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The Leader Department Store at 250 3rd Avenue was a commercial anchor in Downtown Chula Vista, CA, for many years. A Chula Vista Public Library historic tour of the downtown noted of Leader's: "The Leader Department Store had this building constructed and it opened in 1948. The store had a mezzanine in addition to its main sales floor. The store had oak fixtures, asphalt tile and carpet floor coverings and several fitting rooms. The construction of the store stimulated the building of many other stores in the immediate area." (See "Local History: Walk of History Tour,Accessed 04/21/2011.)

The Leader Department Store transferred its operations to a bigger space at 223 3rd Avenue in 1958. At this point, Ellmers Gift Shop operated for five years, followed by Borgens Music Store, Fashion Figure Salon and the Bridal Shop (opened in 1974).

250 Third Avenue Original Leader Department Store The Leader Department Store had this building constructed and it opened in 1948. The store had a mezzanine in addition to its main sales floor. The store had oak fixtures, asphalt tile and carpet floor coverings and several fitting rooms. The construction of the store stimulated the building of many other stores in the immediate area. This was all part of the post-World War II building boom. Chula Vista was becoming a "bedroom" community. In 1958, Leader's (as it came to be called) moved to a new and larger building at 223 Third Avenue. This building became "Ellmers" giftware shop and operated here until 1963. The building had several other occupants - Borgens Music Store, the Fashion Figure Salon and, since 1974, The Bridal Shop. The building still has the mezzanine.

PCAD id: 14593