As downtown continues to grow, more and more longtime businesses are leaving the area and chalking it up to redevelopment.
After 92 years of business at 1515 Fourth Ave., Grah Safe & Lock shut its downtown doors on Oct. 13. The store re-opened at its new home in Hillcrest, 939 University Ave. Grah is just the latest example of storied small- and medium-size businesses moving out because zoning laws favor high-rise office buildings and condominiums, said Glenn Younger, owner of Grah Safe & Lock.
“Sometimes that’s the unintended consequences of progress,” Younger said.
Retail, condominiums and office buildings bring in lots of tax revenue and often smother smaller businesses with fewer than 100 employees, he said
But the exodus of companies like Grah and San Diego Hardware, which left in February for Kearney Mesa after 114 years downtown, leaves a void of necessary services.
Younger said Grah Safe & Lock will now be further away from some of their best customers, which could be a potential threat to business. However, it’s not all bad news for Younger and his 22 employees. Loyal customers are not easily swayed, Steve Denny being one of them. Denny is the chief of engineering at 401 West A Street National Bank building and has been doing business with Grah for the past 13 years.
“I don’t see it affecting us at all because with all system repairs, distance isn’t a factor,” Denny said. The move could even enhance business if it brings in new clientele from Hillcrest, he continued.
Since 1914, Grah Safe & Lock has been providing lock and security services for customers such as the Navy, United States Department of Defense and commercial buildings. Originally opened by Rudolph Grah, the business has provided locks for some of San Diego’s most recognizable names, including Jessop’s, San Diego Aerospace Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue Financial building and the Museum of Man in Balboa Park. They’ve even installed locks on Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.
Younger acquired Grah Safe & Lock in 2005 and is the third family to own the business. The Hartungs were the previous owners, after the Grahs.
Grah Safe & Lock has been a part of downtown’s history, but there’s one piece of history they won’t be taking with them: the iconic 8,000-pound safe that was once displayed in the showroom and originally moved by Rudolf Grah using a team of horses in 1945. It won’t travel to the new location because it is too heavy for the newer floor to support, Younger explained, and the city denied his request to move it the old-fashioned way.
“[The city] didn’t know how they would let us do it because they didn’t know what type of permit to use,” Younger said.