YORBA LINDA : Merchants Sell Street’s Old Charms

For many motorists driving past on Imperial Highway, Main Street looks like just another two-lane street dwarfed by new shopping malls and office complexes.

But this quaint, one-block stretch at the core of Yorba Linda’s historic district was once the center of all city activity. City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce and the hometown paper were once located there. Even so, the character of Main Street hasn’t changed much, since Yorba Linda is still an agricultural town.

Now, in a renewed effort, the 22 merchants who still line the street are trying to attract new residents on the city’s east side to one of Orange County’s few remaining examples of easygoing, small-town business districts. They also want to make sure that city officials, with a host of new, slick commercial developments before them, don’t forget about them.

“People come here who have lived here for three or four years and they didn’t even know what Main Street was,” said Leo Reilly, president of the Main Street Merchants Assn., which was formed last year. “That’s sad.”

“We go for the personal touch, the old-hometown feel,” he added. “You’ll never get that in a shopping center.”

About two years ago, Reilly left a job as director of the telecommunications program at USC and bought Yorba Linda Hardware, a brick masonry building that dates back to the 1920s.

“When I saw this (building), I said, ‘This it it,’ ” Reilly said. “I bought the store because I liked the feel of it. You park and you walk 4 feet and you’re in the store. . . . When people come in, we resolve their problems right away.”

Although some businesses have had a tough go of it, Reilly said that only two slots are vacant. The street is primarily a mixture of professional services--such as a realty, travel agency and bank--and specialty shops, including stained-glass and antique shops.

Still, some business owners say that what they need are more retail shops, while others favor attractions such as an ice-cream shop or a dinner theater. Others say that bigger signs on Imperial Highway identifying the street would lure residents and tourists.

“I feel the city has to help us,” said Roslyn Ruocco, who has owned the Main Street Restaurant, which serves Mexican and Italian food, for two years.

City officials say that they strongly support the street. It was included in a 327-acre redevelopment area added to the city last June. Merchants hope the move will alleviate limited parking and attract developers willing to develop commercial centers on streets within walking distance of Main Street.

A major setback to the street came last June, when the City Council voted to reroute the Fiesta Days Parade, the annual citywide celebration, off Main Street to Yorba Linda Boulevard, where it goes past the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace. At the time, Reilly called it “another nail in the coffin.”

Since then, Main Street merchants have joined together to plan their own events. A Christmas celebration attracted about 1,000 people, and the association is planning an arts and crafts fair in June. Main Street Restaurant is sponsoring a Cinco de Mayo block party featuring antique cars.

“I love it here,” Ruocco said. “I wouldn’t think of moving. . . . I don’t care if more restaurants come in. I just want to be old-fashioned.”