Garland Shopping Center (Dallas, West, Mart: college, living, safe)

[Sandy Schulz Ericksen]

Originally Posted by ETex2

The department store on the N/S of Miller Road east of Garland Road was actually never a K-Mart. I think it was maybe a Spartan's?? The K-Mart was on Garland Rd. (formerly North Star Road) at the SWC of Walnut and North Star.

I am probably a little older than your friends, as I graduated SGHS in 1970. Don't know them. Speaking of North Park, it was a favorite hangout when it was still pretty new and I was in high school. I even used to be a semi-regular at the old Sump 'N Else show with Ron Chapman that was broadcast live from the studio at North Park mall. My ex-wife and I were also invited to the 20 year Sump 'N Else reunion show that was taped at the Galleria. We went and had a blast. The Melody Shop was the best mall hangout ever.

The only feed store that I remember was the old Roach Feed and Seed downtown. It's still there on Main Street.

You are sooo right about that being a Spartan's!! I NEVER would have remembered that one. What ever happened to them? I've never heard of another one.

[SJA IN KC]

Thanks for the the updates everyone. When my youngest sister and I turned on the TV the first week we landed in Dallas, and saw that show coming live from North Park Mall, we couldn't believe it! - It was great. I was 17 and she was 12....Nothing like that in KC in the 60's!

[G-town kidd]

When wet n wild bought white water I quit going to water parks.It's a shame they took our park away!

[abersmack]

Just discovered this today while looking up the secret recipe to Wyatt's (Cafteria) Not the food store in GSC, famous chicken fried steak (wonderfully battered veal. Anyway Sandy, ETex...I am the prince, pauper, king, and scoundrel of Degge Cir. also the neighborhood of H. Johnson, Athletic dir. Sewell, school superint not the car dealership, lol and few others I can name later. Anywat if you dont know Degge, Linden, and rock creek drive are adjacent to the graveyard now Williams, know Cecil too, who used to live across the street and yes we were alumni of Williams Elementary 1964-1970 1st Miss Robinson, Second Ms. Hoskins (know her son) steve, 3rd Ms Ferguson, too much perfume, 4th Ms. Ethridge, my brother and her did NOT get along, 5th Ms. Dotson, love the wig ms dottie, we used to stick pencils in it when she would sleep and 6th Ms. Gooding. Well until I went to Navy in 1975 I lived on Woodbrook with my grandparents across from the Pickle factorY! and from 1962 on was with them on Degge until 1975, so as my previous statement of being the prince I know everywhere within a Towneast square from garland shopping center that you could ride on a bike (Schwin Apple crate), or mini bike Honda 75/125. Sorry I dont recall your friend but sounds like she lived next to the Medlins or the Ranges. Hopefully will continue on all of this history later. ga
quote=Sandy Schulz Ericksen;18381708]Hi All-

Here are some quick replies to your question Jay Watson:
1. Garland Road Drive-In Theater-My Mother tells me that she used to dress my brother and I for bed and take us to this drive-in while my Dad stayed home and studied for his night school classes he was taking at SMU at the time. She said I was still so young, I was on the bottle...so no, I don't remember it, but my brother does. :-)
2. Adams Safe & Lock-I mentioned them in my earlier post. They came after the bank quit using the little teller building that was on the north end of the parking lot. You can still see the traffic bumps that marked where the lanes were to each side of the building (the little teller building is long gone, but the bumps are still there (or at least last week they were).
3 & 4. The Garland Bank Building/Wyatt's Cafeteria-If that is the same building as was/is diagonally across from Garland High School, then I do...it was more north of GHS and across the street on the west side of Garland Road, and was multi-storied. On the first floor of the building, the Wyatt's Cafeteria was built. It later became a Luby's.

Does anyone remember Wyatt's having an organ and an organ player inside the eating area? What a treat to go there on Sunday afternoons after church! We were always in a rush to beat the Baptists there! :-) We were Lutheran and went to the church my parents helped start over 50 years ago: Peace Lutheran Church, Garland, TX.

And to eTex2, my brother graduated from GHS in 1967. He's 10 years older than I am so he's got different memories, of course. He actually worked at that GSC Kroger store for many years. I remember his manager's name was Mr. Skinner. Back then, everyone went by Mr. This and Mrs. That. We'd never dream of calling anyone our parent's age by their first names!

Oh, and yes, it was a Rick's Furniture Store. My Mother confirmed it. It was between the ME Moses and the JC Penney's Store.

And, I'd like to readjust my memory a little bit. In my earlier post I said that there was a shoe store in addition to the Stern's Dress Shop. I now think that there was a tiny shoe department inside Stern's. Either, way, there was still a magic box that had candy in it!

Someone back up the post line (can't remember who because I read it last week) mentioned the public pool. I believe it was called Central Pool and then the "new one" that was built was the Holford Pool. We could ride our bikes to the Central Pool and did every day in the summer. That's the pool I learned to swim in. My parents would buy me a season pass each summer! It was a small metal flat object that seemed like it had a serial number on it or maybe the year and it had to be sewn onto your swim suit. You had to wear the same swim suit all summer or you couldn't get in...of course back then, our parents couldn't afford for us to have multiple swim suits! Does anyone remember QT tanning lotion? It turned us orange, but we didn't care! All we wanted to do was bake in the sun...little did we know what damage we were doing to our skin.

