By Jan Siegel
The citizens of San Juan Capistrano have always come together for the common good of the community.
That is how the Chamber of Commerce first appeared in our town. It began in 1923 for the purpose of supporting worthwhile projects. The first work undertaken by the Chamber was the building of the Ortega Highway. To help keep business in town during the construction, the Chamber staged weekend events to keep the downtown viable.
Town beautification was another project. The Chamber purchased 200 palm trees. These were sold to any resident wanting them at the cost of $1 each. The Chamber made no profit on the sale of these trees.
Many of those palm trees still exist today in the older neighborhoods of San Juan Capistrano. La Matanza and Los Cerritos are two of the streets that benefited from this project.
The first president of the Chamber was R.W. Whitaker, who was a banker in town. The original Board of Directors read like a who’s who of San Juan Capistrano history. Directors in 1923 included J. S. Malcolm, C. L. Congdon, Walt Congdon, Dr. Paul Esslinger, C.A. Hankey, O.J. Guilbert, F.A. Stoffel, and Father St. John O’Sullivan.
Unfortunately, at the height of the Depression, the bank failed, and many local businesses followed. As a result, after the completion of the Ortega Highway, the Chamber of Commerce disappeared in town.
In 1948, a few San Juan Capistrano businessmen formed a luncheon group, and it became the San Juan Business Association. Paul Phelps, Bart Conners, and Harold Smith were among the leaders of the group, and Phelps was the first president.
Art Morria, Fred Newhart, Eugene Streit, William Steele, and Charles Ruerup followed as presidents of this group. One of the first accomplishments of this group was to bring street lights to town, which they did in 1950.
It was from this membership that the Chamber of Commerce was reestablished in San Juan Capistrano. Stan Geach was the first president, followed by Larry Hernandez, who was instrumental in getting the downtown area rezoned with the help of the county planning commission.
For the past 100 years, the Chamber of Commerce has played an important role in every important aspect of our community’s growth. For the past 75 years, that role has been continuous.
The Chamber is involved in the redevelopment of the downtown, much as it was in 1948, with its support of the completion of the La Pata extension, the development of the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, and the move of the Ganahl Lumber Company.
After seven years, Mark Bodenhamer stepped down as CEO of the Chamber in 2017.
He summed up his time in San Juan Capistrano, stating, “When I got here, there were a lot of empty storefronts. There was a general consensus that the downtown was struggling, but now there are a lot of new storefronts and restaurants.”
“The downtown is buzzing with new exciting additions like Trevor’s at the Tracks and the Mission store and gateway,” he said.
In 2018, George Peppas replaced Bodenhamer as Chamber CEO, just in time for the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for the Chamber.
Again, as they have always done throughout their history, the Chamber worked together with support from the City Council to help small restaurants stay afloat by allowing outdoor eating in open-air parking areas. The Chamber also worked with the Small Business Administration to assist local businesses in applying for loans.
With the pandemic behind us, the Chamber continued to support their ongoing activities including the Farmers Market, annual awards dinner, recognizing excellence in our community, insuring public safety during the Swallows Day Parade, and the return of the Annual Vintage Wine and Food Festival later this year.
You can spend a “Moment in Time” and visit the Chamber of Commerce office at 31421 La Matanza Street and see how they see our community now and in the future. To celebrate the 100th anniversary, you can attend the Annual Awards dinner on July 20 at the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. For further information, call the Chamber at 949.493.4700.
Jan Siegel was a 33-year resident of San Juan Capistrano and now resides in the neighboring town of Rancho Mission Viejo. She served on the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission for 13 years, has been a volunteer guide for the San Juan Capistrano Friends of the Library’s architectural walking tour for 26 years and is currently the museum curator for the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society. She was named Woman of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2005, Volunteer of the Year in 2011 and was inducted into the city’s Wall of Recognition in 2007.
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