Retro El Paso (Center, Horizon City, West: movie theater, high school, food)

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by simbared

The main thing I remember about the blue spire at Sunrise was that it was no match for the West Texas winds. Quite often it seemed to be missing several of its blue panels after a windstorm.

I bet that's why the owners of Sunrise did away with the spire--because they got tired of having to replace panels. That giant American flag at the Old Glory Monument on Diana would have to be secured real good to keep flying. No point in having the miniature train, either, if it's just going to sit locked up and rotting with nobody riding it.

[simbared]

I'm amazed by the $30,000 price tag for that miniature train. In 1960, you could buy a nice house for that. In today's dollars, it cost the owners of Sunrise $238,000, not including the cost of operating and maintaining it. Maybe they thought people would not want to walk from stores on one side of the parking lot to the other.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by simbared

I'm amazed by the $30,000 price tag for that miniature train. In 1960, you could buy a nice house for that. In today's dollars, it cost the owners of Sunrise $238,000, not including the cost of operating and maintaining it. Maybe they thought people would not want to walk from stores on one side of the parking lot to the other.

Seriously? Yeah, what a waste of money.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by atrabilius

Seriously? Yeah, what a waste of money.

I see it as no different than malls having to install escalators or other means for people to easily move about without having to use stairs or make long walks from where they are able to park. A cute little train would be an asset if it attracted customers who might otherwise shop elsewhere.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by joqua

I see it as no different than malls having to install escalators or other means for people to easily move about without having to use stairs or make long walks from where they are able to park. A cute little train would be an asset if it attracted customers who might otherwise shop elsewhere.

Yeah...my guess, though, is that people didn't see the point. I mean, Sunrise Center is not the Mall of America; it's two rows of one-story storefronts facing a parking lot about half the size of a WalMart SuperCenter parking lot. Unless you're old and tired, or disabled (and Sunrise Center was built long before the ADA was passed and all these accommodations like elevators and ramps and Braille signage had to be installed for people), it's not that big a deal to walk from your car to one of the stores, or from one store to another. If you had a lot of packages, it's likely you'd have someone to carry them for you or you could just drop them off at your car and continue with your shopping.

[Michael Hureaux]

Dug your post. I was there roughly the same time, between 1968 and 1971. El Paso is a tight memory for me, I too still dream about her streets, my neighborhood was north gate and I knew several of the places you mentioned. I attended Crosby elementary, and haunted the circle k store off of wren and mccombs, where I could always find warren magazines (creepy, eerie, and vampirella). X x

[Strider62]

Glad someone revived the thread, haven't been here in a while. I'm glad that El Paso still holds a place in your heart. Speaking of magazines, does anyone remember the book store in the old Woolco shopping center on Viscount? I think it was just called The Book Store. I remember it fondly, it was where I bought all my comic books, just a wonderful place where a kid that loved to read could spend hours and most of his hard earned newspaper selling money!!!!! It was there around '74-82?

[joqua]

Originally Posted by Strider62

...does anyone remember the book store in the old Woolco shopping center on Viscount? I think it was just called The Book Store.

I remember the Farah factory outlet store at the east end of Bassett Center where I bought all of my pants in the days when bell-bottoms were in vogue. Great value on quality merchandise. Another favorite shopping experience was one of the first ever large discount stores in El Paso called "Fed Mart." It was the first time I actually paid to shop in a store of any kind!

[md9680]

Originally Posted by joqua

There was another old fellow who went door to door sharpening knives and scissors. I seem to recall he also drove an old wheezer of a truck where he had his sharpening machines set up.

If this was during the early 60's, I recall my mother once had him sharpen every knife in the kitchen drawer along with her scissors. He must have been on his way up to your place that day.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by md9680

If this was during the early 60's, I recall my mother once had him sharpen every knife in the kitchen drawer along with her scissors. He must have been on his way up to your place that day.

I was thinking it was in the 40s - maybe the early 50s. I suppose it's possible he could have still been around in the 60s.

I also remember the shoe repair shop on N. Stanton where I often had to pick up shoes that myself and family members left for re-soling in those days. It was in the middle of the same block as Sol's BBQ, where I often bought my lunch when I had the money to spare. There was also Stanton Cleaners in the same block that my father frequented daily to pick up his freshly pressed suit that he put on to begin his business day, leaving the one he had on for "refreshing."