Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Marshall: countertops, credit)

[irnag]

Thank you! Now I remember it!

How bad is this. My brother used to live in aparments on Cloverleaf and New Bransfels. So I used to go by there often, yet I couldn't remember.

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by crazedchef

Hello,

Great reading!

I am sure I have run into some of you in the way back.

940: I wonder who your sister is.
I grew up in Colonies North and graduated Clark in '86. I have two older sisters that both went to Clark and graduated I think in '80 and '83. From reading your post, we could have easily run into one another over the years. I used to work at the Handy Andy at Colonies NORTH Mall and then behind there at that great little Bar-B-Q place called The Hickory Hut right next to the veternarians office on Colonies Drive. I used to go to the Fargo's all you can eat and they would let us buy beer!! (I was underaged but looked older).
Small world.
My first job was at Long John Silver's that was on Wurzbach that is now a carwash.

I am going to read a lot more of this thread when I get time, It is 5:00 am here in Baghdad and I have work to do.
Later,


crazedchef

Hey Chef I remember the Handy Andy there that led into the small mall in there, it has a mall enterance for Winn's and the movies. I used to love that Handy Andy. Also the Hickory Hut was good, loved that place. Stay safe in Iraq, and THANKS for serving our country.

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by OzzyRules

Does anyone remember a Dairy Queen near Hillcrest and Babcock? Where exactly was it, I mean, what is there now.

It was a grocery store the last time I pass by there.

[wCat]

Me too! Me too! I worked at Handy Andy too! Right after school and on Saturdays. I had two uniforms....a navy shift dress with a white bib collar or one in peach! LOL!

On Wednesdays we had to come in early and grab the "specials" and memorize them so we would ring up the right price at the cash register. (no scanners back then! ) I remember my supervisor yelling at me to get to a register before I could check them out. As it turned out (my lucky day!) I had a HA admin mystery shopper spot checking us for correct prices! Needless to say, I got pulled from the register and spent the rest of the day peeling scotch tape off the shelving! THAT totally sucked!!

[wCat]

Anyone remember Mr Dunderbachs deli at North Star Mall? They had great reuben sandwiches. We ALWAYS stopped there for gummi bears and Mentos!

[googie2525]

Originally Posted by wCat

Anyone remember Mr Dunderbachs deli at North Star Mall? They had great reuben sandwiches. We ALWAYS stopped there for gummi bears and Mentos!

Awesome, I forgot about Mr. Dunderbachs - I'd drag my poor Grandmother there practically every weekend to buy me those Harribo Gummi Bears, as they were quite the rarity back then.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by googie2525

Awesome, I forgot about Mr. Dunderbachs - I'd drag my poor Grandmother there practically every weekend to buy me those Harribo Gummi Bears, as they were quite the rarity back then.

They were rare Googie! The hard chewy kind! We used to lick them and stick them to the window in the back seat of the car! Did it irritate you when people didnt call them "goomie" bears?

[moeowo]

I take it your a fellow Southsider like me ... well at least grew up over here.

I remember alot of what you mentioned and more. I remember where the KFC/Taco Bell on Goliad is was a Dairy Queen and next to it was a Lonestar Ice House. Across the street was an arcade (it was tiny!) and a grocery store. Can't remember which one though. And across the street was a Piggly Wiggly and First Mate fish restaurant was in the shape of a BIG boat but Neptune's took it over before moving down the street (they've move one more time since then next to the Pizza Hut which is next to and old Whataburger that is now a mexican bakery.)

So many memories... I just love my Southside

Originally Posted by Dementia_Impaled

Wasn't Cooter Brown's on Fredricksburg Rd, next to a Pancho's? I never had a chance to go there, but was always fascinated with it when we'd go to eat.

I also remember when there was nothing! You've seen Goliad & S.E. Military now...when we moved here, there was a Handy Dan, an HEB (that didn't sell pantyhose on Sunday - remember Blue Laws?), the fancy semi-gated mobile home 'community' Indian Hills, and - nothing else but the trails in 700 Acres.

Jim's on Goliad...when the Trail drive-in was where the closed Walmart is - the bug-drawing lights they had shining out toward the street because of the adult movies they showed. We went to the drive-in that used to be near 37 & Nakoma to see John Carpenter's The Thing before it closed.

