Former International Super Store located at 5100 Broadway in Oakland,CA. This store is best remembered as a Payless Drug Store as ISS lasted about ten months, before Payless acquired the building. Payless opened this 81,500 square foot store on August 16th 1967, it was the 19th Payless Drug Store in California and the 2nd store in Oakland. This store remained a Payless up until the Rite Aid takeover which took place in 1997. Rite Aid sold this store along with a handful of others (mostly Payless locations) to Longs which as of November 2008 still operates in all of the stores which Rite Aid sold. This store still known by many as the "Rockridge Payless" has remained virtually untouched since the days when Payless was here, all of the 21 departments originally operating are still used and the store is full of highly knowledgeable employees. Longs has even continued to stock the expansive nursery department with a complete indoor and outdoor plant selection. With CVS acquiring this store along with the entire Longs chain many wonder what will happen to this store. The lease Longs carries ends in 2011 and with Safeway expressing some interest in the huge space I come to believe that days of this beloved store are limited.
Here is the building as International Super Store...
www.flickr.com/photos/romleys/1848844621/
Here is the building as Payless...
www.flickr.com/photos/romleys/2025470345
www.flickr.com/photos/romleys/1458969039/ 