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On the corner of Yucca Avenue and Highway 62, there sits a variegated chunk of Twentynine Palms’ past and most certainly, a welcome part of its’ retail future.
Built in 1945, the building now known as Corner 62 has weathered many retail eras in Twentynine Palms, and with a makeover and new owners, the building is ready for more.
Sitting on Highway 62, directly across from Freedom Plaza, Corner 62 originally housed a general merchandise store before it became Desert Market Basket, the local grocery store. In 1950, it was purchased by Ken and Grayce Forman, who ran the market – which also housed Matt’s Meat Market – until it was purchased by the Benton family in 1975. The building then became known as Benton Brothers, a popular department store. For 47 years, the building was owned by the Benton family and Dawn Benton, Jr. ran the store until 1999 before retiring.
Benton Jr’s son, Dawn Benton III, has many memories of riding his bike there as a child and spent 30 years working at Benton Brothers. “A lot of people had four careers,” he said, “but I just had the one.”
The Bentons then leased the building to a supermarket next door for use as storage until about 2017. The building then sat vacant for five years before Benton renovated the building with the intention to rent it as office space. “Big thing is, the building was designed to house dry goods and that sort of thing, not equipped for restaurants,” said Benton. “In renovation, we did not want to re-invent the wheel.”
Benton, now 68, was pondering his own retirement when he began brainstorming with nearby business owners last April about what type of businesses would be ideal for the future of Twentynine Palms. “I was looking into having a property management company handle it, but I started talking with Steve and Amey and here we are,” Benton said.
Amey Rene, who purchased Corner 62 late last year with her husband, Steve Przybylowski, owner the White Label Vinyl record store across the street, said that she and her husband did not set out to own a building. “It was more about wanting input on what kind of stores were going in there,” she said, “and the response has been great.”
Corner 62 now houses five retailers – Desert General (basic supplies, art and novelties), The Moon and the Mat (yoga studio), Scorpion Lollipop (candy and gift shop), Pisces (swimwear and fashion), and The Wash (clothing and home décor.)
“We’re looking to bridge all the communities – locals, tourists, Marines – we want to cater to everyone in some way,” said Rene.
The addition of the “CORNER 62” mural on the east side makes the building hard to miss. “We wanted to embrace the town’s mural history and add on to that,” said Rene. (The mural was completed by artist CJ Troxell, who also created the beam-me-up squirrel mural inside the Grnd Sqrl, across the street.)
The new businesses officially opened with ribbon cuttings attended by councilmembers on November 17.
“I’m so glad the timing on this was able to work out and have it all come together,” said Benton. “I’m really excited for the future of Twentynine Palms.”
