Chili, motorcycles and movie stars
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

HOT WHEELS- Bikes line up outside the Rock Store on a typical weekend day. The store and restaurant, tucked into a local canyon in rural Agoura, has attracted bikers for decades. Actor Steve McQueen is said to have frequented the place in the early days.

Ed and Veronica (Vern) Savko recently installed new seating booths at the Rock Store, the popular hangout for motorcyclists in the mountains near Agoura Hills. There've been other improvements over the years but, for the most part, the famous Mulholland Highway biker destination hasn't changed much since the couple bought it more than four decades ago.

When I tried to interview Ed Savko on the phone about a recently produced documentary titled "Ed & Vern's Rock Store," he insisted I visit him in person at the store and that I also bring my father, who shares with Savko memories of the late Art Whizin, the owner of Whizin's Mall in Agoura Hills and a chain of chili restaurants in Los Angeles.

As I filled up on a hearty homemade pancake breakfast at the Rock Store restaurant, Savko reminisced about chili and war stories with my father, Robert Bertholdo, 82. Vern Savko, who is 79, filled me in on the history of the store and talked about some of the lore that has made the site so famous.

Named after the red lava rock used as building material in the early 1900s, the Rock Store was initially just a country shop and a gas station, Savko said. Two old gas pumps in the front of the store serve as a reminder of those early days.

A picture of actor James Dean on a motorcycle, along with a beautiful blond that appears to be Marilyn Monroe, hangs in the upstairs restaurant. Savko said somebody anonymously left the photograph on the front step of their home many years ago.

Actor Steve McQueen is said to have been the one who put the Rock Store on the celebrity map. Savko said he used to ride to the store on his motorcycle with actress Ali McGraw in tow.

It was a day when customers could buy two Twinkies at the store for 9 cents and bread was only 19 cents a loaf, Savko said. It was a time when the husband and wife were happy if they made $25 in a day.

When the couple purchased the store in 1961, "There was no Kanan Road, no Calabasas, no Agoura," Savko said.

The store also served as a school bus stop, and when children had nothing to do Savko often came to their rescue. "I took care of them. . . . I did homework with them, crosswords, puzzles, art and math." She said she kept the children busy until their parents could pick them up.

As for the Rock Store's outlaw reputation, Savko said there are certainly more motorcycleriding doctors, lawyers and judges than there are ruffians.

"There are no gangs," she said. "I have a guy who comes in- a big CEO with a suit and tie, (but) on weekends he comes up here and looks like he rolled in the mud."

Celebrity sightings at the Rock Store are legendary. Ronald Reagan used to be a regular visitor and the horseshoes embedded in the outdoor patio came from his ranch. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls Vern Savko "Mama," and Vern considers actor Nick Nolte to be a "good friend."

The wall of the gift shop is covered with celebrity-signed photographs from motorcycle lovers such as John Wayne, John Travolta, Harrison Ford and Bruce Springsteen.

Ed Savko said he periodically gets calls from people who believe the Rock Store actually sells rocks- even diamonds and rubies.

He said Schwarzenegger even asked him to donate the site as an historical monument. "I told him to buy it and donate it himself."

Speaking of California governors, Ed and Vern graciously gave me an old poster that paid homage to their legendary store. The dated poster alluded to a visit to the Rock Store by "current president, Ronald Reagan."

The Rock Store is at 30354 Mulholland Highway in the Cornell area of Agoura and is open on Saturdays and Sundays only.