Mid-century Reading Road (Cincinnati, Springfield, Plainfield: elementary school, live, shopping center)

[rlefraim]

I enjoyed reading what everyone else posted. Perhaps I can add a few items.

The clothing store near Cincinnati Gardens was "Robert Hall".

The Valley Shopping Center not only had a movie theater and a Krogers, but a great hardware store, and an old fashioned drug store that had a soda fountain and a few old wooden telephone booths in back (the drug store is still there minus the soda fountain). The movie theater was the first in the region to put in a 70 mm screen (Called Todd A O at the time) and in the 50's if you shopped at Kroger, you got 25 cent admission tickets for Sunday matinees.

On Section road near Lefty's tavern back in the 50's was a drug store as well. All three drug stores in the area were owned then by the pharmacists that worked in them and you were able to call the one on Section Road day or night for emergencies (the pharmacist lived above the store).

[The Don]

Speaking of Robert Hall clothing store, anyone remember one being on Reading Rd, just south of what is now the Howdy Car Wash? I think later it became a buffet.
Seems to me there was also a Robert Halls in Price Hill, on Glenway Ave. Anyone remember that one?

[MyrnaLoy]

Love this thread! I remember so many of those places from my youth, too.

Just one thing: were there two Frisch's Mainliners? The one I know is on Wooster Pike in Fairfax.

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by The Don

Speaking of Robert Hall clothing store, anyone remember one being on Reading Rd, just south of what is now the Howdy Car Wash? I think later it became a buffet.
Seems to me there was also a Robert Halls in Price Hill, on Glenway Ave. Anyone remember that one?

I can remember the Robert Hall next to the Howdy Car Wash, but just barely. It must
have shut down around 1964. The buffet that opened on that site was mentioned
briefly in the opening post. It was called Smorgasteria, and was kind of a down-market
version of David's Buffet. It did not last all that long - maybe until 1970?

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by MyrnaLoy

Just one thing: were there two Frisch's Mainliners? The one I know is on Wooster Pike in Fairfax.

Indeed there were - the Mainliner on Reading, just down and across from the Carousel,
and the Mainliner on Wooster. The one on Reading still stands. At one time, the
3-dimensional Big Boy out front either held, or stood next to, a model of a propeller-
driven airplane - presumably the mainliner.

Wasn't the Wooster Pike store somewhere near the original Red Bank branch of
Swallen's?

[MyrnaLoy]

Swallen's #1 was catty-corner across Wooster Pike from Frisch's, where Wooster turns off to the south and Columbia Parkway begins. Mr. and Mrs. Swallen lived above that store for many, many years. Swallen's #2 was on Red Bank Road. Ah, I'd love to have Swallen's back.

[Heaveno]

Are they not the best? I moved over in the area (North Avondale) when I was five year's old, but I remember the old Reading Road like yesterday. These are wonderful memories and I thought I had all the old memories to share. Boy it would be nice to have a Swallens again in the area and the Smorgasboard and Sears on Reading Road. Davis Buffet in Evendale was a traditional family outing at least one Sunday out of the month for years. We also ventured over to Howard Johnsons and the Windjammer in Sharonville once a month as well. Eventually we stop going to Davis Buffet and started going to the Cafeteria which was in Tri-County when they first opened, but I cannot remember the name right now. They also had one in the Florence Mall, which may still be there. Does anyone remember the name of the cafeteria? The Twins Drive-In was great and I can still taste my Mom's fried chicken that she would prepare before we would take off in our old station wagon to enjoy whatever flick was showing. I usually fell asleep. Porter Paints on Saturday morning with my Dad was a nice adventure and then Lunch at Sugar and Spice. We sometimes would make a quick dash to Norwood and go to Twins Fair. The White Castle's on Reading Road in Bond Hill... WOW!! They did leave, but when? It really gets harder to remember when these establishment left, yet you do know that they were there once upon a time ago. My Dad in his old age and during the time he was losing his memory could not remember all of the family members, but he did remember Reading Road and talked about it quite often.

It has been very enjoyable to read about many of the establishments that I remember and to learn about establishments that once existed that I knew nothing about. The history learned from this forum about Reading Road has been a great educational experience for me.

[unctheel]

I believe the cafeteria at Tri-County was the Forum. We went there quite often, but my favorite cafeteria to date has always been Mills, downtown. (Long, long gone.) Until this year I had not been back to Cincy much, but now my daughter goes to Miami U. Skyline Chili!! (The real reason i let her go to Miami. )

[Heaveno]

The name of the cafeteria was the Forum-thanks!!

Love that Skyline do you? I must admit that I am a diehard GOLD STAR CHILI girl!! Opened up the first one downtown when they used to be located across from Shillito's on Seventh Street. I could make it my way without loads of spaghetti and more meat. This is when downtown Cincinnati was alive and well!!

[jkgibb1]

The buffet on Reading Road was the Old Farm Smorgasteria. I remember red and white checked table cloths on picnic tables and a "down home" farm atmosphere. It was a special treat to go there. Buffets were not so common at that time.

Also, while I remember the Forum Cafeteria, wasn't there also a Hot Shoppe Cafeteria? I know there was one in Kenwood Mall. Did Hot Shoppe become the Forum?

My guess is that the White Castle at the corner of Reading and California closed down in the mid 1980s. I remember how comforting it was to see those lights on 24 hours a day. I could see WC from my bedroom window on Andina. When I had procrastinated on big assignments--whether at Bond Hill or later Woodward--and had to stay up late
to get them done (NOT doing them was never an option!), it was comforting to know I was not the only one up at that time of night.

Does anyone remember how we were allowed to go to WC for lunch from Bond Hill School?

Also, somewhere in my memory is a restaurant that served delicious steak dinners--it was called Uncle Bulgies. Does anyone remember this?

No one has yet been able to confirm the Rolling Doughnuts truck that traveled the streets two nights a week in Bond Hill east of Reading Road. I am sure it existed. It was like an ice cream truck, only they sold doughnuts. Do any of you newer posters on this board remember that?

Why is it that as I sit here, I have no recall of what I did yesterday, but I can picture the layout of Lowenthal's Drugs as if I were staring at a picture of it? On Sundays, when I was assembling school notebook assignments--again, where I had waited until the last minute to finish--Lowenthal's was the only place where I could get a notebook binder for ten cents--those colored paper folders with the brass fasteners inside.

Who remembers Carter's Variety Store on Worth Avenue off of Rhode Island Avenue?
Mrs. Carter is still living in the Cincinnati area!