Over the years many businesses have come and gone on the hill. Our small population and quick proximity to town makes it hard for businesses to survive.
The Echo Ranch Dairy 1935-1946
The Echo Ranch Dairy – 1935-1946
In 1935, Ethel Jenkins decided to start a dairy which she ran for more than a dozen years. Beverly Nerbonne, Ethel’s daughter explained, “On the Echo Ranch Dairy we had Jersey and Guernsey cows which gave real rich milk, the cream coming halfway down the bottle. We started with only seven cows building to twelve. There were no milking machines, so they had to be milked by hand. Ethel Jenkins ran the dairy serving customers ‘on the hill’ as the Crest was known. The first milk was delivered in a 1931 Studebaker with the back end cut out to make it a truck of sorts. This was later replaced by a 1936 Ford panel wagon, which I learned to drive when I was 15. At first my brother Bill and a neighbor, Birk Merrifield, helped my mother milk the cows. Later, my brother Lewie helped. During the war years both brothers went into the service so the job of milking fell to me. Getting up at 3:45 a.m. did not appeal to me. I would work until I had to go to school, knowing those cows would be waiting for me when I got home. Since we didn’t raise our own feed, the dairy became a losing proposition, so mom decided to shut it down. This was in 1946 and the war was over. I can’t say I was unhappy about her decision. Many people were disappointed when we closed the dairy as their babies and growing children had done so well on the milk. I look back now and marvel at the strength and character of Mom during that work-filled decade.”
Suncrest Pharmacy - 1945
1945 – Suncrest Pharmacy
Run by Mr. Wolff, the pharmacy was located just west of the parking lot at the Suncrest Market (now the Crest Library). The cost of developing and printing a 12 exposure roll of film through the pharmacy was 48 cents plus 1 cent tax.
Penny's Inn Malt Shop -1946
1946 – 1949 Penny’s Inn Malt Shop and Café – 1946-49
Beverly Nerbonne wrote, “The year was 1946. I had just graduated from Grossmont High School. My sister Helen and her husband, Clarence Penny, had bought property on the corner of Jarrett Lane and La Cresta Blvd. Penny was an aviation chief machinist mate and still in the Navy expecting to be shipped out at any time.
“He wanted to have something for Helen to do to pass her time while he would be away. He saw an ad for a soda fountain that was going out of business in Lakeside. He and Helen looked into it and decided that it would be an ideal business for her to go into. They asked me if I would help Helen run it; I agreed.
“Then came the big move. We were able to haul it all in Penny’s pickup, but then came the fun. How could we put this long counter into our small building? We decided to knock out one wall so we could slide it in. There were 8 stools and two tables, malt mixers, dishes, glasses, and places in a refrigerated compartment for various ice creams. It took a couple weeks to get set up for business. A friend made us a sign. The malt shop was made completely of used doors.
“Our business grew; I decided to see if I could become a news correspondent for the Crest thinking if people brought in news they would buy a soda. I also went out and got a hundred new subscribers for the Valley News. My news columns kept getting longer. I was on this job until 1949 when I left to go north to marry.”
Helen continued to run the soda fountain and was often on hand to drive the Crest volunteer fire truck. After Bev and Helen left the shop it was run a short time by Bea (Donovan) Loughlin and then went to a woman who cooked homemade meals.