Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Remember when… (WS reminiscing thread)
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April 18, 2008 at 8:27 pm #621515
AnonymousInactiveI live near Charlestown and had heard of a time when a grocery store was on 49th & Charlestown. Seems like an odd place for a market, smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood by todays standards. Maybe little sections of W S had their own little marts? It’s a great concept but just wondering if anyone can relate why that site was chosen? I love hearing about the history of WS on these threads and in previous blog discussions. Thanks to all – Mike, Jan, Gina, et al.
April 19, 2008 at 12:34 am #621516
RonMParticipantThere used to be quite a few small grocery stores scattered around in the neighborhoods. I couldn’t hazard a guess why each of them were in business, though it seemed there were a lot of small, family owned businesses in those days. Even the chain stores were rather small like A&P, Safeway and Sears & Roebuck. When I was growing up my mom sent me to George’s on the SE corner of Hinds and 40th. The building is still there, though a private residence today. My, how small it seems today! The grocery was on the ground floor and George lived upstairs. He had a cash register, but he’d add up your purchase on butcher paper and enter the total on the register. I had to bring home his calculations along with the change. There was another store on 42nd, I think just west of Tibbits Methodist Church. I remember the store on Charlestown at the foot of the steep hill. We used to try to slide down that hill on our sleds when I was a kid. They sometimes put up barricades to keep us off, but when they left we merely moved them out of the way.
The city wasn’t very thoughtful of us kids. The water department owned the property west of the water tower on Charlestown (as they do today), but planted thorn bushes in the middle to discourage us from playing there. We merely played around the bushes, but had a devil of a time if a ball went into the bushes. The old water tower was built there in about 1925. In later years there were some noticeable dents on its west side, about 2/3rds up. I’ve been amused over the years of all the theories voiced about how they got there. Not even the current water department knew before they rebuilt it (none of them are old enough and they must not have made note of it at the time). It was actually struck by lightning in about 1939 and prompted the installation of its first lightning rod.
April 19, 2008 at 3:38 am #621517
GinaParticipantI wish my brother would post on this thread. He has 21 years on me, so he knows a lot of stuff. C’mon, Mel. Join in. Or my other brother. Art, are you out there?
I should post stories he has told. That would make him hop on here to correct me!
He has stories about Frances Farmer and her mother, they lived down on 47th. And about the world’s most wonderful ice cream store, by Hiawatha Park. Both my brothers are in the picture on page 142 of West Side Story showing Lafayette after the earthquake of ’49.
Mel remembers riding his bike in the utility trench around the new Lafayette building. And the television at the Admiral theatre. My mother used to say that she kept after my father to buy a television so the boys would watch it at home, and not go to the theatre. She always had the fear of them catching diseases such as polio.
My sister was at West Seattle High School during the earthquake of ’65. She said that the students were told to leave and go straight home, and to stay away from Alki, because a tidal wave might be coming. Rumor has it that the majority of the high school went straight down the hill to Alki to wait for the tidal wave.
These are all second hand stories, so don’t be too hard on me if they don’t match a first hand experience!
April 19, 2008 at 4:52 am #621518
miwsParticipantI lived my first 10 1/2 plus years just around the corner and down from the Charlestown tower, on 38th & Manning, until the late ’60’s.
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I, too, remember George’s on Hinds St. Only I remember it simply as the Hinds St. Market. Don’t know if it was known as that by then, or just what we called it.
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Mostly, if I recall, we went down to Beck’s on Belvidere & Hinds, where the dog grooming place has been for many years. Mrs. Beck, in our minds (my brother, 3 years older than I , and other neighborhood kids in our age group) was the typical “mean little old lady” running the corner store.
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What sticks out in my mind about her, was how she insisted on giving Canadian change, if we paid for our candy with a Canadian coin. She had a special place set aside for the Canadian, and how she’d make a big deal out of it.
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Of course there was Mac’s, on the NE corner of California & Hinds, when Lew Daughters was running it. He was also the butcher. My brother worked for him for a time, cleaning up the butcher area, and I suppose other parts of the store. He loved to give Lew a bad time about his bald head! We would walk by there everyday to and from school at Lafayette, and each time would smack the metal 7-UP ad sign on the side of the store, and say “Bleccchhh! 7-UP!”
