Fitch Mountain Eddie’s Is No More, Big John's Expansion Coming

It’s been no secret, but there was still a bit of nostalgia for the old Fitch Mountain Eddie’s lingering in the foggy air this morning as bulldozers tore down the building and scooped its remains into containers.

The corner café, known for its big breakfasts, lunch and early dinner dishes, and drive-up espresso, closed in February 2011. The building has been vacant since then.

Fitch Mountain Eddie’s was a fixture at the corner of Healdsburg Ave. and Dry Creek Rd, in the southeast corner of the Big John’s Market parking lot, for 17 years.

John and Kim Lloyd, owners of Big John's, have long planned to use the full area for parking, but have delayed it several times.

This morning it happened, and Fitch Mountain Eddie’s is a pile of rubble and memories.

Lloyd told Patch, "The corner building was razed to make way for additional front parking and to create a better sight line for the market."

He pointed out another factor was the "coming loss of a parking leasehold along the railroad tracks, where 25 employees currently park, when the City and Smart complete the Dry Creek Road to Grove Street segment of the walking/bike path."

Big John's Market is planning an addition to the north, of 8 to 10,000 square feet, Lloyd told us, and a "remodel inside enlarging the floor footprint of every department."

The start date of the renovations has not been determined as yet, Lloyd said.

Follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook | Sign up for daily email | Start a blog on Patch!