Gone But Not Forgotten In Miami (Coral Gables, Homestead: loans, sushi, warm)

[wizrap]

Couldn’t go to the Kapok Tree and not have a Planter’s Punch — yum!

[Huasho]

Originally Posted by wizrap

Couldn’t go to the Kapok Tree and not have a Planter’s Punch — yum!

Fer sure !!!!

[carterstamp]

Who remembers Holsum Bakery on US 1 where Sunset Place is now? When the wind was right, there was the aroma of baking bread as far south as Kendall Drive.

They had some great Christmas decorations there.

[Jam-Man]

Anyone remember Victoria Station and Raffles in Dadeland Mall? (1981-1988?)

Also Ember's on Miami Beach, had the best ribs and bbq sauce, the place was elegant with a visible burning flame in an oven (I think)? (I was a kid, my parents would take me there, around 1980).

[insprojohn]

When I was 21 and broke I would go to Taco Romero and Mr Romero would give me credit. I loved that place and I would eat there all the time. I went to Killian High School with Dodd and I remember his younger brother Stan. I really did not know Stan that well because I hung out with Dodd but he seemed like a nice guy. I really miss that place. I think it got destroyed by Hurricane in August 1992.

[Funk101]

Thanks you for all your posts. I remember most of these as well as some new ones:

Lindsey Lumber on Douglas north of Coral Way, Pinball Palace Arcade on SW 8th Street and 5th ave, Video Para Ti on SW 8th Street and 15th avenue, Howard Johnson restaurant on Biscayne Blvd. across from where the arena is currently located.

Definitely remember Tropical West skating and a Krispy Kreme somewhere close by.

[Vector1]

Originally Posted by carterstamp

Who remembers Holsum Bakery on US 1 where Sunset Place is now? When the wind was right, there was the aroma of baking bread as far south as Kendall Drive.

They had some great Christmas decorations there.

How far back was that, as I know where Sunset Place was (is?), because the Riveria Theater was just a block north (along with Swanson's ice cream parlor) on US1.
I got lucky in the upper tier of the theater one night.

I do remember a bread factory (likely Holsum) just east of I-95 in the Broward/Palm Beach area that you could smell as you were driving by on the expressway.
The smell of fresh bread was always an inducement to want to stop and get a fresh loaf.

[LouisMcCarthy]

You may know the site as a mall. But for decades, Holsum Bakery was a Miami landmark

The aroma was heavenly.

Anyone driving on U.S. 1 in South Miami could roll down the car window and take in the scent of freshly baking bread.

For decades, the Holsum bakery was a landmark on South Dixie Highway, between Miami and Coral Gables. Not only by sight, but by smell.

Then the bakery moved to industrial Medley. The buildings were razed. A mall complex called the Bakery Center rose on the site. Then came another version of the Bakery Center. Then that was demolished and another mall took its place, the Shops at Sunset Place.

Now that mall is foundering.

The current version of the mall, struggling even before the pandemic, was just sold, putting in jeopardy plans to redevelop the site with a tower and a more street-friendly shopping complex.

THE BAKERY

If you lived, worked or visited South Miami between the 1930s and the early 1980s, you probably remember the smell.

Everyone remembers the smell.

It drifted aimlessly through the streets, greeting everyone in its path. It was sweet, warm and inviting and everyone knew where it came from - the Holsum Bakery Company.

“We just knew what was coming,” said Kim deLisser of Perrine. “The smell gave you a warm feeling inside. Our dentist was across the street from the bakery. After, we would go to the bakery’s thrift shop. It was the only way my mother could get us to go to the dentist.”

Charles Fuchs Jr. founded Holsum Bakers in 1912 in Homestead.

The bread business grew quickly and within a few years, Fuchs needed a larger space to keep up with the demand for fresh baked goods.

Holsum Bakery came to South Miami in the mid 1930s, expanding from its headquarters in Homestead into the building of the original Riviera Theater on South Dixie Highway and Southwest 58th Avenue.

The movie theater had a short life. It was built during the real estate boom of the 1920s and closed a few years later when the boom bottomed out.

After several months of renovation, the business of baking got underway and Holsum opened its doors and ovens.

The bakery and its building became a South Miami landmark, eventually expanding down U.S. 1 to Sunset Drive and covering 10 acres of land.

It was an impressive structure with high beams, arched doorways and ornate painting.

Gigi Turkel of Miami Shores grew up in Coral Gables and remembers the building took on a special glow during the holidays.

“As a kid, I remember driving down U.S. 1 and seeing the building; it almost looked like a stage, completely decorated with characters and lights - it almost looked like Disney World.”

The bakery also became a popular field trip for South Florida students.

Ed Boas, owner of Lanes clothing store at Sunset Drive and Red Road said, “I do remember in grade school taking a tour through. I remember seeing the machines and the wonderful smells - we miss it.”

Growing up in the family business that has remained in the same location for more than 40 years, Boas also remembers the continued re-development of the land that went on once the bakery left South Miami.

Over the years, business continued to grow for Holsum and by the early 1980s the company was making plans to move to a larger, more modern plant in Medley.

By 1983, after 50 years in South Miami, Holsum’s ovens went cold and the bulldozers moved in to make way for a multimillion dollar office and commercial development called the Bakery Centre.

There was no bakery at the Bakery Centre when it opened in 1986.

In fact, there was little business going on at all and within a few years the owner defaulted on loans and a new set of developers stepped in to unveil a new project with shops, restaurants and a movie theater.

In 1999, The Shops at Sunset Place debuted.

Even though the bakery has been gone from South Miami for nearly 20 years, some people say the smell still lingers.

DeLisser sums it up this way:

“You knew the building wasn’t there, but you were so in tune to expect the smell of bread, it’s like you just reverted back. I remember thinking: ‘So what is South Miami going to smell like now?’ “

[wizrap]

Have to mention missing the late great Neil Rogers who was on WQAM. “Get the honey, junior.” “I must be crazy I must be nuts.” Larry King’s voice: “Loan me $50.” “The pope smokes dope.” And last but not least “Neil, God!”

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Funk101

Thanks you for all your posts. I remember most of these as well as some new ones:

Lindsey Lumber on Douglas north of Coral Way, Pinball Palace Arcade on SW 8th Street and 5th ave, Video Para Ti on SW 8th Street and 15th avenue, Howard Johnson restaurant on Biscayne Blvd. across from where the arena is currently located.

Definitely remember Tropical West skating and a Krispy Kreme somewhere close by.

My Dad was a wholesale lumber salesman in the 60s/70s/80s and Lindsley Limber was one of his major clients. They had over 20 locations across South Florida.

Other memories...someone brought up restaurants and have to throw in places like the Rascal House, New England Oyster House, the original Ranch House, Royal Castle (the best slider-style burgers) and the beloved Morrison's Cafeteria from my childhood.