Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 19, 2013

SECTION B

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013

THE BOTTLE SHOP CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF SERVICE TO SIERRA MADRE

Story and Photos by Bill Coburn

In October of 1963, Bill Sullivan was notified by his brother, Frank, of a business opportunity in the city of Sierra Madre. At the time, Bill lived in Chicago, 
Illinois where he worked as a steamfitter. After hearing from his brother, he made a phone call to California and made arrangements to buy a liquor 
store in Sierra Madre. One month later, his wife, Marie, and their three 
children, ages seven, six & four, flew to California to join Bill who was 
busy preparing to open their new business. The day they landed, they 
were greeted with the news John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. One 
month after that, on December 23, 1963, Bill and Marie, who had never 
even operated a cash register before, opened what is now known as The 
Bottle Shop.

Bill’s oldest son, also named Bill, his brother Dan, and sister, Kathy 
(Copeland) spent much of their childhood working at The Bottle Shop, 
substituting chores at home for chores at the shop. “We stocked the 
cigarettes, bagged the ice, and sorted and separated the deposit bottles 
seven days a week for which we were paid a weekly allowance of sixty 
cents,” remembers Bill. After graduating from high school in 1975, the 
younger Bill started working full time at The Bottle Shop, eventually being 
in charge of all its operations before purchasing it from his dad in 1984. 
The elder Bill pursued other interests, including founding Sierra Madre 
City College, a philanthropic organization, and building and owning a 
storage facility in Sierra Madre until his death in 2011. Marie continues to 
own Self Storage in Sierra Madre.

Throughout the years, the store has seen many changes and remodels. When 
the lease for the business next door expired in 1982, The Buccaneer decided 
to move a few doors west creating an opportunity for The Bottle Shop to add 
a seventeen door walk-in box that allowed the store to stock more than one 
hundred imported beers. In 1998, on the day the City of Sierra Madre celebrated 
Wistaria Day, the store was gutted by a fire and declared a total loss. Forty days 
later, with the whole family pitching in, along with help from several community 
members, the store re-opened. The most recent change occurred in 2011 when 
the store expanded once again into unoccupied space to the west, adding a 
climate controlled wine room, and a wine tasting bar allowing customers to 
sample the various wines sold at The Bottle Shop.

Today, The Bottle Shop is run by Bill, along with his wife, Patty, and twin sons 
Jay and Jeff, recent graduates with degrees in Finance from Southern Methodist 
University. Their daughter Tracy is currently a senior at Santa Clara University, 
and also helps out whenever she is home from school.

On Saturday, October 26th, from 2 to 6 pm, The Bottle Shop invites everyone 
to stop by and celebrate their fifty years of service in Sierra Madre. There will 
be door prizes, appetizers, and live entertainment by the “Mello D’s”, featuring 
Dave Osti and Deanna Cogan. Participants will have the opportunity to choose 
among dozens of wines and beers to sample. The cost is $10.00 per person. 

SIERRA 
MADRE 

HALLOWEEN 
HAPPENINGS

Thursday, October 31, 2013. Halloween 
Happenings’ activities 
include the downtown trick-o-
treating sponsored by the Sierra 
Madre Chamber of Commerce, 
as well as the costume parade and 
costume contest, supported by 
the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club. 
All activities for the Sierra Madre 
Halloween Happenings are free!

• 3:30 - 5:00 PM Trick-O-Treating, 
Downtown Sierra Madre

• 4:00 - 5:00 PM Costume Contest 
Sign-up, Kersting Court 

• 5:00 PM Costume Parade Begins, 
Kersting Court 

• 5:30 PM Costume Contest, Memorial 
Park (no signups will be 
taken in Memorial Park, signups 
must be done in Kersting Court)

Participating Businesses in the 
Downtown Trick-o-Treating - 

 

Sponsored by the Sierra Madre 
Chamber of Commerce, from 
3:30-5:00pm in Downtown Sierra 
Madre. 

