The local Bordona family is known far and wide, both for their generosity and for their business acumen. As they celebrate 95 years in business this year, the Bordonas have continued to grow their business by ensuring that their commitment to the community is first and foremost.
Bob Bordona shared why service is such an integral part of who the Bordonas are: “Growing up, I was surrounded by family that believed in service, helping out when they could, giving food to families during the Depression to help them get by, so we just continued that tradition.”
Originally located on the corner of Patterson and Palmer in Riverbank in the building that now houses Esperanza’s Party Rentals, the Bordonas opened the West Side Grocery Store in 1931 and though they weren’t grocers, the Bordonas quickly learned the trade. By the mid 1950’s the family had expanded the plethora of items they were selling to include those amazing little boxes called televisions. The rest, as they say, is history with the family ultimately growing the business to sell furniture and appliances at their store in Riverbank in addition to groceries and adding another store in Oakdale during the next decade.
Nancy Hallum-Bowen has served as a design consultant for Bordona’s Furniture and Appliance for more than 18 years and said it’s the care the family takes with everyone that keeps customers returning, year after year.
“Bob has always been such a good guy and people feel that. I have been here for 18 years and I still enjoy every day with the family and the customers,” Hallum-Bowen shared.
Bob and Phyllis Bordona met at the University of LaVerne in 1955 and married in 1959, promptly settling into their apartment above the bank in downtown Riverbank. The newlyweds were busy building their new life together, Bob working at the store alongside his family and Phyllis building relationships within the community through her work in the school system and her various community service endeavors. In 1971, the Bordona family moved to Oakdale and welcomed their son Ron to the family. Phyllis, who earned teaching credentials in everything from elementary to adult education at the University of La Verne, taught students life skills and served on the Oakdale school board for almost a decade while Bob worked alongside his father, Miguel (Mike) Bordona to expand the store to its current location of 102 West F Street in Oakdale, eventually adding an additional Discount Center located just behind the main showroom.
Throughout their lives, the Bordonas have remained committed to supporting their fellow citizens while also sharing a love for service through volunteering and through membership in organizations including: the Riverbank Chamber of Commerce, Oakdale Kiwanis Club, American Association of University Women, Soroptimist International of Oakdale and the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce, among many others. The Bordonas have also served as ambassadors for the AFS Intercultural Programs USA, hosting a multitude of students from countries around the globe for several years with many of the students noting how Bob and Phyllis made them feel like part of the family throughout their stays. Many of the students have attended various reunions over the years to catch up with the Bordonas and thank them for opening up their home and their hearts.
For many Oakdale area students, the Bordona name has become synonymous with scholarships and higher education due to their involvement in the creation of the Community and Memorial Scholarships Fund, established in the early 1990s and managed by Phyllis Bordona and Liz Columbo for almost a decade. These scholarships are near and dear to the Bordonas as Bob Bordona, his son Ron and his grandson Robert are all OHS alumni. Bob graduated in 1955, Ron in 1990 and Robert in 2025, the three generations spanning 70 years and still as devoted as ever to Oakdale.
Now known as the OJUSD Alumni and Community Scholarships, the fund continues to provide scholarships to Oakdale High students, awarding more than 30 different scholarships last year alone.
More than 20 years ago, Dr. Jacob Barber, now an oral surgeon in Modesto, was among the scholarship winners and praised the Bordona family’s support and commitment to making higher education accessible to everyone.
“I am so honored to know them. They are legendary,” Dr. Barber said.
Though the Lifetime Achievement Award that the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce bestowed upon them earlier this year and their 95th year in business are honors that both Bob and Phyllis cherish, Phyllis noted, “This lifetime achievement is an honor but it is really for Bob. He has always been there for me at every event, every celebration, every accolade I’ve received. He has enriched my life and he is my support through everything so all of this is for him.”
From arranging free pickups of old furniture to helping folks out that didn’t have the means to purchase everything they needed for their new homes all at once, the Bordonas have worked diligently to build strong relationships with their customers and neighbors, not for the accolades or for the recognition but because that is what they do. During the Small Town Christmas in Oakdale this past December, the Bordonas purchased more than 200 tickets to the Julia Haidlen Memorial Ice Skating Rink, which they then gave to families in need so that they could enjoy the holiday magic with their little ones.
For Bob and Phyllis Bordona, throughout their 66 years of marriage and the family’s history of 95 years in business, family and service are the foundation of all that they do and they are not done yet. Through their actions, the couple remind us how kindness and compassion never go out of style and often inspire others to act with more care and concern for those around them.