I do remember GW Juniors *whines*; the monorail; a wax museum that was right near it; when HEB first began renting movies ; the water slides that were next to either 35 or 37 - waaaay before splashtown!; when St. Mary's street was THE place to be on the weekends *bows head for a moment for Wacky's Cantina*; the Bone Club (I'm an old punk, bear with me); Sunshine Amusement Park on Roosevelt & Southcross; La Hacienda that was diagonally across the street from it; Winn's (yay, first job!); La Feria;when Woolworth's in McCrelles & the store downtown had lunch counters. Anyone remember the excellent Elvis impersonator that would perform at McCrelles now & then?

Mega Food Mart, whose major selling point was that you bagged or boxed your own groceries, thus saving you money; Deluxe & Piggly Wiggly;the HUGE arcade that was at South Park Mall; Hacienda Bowl

I'll quit now

[Willsatx]

Anyone remember those awesome Churros they used to sell at North Star Mall?

[Trivet The Fool]

I don't remember KFC/Taco Smell being DQ; must have been before we moved here. Lessee..

Where the check cashing/cig store is used to be an Exxon. Donut Hut was across the street in the tiny place built onto Fina. The chinese restaurant next door to them was a G.W. Junior's. I want to say the convenience store in the strip center next to the dry cleaner's/laundromat was a Stop-N-Go. There was once a car wash behind it. The game room that was across from the Exxon was called The Electric Armadillo. In that strip center was, from left to right facing: White's then Western Auto, something else, Deluxe then Mega Mart then the Big Lots that moved toward Military. I remember the Lone Star very vividly; we'd hang out there while our parents bowled.

Down PV where La Fiesta is was once Handy Andy, an Eckerd's, and a Mr. Ghatti's that ten of my friends and myself were once asked to leave because we had cleaned out the buffet. Rocky's Taco was much smaller and had TV's at each table. The Beer Box has pretty much stayed the same. Where the Texaco is was a little league baseball field.

The other strip center held Piggly Wiggly then Family Thrift now a dollar store, the barber shop that's been there forever (great shoe shines!), the Green Stamp store then a chinese restaurant then a dollar store, Winn's then something then a Family Dollar and now the thrift. There was an actual car lot across from that once, then sold mobile homes.

The Whataburger had those HUGE, HIIIIGH counters and the great 5 cent coffee cups. Where the First Mate/Neptune's was a snow cone place set up for a while, though can't remember if it was before or after the boat was demo'd. Where the car lot is now next to the thrift is where Neptune's was before the move across the street in the former attorney's building. Can't remember the name of the attorney...Church's has been there as long as I can remember.

Down by Floyd's, I can't recall what the warehouse-type building across the street was before (was a drive-in once!!); a pizza place occupied the small building now housing a church by the Firestone that's also been there forever. Highland Pharmacy was either right next to Floyd's or on the property of the former Albertson's. On that place was the bingo center, a La Feria, a neighborhood newspaper (the Reporter offices??), and some other things.

On either Eureka or Archimedes was Taco Hut, with the then-nifty light-wrapped trees, and I believe Drury's Gun Shop next door. El Tipico was THE place to eat mexican food around then. Where Bill Miller's sits now was a tiny liquor store. The now bank/Walgreen's was Brooksfield National Bank. Audie & Joyce's was one of the few salons.

Going the other direction down Goliad from Pecan Valley, there is of course the skating rink (look out weekend cause, here I come..sorry, couldn't resist). Past the houses, the mini strip center (recall when this was built), and the former home of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local, there's Snoga's which used to be a lumber/hardware store (name escapes me), the excellent mexican restaurant that used to be a carpet store with a bar with a garage door for the front, and in front of that used to be a gas station.

Grove Park apartments have always been there, just much smaller. Across the street where PK is used to be a Buttercrust Discount store. The chinese restaurant was a fantastic Jim's Frontier. The uniform shop two buildings behind it was a restaurant. Where the brand-new shopping strip is...well...long, long ago there was a field then the HEB and not much else. HEB built a newer store on the same lot a bit over, and KMart bought the old building and remodeled it. HEB decided it must have a much larger store, and proceeded to move across the street to the former lot of Handy Dan home center (the tree in our backyard came from here *sniffles*). Behind and stretching for quite a ways to its right was Indian Hills mobile home community - had its own clubhouse & pool.

The convenience store up S. New Braunfels by Connell was one of the last 7-11s in San Antonio. Supplied my nice little side business reselling candy at school, with a healthy markup, of course The mexican restaurant on SE Military across from DQ used to be The Flame. Had the best family fish order, and killer burgers. The last time we ate there after the change, it still had the bank of mirrors in the entrance that makes you look like the Rockettes if you stand just a certain way