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And, yes wsblover, there was a store on Charlestown on the SE corner of 48th, where a 30 year old apt bldg sits now. It was a typical size Supermarket from the time. (Think Rite-Aid on California Av, which was the Safeway that relocated to Jefferson Square).
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I believe it was one of the Chains, just don’t remember which one. My Aunt’s Mother lived in the brick house on the SW corner, at the top of the big hill, on 46th(?) & Charlestown, so I remember going to that store occasionally.
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Although I haven’t done it for years, one thing I’ve enjoyed doing occasionally, is to go to the Downtown Library, and look through the old city directories, and phone books, to check out the history of places I’ve lived, as far as the different people that lived there over the years.
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I would also check out business addresses on California Av and such. I was actually surprised to notice one time, possibly back in the ’30’s and/or ’40’s, that some of the small Mom-n-Pop, corner groceries, had a competitor right across the street! The one example I remember, was the one across form the 50-50 Market on California & Juneau.
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Mike
April 19, 2008 at 5:54 am #621519
JPParticipantDoes anyone remember Gil’s…19 cent burgers. Now Taco Time. It was one of the favorite hang-outs in the early 60’s
April 19, 2008 at 6:08 am #621520
JPParticipantThe store on 49th and Charlestown was…Zorich Brothers Thriftway. I remember the bakery lady’s name was Diane. The store was in the empty lot and the parking lot for the store was where the housing is now. On 48th, where the apartment building is, was a gas station. I’m not sure, but I think it was a Texico.
April 19, 2008 at 6:36 am #621521
RonMParticipantGoing back that far, my memory could be flawed, but I remember the store at the corner of Hinds and Belvedere being called the Hind’s St. Grocery…dog grooming in the building came later. That was a little farther for us, so we seldom visited it. Mac’s, that was the name I was trying to remember. It survived the war years and continued for some time (don’t know if by the original owners). It was an oriental market for a short while.
Oh, and by the way the Classic Barbershop in the Junction was owned by Ted Stober and he opened that shop in 1929. One of his barbers went into the service during WWII and Ted gave him his job back when he mustered out at the end of the war. Ted Stober and Stromberg of the Chevron Gas Station on California and Charlestown (NE corner) were good friends. Donna Stober was in my 6th grade class at Lafayette.
Gil’s opened in the early 50’s with their 19 cent hamburgers. We rumored that he must have been using horsemeat, but there was nothing wrong with that. There was a meat market near the present Huskies that sold horsemeat on occasion during the war. As I recall it required fewer ration stamps than beef or pork. My mom hated horsemeat, but we did have venison once in a while and it didn’t cost any ration stamps.
December 5, 2008 at 2:59 am #621522
manuelwParticipantThis picture popped up in the Seattle Municipal Archives recently. Where was it?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/3082967582/in/photostream/
December 5, 2008 at 3:09 am #621523
clark5080ParticipantThe Hi Hat was great I think Mr Wing was the owner. Also I think the petco / tradewell was actually an A&P before that and there was the artic circle on 35th and roxbury and the olympic heights creamery on 35th oh what a burger and shake
December 5, 2008 at 3:12 am #621524
clark5080Participantthe picture above is just two or three doors north of the cup cake place on California and Alaska right hand side heading north
December 5, 2008 at 4:00 am #621525
JPParticipantThat’s now the Maharaja. Vans was great. Does anyone remember where The Menu was?
December 5, 2008 at 4:22 am #621526
GinaParticipantThe Menu was very close to J.C. Penney’s. I think Lee’s is where it was. The Menu, Red Goose Shoes and a flower shop were all in a row. (time frame, late 60’s).
In the Vann Bro’s picture you get a glimpse of the Kresge(?) store. All that detail is still under the stucco front.
December 5, 2008 at 4:57 am #621527
JeraldParticipantWasn’t there a fire station where the farmers’ market lot is now?
And across the street, where there’s a bank, that used to be the Junction Hardware store (I think).
I also think I remember Husky’s somewhere up near Capers. They had a big jar of iced animal cookies and all that fruit stuff for making fruitcake.
