Out Lathrop Road, there is a place where you can fill up the car, pick up a gallon of milk and witness an alien invasion, all in one convenient stop.
With the large flying saucer crashing through the roof and dozens of green aliens crawling about inside, the Tower Mart in Lathrop is no stranger to the strange. Grocery store, quick stop, and tourist attraction all in one, the Tower Mart receives regular shoppers, camcorder-toting tourists, and journalists alike with the same laid back, friendly manner. In fact, the little green guys have so many fans that Wednesdays are designated "field trip days" to accommodate local school children who come by for a tour that is out-of-this-world.
Most of the aliens bounding about the walls, ceilings and fixtures inside the Tower Mart seem to be having a grand time. Few seem to be overly concerned with the damage done to their ship, visible from the inside of the store. Instead, they seem thrilled with sightseeing, helping themselves to groceries and getting into all sorts of mischief, from covering themselves with toast to going gung-ho with eggs.
At least one of the aliens took the crash landing a little hard, though. Tower Mart employee Dierdra passed on one of the legends regarding a little guy kept in a cooler near the back. He started his career as one of the aliens on the outside of the store, however one windy night years ago he flung himself from the hull of the spacecraft into the parking lot below. Was it an accident or was it suicide? We may never know. All we can be sure of is that his little green remains will always have a place of honor with his more structurally sound fellows.
Other Tower Marts in California also have interesting themes, from Star Wars to Candy Land. Like the Lathrop Tower Mart, drama sometimes strikes their mascots as well. Madeline, another employee, related the tear-jerking tale of Betsy, the Brentwood Tower Mart Cow. Betsy had been a beloved local icon when she suddenly went missing early last year. Her large fiberglass body was located floating in the Napa River ﾅbut they never found her head.
Excitement. Adventure. Groceries. Who says running to the store has to be boring? You don't have to be from this solar system to know that Tower Mart has it all.
You can visit the Lathrop Tower Mart at 192 Lathrop Rd * Lathrop, CA 95330
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