Remembering Mobile from the 60s-80s (homes, buy, cinema)

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by luksky

Anyone remember the mini mall in Bel-Air Mall?? It don't remember all the little shops that were down that little "hall", but I remember there was a pastry shop and a head shop in there. Also, the huge slide called the "suicide slide" that used to sit in the parking lot of near the Springdale Mall.

OMG yes! My mom used to use a seamstress/alteration shop in the "mini mall". That little area had more character than the rest of Bel Air Mall will EVER have.

I do remember that slide also - isn't that near where Treadwell Honda located before moving to I-65?

[luksky]

I don't remember exactly....I just remember the vicinity of the slide. I can remember even before the malls were built. My mom and grandmother used to do their shopping in the shops in downtown Mobile.

There was also a skating rink I used to go to near Cottage Hill and Downtowner....I can't remember the name of it anymore......old age. :-)

[Azalea City Man]

I remember, what was it, "Woolworths" in Bel Air Mall? Whatever it was, it was a drug store with an attached mini-resaraunt. My grandmother used to take us there to get milkshakes when little kids. I think there is currently a "Forever 21" there now lol. Have to love evolution and the passage of time .

[AlwaysBeachin]

Oh, the "mini mall" sounds really familiar. Refresh my memory...where in the mall was it? What was down there. It's barely trying to grasp my memory.

Yeah Woolworth's had the store and the restaurant attached. If you go in the main entrance of the mall, it was straight ahead, behind that carousel thing now. We had a Hickory Farms in the mall too, and I used to get gummy bears there as a kid.

On Highway 90 where that bar "The Whiskey" is and a Mardi Gras shop, there was a store called Gaylords a long time ago, then it was Zayre. Oh yeah, more memories are pouring in....Old Time Pottery on 90 was our original Home Depot and before that it was Bo Waters hardware!

This was before my time, but the Bama Drive In on Halls Mill was still standing when I was younger but had long ago closed; probably in the late 70s.

Man, it's hard trying to go back and remember where everything was and what it was. It's fun though.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by luksky

I don't remember exactly....I just remember the vicinity of the slide. I can remember even before the malls were built. My mom and grandmother used to do their shopping in the shops in downtown Mobile.

There was also a skating rink I used to go to near Cottage Hill and Downtowner....I can't remember the name of it anymore......old age. :-)

Originally Posted by oscottscotto

I remember, what was it, "Woolworths" in Bel Air Mall? Whatever it was, it was a drug store with an attached mini-resaraunt. My grandmother used to take us there to get milkshakes when little kids. I think there is currently a "Forever 21" there now lol. Have to love evolution and the passage of time .

The "mini-mall" at Bel Air was on the Holmes (Dillards) end. One of my mom's best friends grew up in Mobile, and said the Bel Air/Springdale area used to be known as Wragg Swamp before all that retail was built. And, I believe she said what is now Airport Blvd used to be called Grant St. We used to go to Skate Haven, but I can't remember where that was.

oscott - I think you're thinking of an original Walgreen's at Bel Air. They also had an open restaurant and were a drug store. It was a bit down from Woolworth's near the old Eight Kings restaurant ('member that?) Woolworth's restaurant stuck out into the mall walkway area, and was bordered by painted wrought iron rails.

[PortCity]

I thought the " Mini - Mall" was where Belk is today, because I remeber it been close to the food court I miss that little hall it did have charecter. I remember Woolworth`s !! I remember the little pet shop that use to be in Bel-Air also, I think it was in the same location as Gap.

[BBCG]

I was born in '74 and raised in the Mayesville area, but also spent quite a bit of my teen years at relatives whom lived on DIP & down the bay areas. I remember when my mom & I would shop at Bel air mall and always ate lunch at Woolworth's restaurant. Now I know why I love a REAL burger! I too remember when the Greyhound bus station was down town, the $1 movie in the Festival Center. I was saddened to come back home and find out there were no more McRae's & Gayfers. I grew up shopping in Gayfers and always looked forward to coming back there to shop. A friend & I recently discussed the teen night club "Shananigan's, from back in the mid to late 80's. Although I no longer reside in Mobile... it will always be home. I was just there 2wks ago. Going back in time... reminincsing is always good. Majority of my fondest memories took place in Mobile... when the area code was 205.

[southernnaturelover]

Yep, McRae's is now Belk, and Gayfers was bought out by Dillards.

[WAYNEYPOOH]

Maybe some of you older Mobilians can remember some of these places.

Bear's Ice Cream, Byrd's Roller Drum, Bonner Novelity, Albright and Woods Drug stores, Hammel's, Fletcher's Bar-be-que, Palmer's Seafood Resturant, Brown and White Drug Store,

Woodhaven Dairy, W.T. Grants, Dad and Lad, Buster Eagle pawn shop, Morrison's Cafeteria- downtown, Moody's Ice Cream Parlor, Johnson's Lake, Miller's Park, the Globe in the Waterman Building, the swimming pool at Lyon's Park, the swimming lake at Municipal Park, Mr. Friendly and
Big 3 Motors.

The Roxy Theater, The Crighton Theater, The Loop Theater, The Azalea Theater,Robert Hall Clothier, Johnny's Drive Inn, The Rebel Queen, the ghost of Kalaoka Road.

The Azalea Trail Parade, Ragg swamp, Grant Street, Davis Avenue, Central High School, The Imperial House, Constantines, The LaClede Hotel, Gulas's, Gibson's and Devan Motors.

Who can add more to this list?















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[Keeper]

I remember them all Wayne. Fletcher's is still open but has moved to Cottage Hill Rd I believe.

I remember going to the Mardi Gras parade and walking to CYO hall at McGill from the KOC on Gov't street at night..

Do you remember the ghost in the house on Lois?

What was the game the boys use to play in Jr. HS. I think it was called hockey something. It was an oblong box and they used hockey sticks to get a puck through the opening in the bottom. Only 2 played at a time. I just remember them playing.

Do you remember the evacuations in case we were bombed by the Russians?