Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Austin: underwater, map of)

[Primo]

On the topic of Celebrities. If I remember correctly, didn't Redd Foxx used to live here? I am talking about Fred Sanford of Sanford & Son. I saw him at Handy Andy (Colonies North mall)...many years ago.

[Willsatx]

What year did the Handy Andy in Colonies close?

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by Been There B4

Sorry there, GWhopper, but there is no "Big John" Hamilton in that photo. The actor on the left is definitely not him - doesn't look anything like him. Big John Hamilton was a big, tall man, and when he walked into a room there was no question that he was Big John.

He was a family friend, and my dad's collection of 35mm slides had many pics of him at his restaurant and also at his Lake McQueeney waterfront retreat. I need to make the time to go through his slide carousels sometime. Lots of "good old days" in those boxes!

Oh well, that's what you get for believing stuff you find on the internet!!!

Is there any chance you could digitalize the pictures you have? There are labs now that will do that for slides.

[OzzyRules]

Originally Posted by Willsatx

What year did the Handy Andy in Colonies close?

I'm not sure but I know that it was a Whole Foods store in the early 90's sometime.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by Willsatx

What year did the Handy Andy in Colonies close?

It was still there in 1987. A friend and I used to wash expensive cars for people who lived in Wurzbach Towers in the medical center. We would take them to the Colonies North Car Wash. Another friend of mine who, like us was a big car guy, worked at that Handy Andy and we would always stop and show the car to him. We are talking Porsche 911s, 928s, Mercedes 550 Convertables, Jags, etc. Basically cars 17 year old boys should not be driving. Our typical routine was after showing the car to our buddy at Handy Andy, going to some girls' houses and trying to impress them.

In 1987, that worked about one out of ten times. For a 17 year old boy, those were the most wonderful odds in the world.

Which is why I tell my wife when we have children they can never, ever be girls.

[Primo]

Originally Posted by Willsatx

What year did the Handy Andy in Colonies close?

It would be the same year Whole Foods came to town....the original location was in the Handy Andy in Colonies North mall. I know Whole food was there in '95....so it closed some time between 87 and 95

[Cookiemeister]

How about Piggly Wiggly? Love that name.

[940]

I thought most of the Handy Andy's closed city-wide around 93-94?

[Primo]

Interesting article on the history of Playland Park in this week's SA Current:

Story - Last Words

[OneManOnBass]

Any on remember the Owl Cleaners and White Star Clearners on San Pedro just north of downtown? Back in the day when cleaners would pick up and deliver, you could see the truck from both of these places running all over town. I also remember on the corner down the street from the Owl was an old drug store call Nash's (if I remember correctly). It reminded me of the drug store in "It's A Wonderful Life" It still had a soda/lunch counter and going in there was like going back in time.