CLOSED MARKET LEAVES NEIGHBORS STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT SHOP OWNERS APPEAL FOR NEW ANCHOR TO TAKE STORE'S PLACE.

Byline: Judy O'Rourke Special to the Daily News

VALENCIA - A boarded-up Albertsons supermarket that used to anchor a Lyons Avenue shopping center now stands like a beacon of decay, neighboring business owners say.

Plywood boards block openings and black shadows spell out ``Bakery,'' ``Deli'' and ``Liquor'' where lighted signs used to hang.

Sales at small shops flanking the shuttered store have plummeted.

``I bet my business is down 30 percent per day since they shut down,'' said Patricia Teichert, who owns Remember When ... Scrapbooking. Row after tidy row of displays hold 3-D stickers and decorative papers, beckoning hobbyists who spread out supplies during frequent in-house classes. A Friday night class ends at midnight.

Teichert said homeless people have settled in behind the market, and that a van full of people parks there sporadically. Her employees and customers are worried about being approached as they head for their cars, she said. ``It's really been horrible,'' Teichert said. ``It looks like a slum, all boarded up. When is the graffiti going to start?''

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has received no complaints about homeless people or loitering since the closure, and deputies patrolling the area have not observed any lawbreakers, Lt. Mike Dunkle said.

The store, which closed in July, anchored Valencia's first large shopping center. A new 52,000-square-foot-plus store on Copper Hill Road replaced the aging market. In earlier incarnations it was a Safeway and a Lucky supermarket, said senior city planner Fred Follstad.

The dearth of market shoppers, who patronized nearby mom-and-pop stores selling birthday cards and pizzas, is taking a toll. The owner of Lee's Hallmark said sales have dipped 50 percent. ``The problem is, if they don't get (a new anchor store) soon it's going to put me out of business,'' said John Trimble. ``I've had to cut the hours of employees and store hours.''

Towers of canned tomatoes and exotic pates imported from Italy and cases stocked with deli eats entice patrons of John Nardone's namesake restaurant. Nardone said he set up shop six months ago, taking over from shopkeepers who had gone bankrupt.

``For a startup business I was doing well at the beginning,'' he said. ``I've lost business since they closed. Now, nobody comes by and says, I didn't know you were here.''

Nardone has applied for a license to sell wine and beer - which he hopes will keep him in business - and he might arrange tables on the patio out front to attract patrons. He hopes an upscale retail shop or market will move into the vacant space.

A physical therapist who heads a rehabilitation center wants to partner with other practitioners to transform the free-standing market into a condominium medical building. He has outgrown his space, which hums with the activity of patients lifting weights. The new space would need to accommodate a pool.

``The (market) is an eyesore,'' said Dan Kryszan, president of Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services. ``It makes anyone driving into the center wonder what's happened. (It looks like) what happens when they're closing down centers.''

Those in the know about whether another tenant could take over the darkened store are keeping mum.

``We have several parties interested, but (the store) is in possession of Albertsons and until they release it to us there is nothing we can do at this time,'' said Terry Klaum, regional manager of Florida-based Concord Milestone Plus, L.P., which owns the Old Orchard shopping center.

Shop owners appealed to City Council members Tuesday to ensure that a suitable replacement is found for the empty market. The council was considering a $1 million code-based plan designed to renovate downtown Newhall, which is not far from the Orchard Village center.

Judy O'Rourke, [phone]

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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(color) This boarded-up Albertsons market, which closed in July, had anchored Valencia's first large shopping center. Local businesses surrounding the store say their sales have plummeted.

David Crane/Staff Photographer