 Costume Contest Registration 
and Participation

 Supported by the Sierra Madre 
Kiwanis Club. The costume contest 
registration will be available 
in Kersting Court from 4:00pm-
5:00pm. All youth must pre-
register in Kersting Court to be 
able to participate in the costume 
contest, no signups will be taken 
in Memorial Park. The costume 
contest will begin at approximately 
5:30pm at the Memorial Park 
Bandshell. Prizes will be given to 
the top three contestants in each 
of the five age categories: walking 
to 2 years, 3-4 years old, 5-7 
years old, 8-10 years old and 11 
years & up. Sierra Madre Elementary 
teacher Lisa Spigai will keep 
all entertained as she emcee’s the 
contest. All prizes for the costume 
contest are provided by the Sierra 
Madre Kiwanis Club. The judges 
for this year’s contest are: TBD.

 Halloween Parade led by the Sierra 
Madre Fire Department

 The costume parade will depart 
from Kersting Court at 5:00pm 
and will be led by the Sierra 
Madre Fire Department, with the 
Sierra Madre Police Department 
bringing up the rear. The parade 
will travel west on Sierra Madre 
Blvd. and end in Memorial Park. 
Youth can visit with firefighters 
and explore the vehicles in 
Kersting court before the parade 
begins. 

 Alegria Avenue Festivities 

(Independent Activity Hosted By 
Residents on Alegria Avenue)

 Alegria Avenue between Baldwin 
Avenue and Mountain Trail will 
be closed to through traffic on 
Thursday, October 31, 2013 from 
4:00-11:00pm. The homes on this 
street are elaborately decorated 
for Halloween and many families 
visit this street to trick or treat. 
*Note: this is not affiliated with 
any of the City of Sierra Madre 
Halloween Happenings activities.

For more information about any 
of the Halloween Happenings activities 
please call the 

Community Services Department 
at 626-355-5278.


Above, Bill Sullivan, Sr. in 1965. On the right, Bill Sullivan, Jr. (left) at 
the ribbon cutting ceremony in 2012


SIERRA MADRE 

SCARECROW FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 1 - 31, 2013

Have 
you 
seen 
all the 
scarecrows 
around 
town? 
Take a walk, drive or cycle around and 
see all of the sights!

Pick up a map of all the Scarecrows 
around town at The Creative Arts 
Group, 108 N. Baldwin, Sierra Madre


LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS DISCUSS 
INDUSTRY, ECONOMY AT 
FIRST PASADENA ECONOMIC 
AND BUSINESS SUMMIT ON 
OCTOBER 24TH

Panelists include industry, civic and 
economic development leaders 

Pasadena, CA- The Economic and Business Development 
Committee of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce hosts 
the first Pasadena Economic and Business Summit on 
Thursday, October 24, 2013, at 11:30am at the University 
Club. Local civic, economic development and business 
leaders will discuss our local economy, their industries and 
the future of business in Pasadena. The event is presented 
by the Chamber and the City of Pasadena. 

 Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard will provide a brief update 
on City finances and priorities. Keynote Speaker Bill Allen, 
President and CEO of Los Angeles County Economic Development 
Corporation, will discuss the current state of the 
local and regional economy and highlight trends, issues and 
concerns to watch in the future. 

 The Pasadena Business and Economic Summit will include 
panelists include Zareh Astourian of TTG and William Chu 
of Singpoli Capital, and Park Place Commercial, LP, Andy 
Ogden, Chair of the Graduate Department of Industrial 
Design at Art Center College of Design and Dr. Michael 
Giardello, CEO of Materia, Inc. and Co-chair of Innovate 
Pasadena. 

 Cost to attend the inaugural Pasadena Business and Economic 
Summit is $45 and includes the program, lunch and 
valet parking. A corporate table of eight, which includes 
signage and recognition on the program, costs $400. 

The City of Pasadena is sponsoring the discussion of the 
economic health and the future of business in Pasadena.

 To sign up and pay online at the Pasadena Chamber website 
at www.pasadena-chamber.org (then follow the link to 
Events and the Business and Economic Summit). 


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