location for 11 years. Read more about Ocean View Furniture's closure »
No. 6: Spencer's Fresh Market in San Luis Obispo
Tribune photo by Joe Johnston
Spencer’s Fresh Market in the Laguna Village Shopping Center off Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo closed in January. The closure was because of a “lease issue,” said a Spencer’s spokesman, as well as increased competition from Costco and Target. It was replaced by a 20,000-square-foot Grocery Outlet, which opened in November. Read more about Spencer's closure »
No. 7: Cugini's in San Luis Obispo
Tribune file photo
Cugini’s Pizzeria & Trattoria closed its doors in February after 15 years in San Luis Obispo due to a lease misunderstanding between the owner and the property manager, Cugini’s management said. Restaurant owner Louis Pippin opened a second Cugini's location in Santa Maria in 2013 and planned to run that location until she could find another shopping center to move into in San Luis Obispo. Read more about Cugini's closure »
No. 8: Cookie Crock in Arroyo Grande
Tribune staff photo
Cookie Crock Warehouse in Arroyo Grande closed in February to make room for the surrounding shopping center’s redevelopment. Grand and Elm Properties LP, which owns the shopping center at 1221 Grand Ave., bought the grocery store for a “seven-figure sum,” Cookie Crock owner Del Clegg said. Clegg, who has owned the 25,000-square-foot grocery store in Arroyo Grande for nearly 17 years, decided to sell it because he felt it would be difficult to run a business in a construction zone. He also did not think he could afford the investment in renovations down the road. Read more about Cookie Crock's closure »
No. 9: Santa Margarita Lake Marina & Mini Mart
Tribune photo by Joe Johnston
As the water levels dropped at Santa Margarita Lake earlier this year, so did the number of visitors to the small lake seven miles southeast of Highways 101 and 58. In April, with little sign of the drought easing, as well as for other reasons, Don and Sandra Lopez decided to close the Santa Margarita Lake Marina & Mini Mart they had owned for nine years. The store is expected to reopen soon under a new concessionaire, Valencia-based Rocky Mountain Recreation Company. Read more about the marina store's closure and expected reopening »
No. 10: Templeton Livestock Market
Tribune photo by Laura Dickinson
After 70 years, the Templeton Livestock Market had to close to make way for a housing development. Templeton Properties, which owns the land, told the market's owners in August they would have to vacate by mid-October to make room for 107 single-family homes. One local rancher called the closure "catastrophic." Read more about Templeton Livestock Market's closure »
This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 5:25 PM with the headline "10 SLO County businesses that closed their doors in 2014."