Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Austin: bonnets, teaching)

[blabride]

Originally Posted by OneManOnBass

We used to hang out at the Mr M's on the corner of Blanco and Jackson Keller before school during my Nimitz days ('70 - '72). Does anyone know what the "M" stood for. Who was Mr. M? Also, there was a little store on the corner of Blanco an Dresden that was packed with a bunch of us kids from Nimitz buying candy after school. It was so crowded that they had someone standing at the front door and he would only let in five or six at a time. Anyone remember what that store was called at the time?

I was at Nimitz from 71 to 73 and remember the early morning sneak across the street from the bus as well. We learned if we walked around the back of the bus Mr. Sefcik could not see that we had not set foot on campus yet. I rmember loading up on Orange and Cherry Its in the cloth bag, Jolly Rancher sticks etc. We probably were the reason these stores began to limit how many unescorted teenagers they allowed in in later years. Speaking of Mr S I saw him about ten years ago. At the time time he had been retired for a few years and was looking good. Although he was a lot kinder and smaller than I remember him in junior high.

[*mud*]

Originally Posted by OneManOnBass

**********************
Also, there was a little store on the corner of Blanco an Dresden that was packed
with a bunch of us kids from Nimitz buying candy after school.
It was so crowded that they had someone standing at the front door
and he would only let in five or six at a time.

Anyone remember what that store was called at the time?

I believe you are speaking of The Dutch Girl Village Pantry
unless they changed the name after about 67.

mud

[prufrock1]

Good lord, it's great to find this list - finally! YES, First Mate at Vance Jackson/410... when that was just about at the edge of town!

I spent my teenage years on Briarfield, just up Vance Jackson, left on Kerrybrook (past Colonial Hills Elem. School - Jackson Middle School had yet to be built on the other side of VJ), left on Dudley and then right onto Briarfield.

Loved First Mate, also the Jack in the Box (still there, incredibly), and the FedMart store which was brand new in 1968-69.

Despite being so far to the northwest, that neighborhood was and still is in NEISD... which meant I went to Eisenhower J.H.S. and then Churchill H.S. (yes, I know Lee is closer, but that's the way the area was zoned then).

What else from that period... there was a Ninfa's at Callaghan/410 intersection. Didn't last; Ninfa's is okay Mexican food, but it originated in Houston and, well, the bar's set pretty high for Tex-Mex in S.A. obviously! ;-) (For a totally authentic trip back in time food-wise, there is ***NOTHING*** better than JACALA on West Avenue - STILL in business, STILL belongs to the same family!)

Wurzbach Rd was about the limit of development back then. Colonies North was the last neighborhood on that side of IH-10 as you headed out of town. 1604? An isolated country road, a two-lane blacktop.

FM 1535 (Military Hwy) had a section just past 1604 that served as a very illegal drag-racing strip (on the way toward Camp Bullis). Went there a few times in high school to watch the races - everybody was always ready to book it out of there WHEN the cops landed. ;-)

I could go on forever... just like this marvelous thread.

prufrock

Anybody else remember Trucker's General Store down on Hildebrand? That head shop lasted way, WAY longer than I'd have thought possible...

[prufrock1]

Originally Posted by OneManOnBass

We used to hang out at the Mr M's on the corner of Blanco and Jackson Keller before school during my Nimitz days ('70 - '72).

The Mr. M's that I went to was on Callaghan Rd, at the bottom of the hill between IH 10 and Vance Jackson. (Callaghan was a two-lane blacktop at the time...) I *think* the 'M' stood for Metzger's Milk, which I recall they sold there and the cartons of which featured very similar graphic treatment of the 'M' on the store sign.

The store's gone now, of course. There's a micro-strip-mall type building there, but nothing's ever lasted very long in it.

prufrock

[Macgrad89]

The story I heard years ago was Mr. M was named for the man who supposedly started the company, none other than Red McCombs.

Macgrad89

[tcs]

Prufrock1 Oh God Yes I remember Truckers very well. Stiil remember the way the store front looked. Even though we visited there often for what ever reason, we never seemed to be as strange as the people that were in there. This would have been 75-76 or so. I was working at the Crystal Pistol then. And JACALA, we still talk about that restaurant up where we live know. In high school we used to hang out with Rudy Quinonez. Ate at the restaurant all the time. Damn good food!!!!! Always got the #3.

[1313]

Originally Posted by mudpuddle

I believe you are speaking of The Dutch Girl Village Pantry
unless they changed the name after about 67.

mud

Yep.. the Dutch Girl. I was only 1 year old in 1967 but I might remember that name because my grandparents probably continued to call it that after it changed. I also remember the Mr. M on Blanco/Jackson Keller- it had a tall sign with some colored balls sticking out of it if I recall correctly. I think there was a barber shop next door that I used to be facinated by the electric barber pole sign.

[gy2020]

I worked for Mr. M for about 3 years. It was a subsidiary of Metzger Dairy, thus the Mr. M. I worked at the Cherry Ridge store and used to sell cigarettes for 35 cents a pack. Bruce Smith was the GM and he was a stern, tough man to work for. I was also the relief man for a while and they had me working in a number of stores. Cherry Ridge was my favorite, but I worked the Olmos Park store, a store on Fredericksburg Rd., Blanco and Jackson-Keller and a few others. I never got robbed in any of San Antonio stores. I later worked at a Mr. M in Houston and I did get robbed there. A young teenager came in and had me a customer go into the back and open the safe. Afterward he had us both lay behind the counter and had the gun pointed at the back of the our heads. Scary moment. He then fled.

[gy2020]

Oh as a follow up, I never heard of the association of Red McCombs. If he owns something he is usually very visible. I don't think he had any association with Mr. M.

[Macgrad89]

Duly noted - I stand corrected. Thanks for the info!

Macgrad89