Remembering Mobile from the 60s-80s (Gulf Shores, Eva: floor, store, clubs)

[Funnymeme]

I remember the Art Deco Greyhound station (and still have a piece of the wall that I picked up when they were demolishing it), next to the Downtown theater, next to my pediatrician's office. Dr. Roe made house calls too. My Mom was a ticket agent for Capital Airlines in an office on the Dauphin street side of the Battle House. On the corner side of the building was Raphael's Ladies dress shop. We ate at the Morrison's catty corner from the Battle House often. I am now in New Orleans and before Katrina we felt about our city like lots of folks in Mobile, me included, felt. It a city we love to hate. But having such a close call we learned to embrace the things that are great about our city. Time for Mobilians to fell that way again.

[mummbles69]

Well nostalgia is good. I have enjoyed reading and going back down memory lane. I also remember some places from the sixties through the eighties. If anyone remembers these places let me know:

Sam's Style Shop

Tom's was next to Vigor High and sold the best banana splits. I wish I had a picture of this place.

Wish Bone was a chicken place similar to Kentucky Fried Chicken that was across from Tom's

Almyr's Shoes in Chickasaw and in the mall that sold little girl shoes and golden eggs with treats inside were given with each purchase

Bay Breeze was a juke joint over the Bay during the sixties was lost during hurricane Camille

Fan Fare Shoes in the mall

The Ranch was in the mall the same time The Body Shop was there and it sold the same type of clothes

Palmount's men clothing store

Shakey's Pizza was in Springdale Mall and they played banjos and wore top hats, and there are still located in some states today

Kolbert's at the loop

Max's Wheel House (upscale seafood restaurant on Spring Hill Ave. now Roshell's)

The Fair Store was in the heart of Prichard and was equivalent to a K-mart/ dollar store

Hass Davis on Telegraph Road sold the best meats in the world such as wieners, sausages, bologna and other meats. You could eat the meat raw. It offered field trips to the community and showed how these fine meats came into existence

Woolco

Kretzgers (sold appliances in the mall)

Prichard Music Appliance sold the latest 45' records

Oshman's in the mall

Big' Um hamburger place on Saint Stephens Road

Burt's Shoes in Prichard and in the Mall

Spencers (novelty store) in the mall

Lily Rubin was in the mall and sold the finest evening gowns and furs

Raphaels was equivalent to Metzgers

Springdale 6 Theater

Pantry Pride was on the same scale as Food World and it is extinct now

Delchamps was on the same scale as Publix today

Leonard's sold women clothes in the mall, and it moved from Prichard to Chickasaw

Chinese Palace was a fine Chinese restaurant back in the day and they had the best Chinese bubble gum

Wilson Dismukes

Service Merchandise

Oscar Rays was like a Sonics that was further down Saint Stephens Road and it had a club next door owned by the same family

Grants was in the heart of Prichard and it sold from clothes to '45 records

[bon_regis]

As a I child in the late '80s and early '90s, I recall shopping for groceries and general merchandise with the family at the Delchamps, Revco and Zayre strip mall just south of the Village Square shopping center in Chickasaw. I loved how industrial development and high voltage transmission lines seemed to hulk over the commercial development along Craft Highway and Telegraph Road in that section of Chickasaw. In fact, the Delchamps shopping center was re-purposed into warehouse and distribution space!

For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, I remember Downtown Prichard existing as a cold, poorly executed street mall with Wilson Avenue as its primary corridor. It featured dark, uninviting canopies over the sidewalks and adjacent pedestrian paths. Near Mobile Gas, one canopied alley smelled like old urine. Beyond concrete, landscaping in the facility almost was non-existent. The Wilson Avenue Street Mall was a textbook example of what not to do in urban renewal.

[mummbles69]

Wow!! Please read my comment below!!!!!

[mummbles69]

Do you remember any of the nice places that I reflected upon from the sixties through the eighties? Everywhere has changed from the sixties for this matter. The Delchamps store across from Vigor High School is now a Greer's. Are you sure you read my blog correctly? It was for a zip down memory lane for those who remember the stores from this time period. I do not believe anyone is interested in how areas have degraded (as most have) since many of the nice places I mentioned were demolished. Perhaps you should post a blog on how most areas in Mobile have changed from the sixties to now. It would be more feasible to read under the correct category. WOW how did we get here?

[luksky]

mummbles69 I remember many of those you posted..even at my older age, mostly in name though. Reading them did make me remember one place we use to shop when I was very young, Shoppers World I think in the midtown area?? I had very narrow feet and hard to find shoes for and my mom use to take me there because they had a large selection of shoes.

[piratepress]

I remember the Ranch in Bel Air Mall. I bought a Guess denim jacket there in 1985.

Does anyone remember a short-lived restaurant in the early 80's named I believe "The Green Tree"?

It was located in the Pinebrook Shopping Center where China Doll restaurant is now.

I was around twelve and only ate there a couple times with my parents, but I recall vividly that they had the best chocolate mousse dessert!

[AlwaysBeachin]

Service Merchandise was Wilson's prior to that; it was Korbet's at the loop (a restaurant). Springdale 6 became a larger theater (that I helped open) as a teen; then it finally closed. I do recall the old Village 6 and the Capri, as well as the Bel Air theater, which was only 2 screens. I saw Home Alone there in 89--right next to Treadwell Ford (Autonation).

I do recall eating at Chinese Palace MANY times as a kid. The building is still there, but it's a habachi place now. The Marriott next to it was a Hilton way back then, and a lady committed suicide in her room once. The story was aired on Unsolved Mysteries (I have the episode).

Along with Delchamps, Food World, Bruno's, and Greer's, we also had Consumer Foods (DIP shopping center just north of the curve--where the OTASCO, TG&Y--formerly Woolco, and the Van's photo kiosk was), and A&P (Navco @ McVay, and Dauphin @ Sage). We rarely shopped at A&P because they were expensive.

Of course if you were a 70s or 80s kid, you did not go to the one Wal-Mart we had at the festival center, you went to TG&Y or K-MART! The smell of the popcorn from the "eatery" in the back left of the store (Government St. across from the bus station). My great aunt would buy produce from B&H on Holcombe Ave., which is still there but rough looking.

Halls Mill always seemed to have the seedy clubs through the years--the Hi-C, Austin's, and whatever else was down there.

Wigman's hardware is still in business on DIP @ I-10. I walked in there the other day for the 1st time in about 30 years---and a huge wave of nostalgia hit. Looks very similar from what I remember as a child.

I may have repeated some, as I started and have posted alot in this thread but will continue to post as I remember more.

[luksky]

Wow, you brought back a lot of memories with those you mentioned. I remember every one of them....although, I don't recall the woman committing suicide in the Hilton.

I Remember there was also a farmer's market on Halls Mill near B&H and there was bread store on that road somewhere too...can't remember exactly where.

Also, does anyone remember the husband that walked into the Delchamps next to the Kmart on Hwy 90 and shot his wife while she was working?? They lived down the street from us is the only reason I remember it so well.

[LfromT]

Great stuff!
What about the fish fry's and crabbing at Joe McGovern's on the point
Picnic lunches at Dauphin Island
Going to the blessing of the fleet in Bayou la Batre
Bellingrath's Gardens
Getting a bag of peanuts and feeding the pigeons across the street at Bienville Square
Anybody remember the KC hall downtown?
Oyster Po Boys at Wintzel's