La Bamba

Overview

La Bamba at 124 N. Franklin Street is one of those small downtown buildings whose history comes from repeated reinvention.

Community memories reach back to barbering in the 1950s, a public laundromat during the 1960s and 1970s, ballet lessons, and other uses before La Bamba became one of the address's best-remembered identities.

The building has also been associated with The Men's Room Barber Shop, continuing a barber-shop tradition that appears to reach back decades.

Through all of those changes, the property remained a flexible downtown commercial space serving everyday Fort Bragg life.

Location

The building stands at 124 N. Franklin Street, just north of Oak Street in downtown Fort Bragg.

Its stepped parapet, broad storefront windows, and simple commercial frontage reflect the practical business buildings that once lined much of Franklin Street.

The location worked well for businesses depending on regular local traffic. A laundromat, barber shop, restaurant, small shop, or service business could all make use of the same compact downtown space.

Community memories also describe changes around the property. One resident recalled a house standing extremely close beside the La Bamba building during the 1980s and remembered the building itself as smaller than it appears today.

History

One of the earliest remembered businesses at the address is Arnold's Barber Shop, placed here by community memory in the 1950s.

Another recollection remembers getting a haircut here during the 1960s from a barber whose first name may have been Dana. The exact relationship between that barber and Arnold's Barber Shop has not been documented.

By the early 1960s, at least part of the building was being used as a public laundromat.

Residents remember using the dryers when their homes had wringer washers but no dryers, especially during rainy weather. One recollection places the laundromat here in 1977, while another remembers ten-cent drying cycles and a bulletin board for local notices, jobs, and items for sale.

Another resident remembered taking ballet lessons on the south side of the building.

There is also a community recollection that Squirllies arcade operated here during the 1980s. Another resident remembered the arcade being closer to Redwood Liquors, so the exact location remains unconfirmed.

By the 1980s, residents remember both The Men's Room Barber Shop and La Bamba becoming familiar names at the property.

La Bamba became more than a restaurant in local memory. Business listings have identified both La Bamba restaurant and La Bamba Imports at 124 N. Franklin Street, matching recollections of the property as both a Mexican eatery and shop.

For many residents, the food became the strongest memory, especially tacos, large burritos, and family meals.

The Men's Room Barber Shop continued the building's much older connection with barbering, creating a thread that reaches back to the remembered barber shops of the 1950s and 1960s.

Community Memories

The laundromat is remembered as part of everyday family life, especially by people who relied on its dryers during wet weather or before home dryers were common.

The barber shops produced equally personal memories. One resident remembered going along for a sibling's haircut because the barber handed out Bazooka bubblegum. Another remembered being taken up the stairs for a first barber-shop haircut.

Ballet lessons are also remembered on the south side of the building.

A possible 1980s arcade chapter survives in community memory, although recollections disagree about whether the arcade was actually in this building or elsewhere nearby.

The La Bamba years are remembered especially warmly for the food. Residents recall eating there many times, large burritos, tacos, and the combination of Mexican restaurant and import shop.

Another resident remembered living immediately beside La Bamba in 1986–87, when a nearby house stood so close to the building that there was barely space between them.

Together, the memories show how much everyday life passed through one small Franklin Street property.

Timeline

1950s — Community memory places Arnold's Barber Shop in the building.

1960s — Barbering continues to be remembered here; a public laundromat is also operating in at least part of the property.

Early 1960s — Residents remember using the laundromat's dryers because many homes still lacked automatic dryers.

1970s — Public laundromat continues operating.

1977 — Specific community recollection places the laundromat here.

Date uncertain — Ballet lessons remembered on the south side of the building.

1980s — Community memory places The Men's Room Barber Shop and La Bamba at the property.

1980s — Squirllies arcade is remembered here by some residents, although the location remains unconfirmed.

1986–1987 — Community memory describes a neighboring house standing extremely close to the La Bamba building.

Later years — La Bamba becomes strongly associated with the address as a Mexican restaurant and import shop.

Present-day history — The address remains remembered through La Bamba and the building's long barber-shop connection.