Thanks again for the memories and for the links to the additional posts! I really enjoyed the one with the old, old pictures of Garland when it was still horse and buggy days.

Gotta go now, but maybe someone can share some memories of the following before I return:
Freda Sexton Dance Studio and...
...the parades down through the downtown Garland square...can't remember the occasions (maybe Fourth of July or Labor Day) but I was in them because of being part of the Freda Sexton Dance Studio.
The bowling alley that was one street to the east of Garland Road at Miller Road.
Peace Lutheran Church
Kraft Foods
Resistol Hat Factory
Jaycee Jubilee's
Williams Elementary at the intersection of West Way and Old Gate Lane...I went there from 1965-1971. 1st Grade: Mrs. Martin; 2nd Grade: Mrs. Hoskins; 3rd Grade: Miss Buckley; 4th Grade: Mrs. Ethridge (she taught me how to knit and I am STILL knitting! Thank you Mrs. Ethridge, or her descendants, if she's deceased); 5th Grade: Mrs. Dotson; 6th Grade: Mrs. Johnson
Does anyone know my best friend from 1st Grade to 6th Grade, Lori Lewis Meagher? I lost track of her over the years. She used to live at the intersection of Melody Lane and West Way. Her maiden name was Lewis and she married a military man whose last name was Meagher (sp?), but I don't know if they're still married. Her parents were Bill and Carolyn Lewis and Carolyn worked in the school office for several years while we attended there. Bill worked the night shift at Kraft for years.

Like I said, I gotta go! Please post more memories!![/quote]

[ETex2]

Originally Posted by abersmack

...

Gotta go now, but maybe someone can share some memories of the following before I return:
Freda Sexton Dance Studio and...
...the parades down through the downtown Garland square...can't remember the occasions (maybe Fourth of July or Labor Day) but I was in them because of being part of the Freda Sexton Dance Studio.
The bowling alley that was one street to the east of Garland Road at Miller Road.
Peace Lutheran Church
Kraft Foods
Resistol Hat Factory
Jaycee Jubilee's

...

Like I said, I gotta go! Please post more memories!!

[/quote]

To answer a couple of your questions:

The biggest parade through downtown Garland was the Labor Day parade which was held the same weekend as the Jaycee Jubilee. I remember being so proud to be able to drive a new Pontiac Bonneville convertible supplied by my best friend's dad (the local Pontiac dealer), to drive the Jr. Varsity cheerleaders in that parade in 1967. My friend didn't have his driver's license yet that's why I had the honor.

I remember the same year playing in a battle of the bands at the Jaycee Jubilee - and of course lots of sock hops held at the old Community Center where the Jubilee was held.

The bowling alley on Saturn Road just south of Miller was called Fiesta Lanes - that was a regular hangout of mine on Saturdays. My friend and I would spend Saturday mornings there and it was cool that we could smoke cigarettes and act like a couple of tough guys with our sleeves rolled up on our t-shirts even though we were around 13-14 at the time.

Peace Lutheran Church - I think that was the church next to Memorial Jr. High on First Street. The place where all after school fights were held provided the assistant principle didn't find out beforehand.

I was more of a south Garland guy - I remember the second pool to open was the one still located at Glenbrook and Centerville Road. On the edge of my neighborhood within easy bike riding distance - so glad since the central pool was a bit far for that.

I attended Caldwell elementary so can't comment on your school - but I know our football team used to win the Turkey Bowl every year!

[abersmack]

ETex; If u open abersmack up u'll see a whole new set of paragraphs I wrote yesterday, (must not of posted it right) I see your answering her questions from a few months back. I tried to restart this thread because I was looking for the world famous Wyatt's chicken fried steak recipe, and I found ya'll and I lived right across garland highway from Garland Shopping Center for 16 yrs. ga

[wc2010]

Skillern's was the only place to buy school supplies as far as mother was concerned. Sometimes we were allowed to get a soft drink at the soda counter. Across the parking lot was a bbq place, record shop and a men's clothing store. I remember eating at the bbq place, Lobello's?. They had the juke box selectors at each booth. I believe there was a Texas State Optical and various other stores that have escaped my memory. One of the few fond memories was when my father stopped by the record shop and bought 'Silppin & Slidin' by Little Richard. So out of his character.

[wc2010]

I used to go to the movies a Plaza Theater, eat chicken salad sandwiches at McKnight Drug Store and buy clothes at Cole and Davis on the square. Many years ago the was and old man with a clothing store that had wooden floors and oily sweeping compound on the floor to keep the dust down, in the square area, just across from a bank that was on the corner(turned into a pocket sandwich place). There was a 5&10 in that area but I am not sure of the name.

[Donjaivydo]

hi..remember walking to the old Garl. Shopping center...many times...Lilly Ayers Shoes, Ogelsby's Jewelry store......Skillern's gave a free malt with a school supply purchase...got my first lipstick at Moses..maybe a training bra too....ribbons for our hair..and spoolies (curlers) I saw advirtised on Romper Room..I even went to one of the first daycare centers in Garland ...1950's era.

[Lee Ann Jeter]

Was there ever a Kroger grocery store in this shopping center?