But these are pretty vague memories, early 60’s. Can anyone confirm?
December 5, 2008 at 5:05 am #621528
ZenguyParticipantMy Mother bought me a red and white teddy bear one year for Valentine’s day from Kress (now Matador and JaK’s, Shafrans before that) when I was in the back in the toy section.
I remember several five and dimes (unbelievable!) in the Admiral Junction where the Wells is now and a couple doors down was one run by two old sisters (?) that were really cranky.
I used to buy all my clothes at Steve Athen’s Mens shop, up stairs of course. It is now Elliot Bay Brew Pub.
I bought my first album (Wings, Band on the Run) where Circa is now to bring to music day at Lafayette. Turnabout records, tapes and head shop was a regular stop to buy a 45 after getting a shake from Husky’s on my way home from school.
December 5, 2008 at 5:26 am #621529
JanSParticipantOh, Lord, Steve Athen…now there was an interesting man. I was just mentioning to a client this morning the Fong Fong , a few doors down from Athens…I think where Yummy Teriyaki, etc, is now They HAD to have a card game going in the back…no one ever ate there…
That’s a great picture of Vann’s, before I got here in ’75, though…
Jerald, the hardware store that was where Wells Fargo is now was an Ernst, I believe…and Northwest Art and Frame, formerly Hi-Yu Art and Frame, was up around where Capers is now.
December 5, 2008 at 5:34 am #621530
ZenguyParticipantReading everything brings up about fifty more things to talk about.
Maybe someday we can have a WS veterans meet up, have to have been here at least 30 years or so…not sure how you prove that…maybe describe the Taco Time on Alki in detail…lol.
My Great Grandmother was a HUGE gambler and contest enterer and she won the firs TV in Seattle, before there was even a TV station. I think they may have lived by Holy Rosary or off Admiral on Campbell place. My mother tells of the neighborhood coming in to see the test pattern and watched half an hour of TV.
My mother and a friend’s car broke down right off the West Seattle freeway at Avalon and they had to go into Pat and Ron’s tavern to use the phone and call for help. They argued about who was going in for half an hour because it was a scary place, it is now Luna Park.
The women’s work out center on California near Beato used to be Mac’s, my brother and I would walk down there with out pennies in our chubby little hands and we could pick out five things from the bottom shelf…ahh, those are memories!
December 5, 2008 at 5:37 am #621531
ZenguyParticipantThe Fong Fong…was that the place that had the geraniums growing in the window that rotted the bottoms of the drapes? …no, wait that was on Alki.
December 5, 2008 at 5:40 am #621532
miwsParticipantJerald, yes the fire station used to be located in the farmer’s market lot. Across the street was Ernst Hardware.
I don’t recall Husky Deli ever being up at/near where Caper’s is. However, they used to be located in a different space near where they are now. (NW Art & Frame?) One thing I remember for sure, was when Junction True Value was where NWA&F is now.
Zenguy, the dime store in the Wells Fargo space was N&N variey Store. I remember it having several entrances, as if in a previous life the building it was in had been divided up into several smaller stores.
Mike
December 5, 2008 at 5:48 am #621533
JanSParticipantwow…Pat and Ron’s…I remember that place. And Taco Time on Alki, now Tully’s…yeah…had many a cheap meal in there.
And yes, the Fong Fong had icky plants and dirty windows and rotting curtains. The place on Alki was the Golden Sun, now Bamboo Bar and Grill…
how about the Rainy City Tav, now Mission…
December 5, 2008 at 6:37 am #621534
CaitParticipantI’m really glad someone brought this back – I never got to see it.
A shoutout to my best friend’s dad’s old shop – Dogmeat’s Turnabout Records. I miss it and him often.
December 5, 2008 at 6:40 am #621535
CaitParticipantAnd I know she’s still around – but Doris from the old Thriftway that’s now Met Market. I loved her… she was always so sweet to me when I was a little kid.
December 5, 2008 at 7:38 am #621536
JanSParticipantCait…Dave was one of a kind…it was always fun to go in his store :)
As far as I know, I believe that Doris still lives up near Guadaloupe…lol, her line was always slow because everyone wanted to stop and chat with her ;-)
December 5, 2008 at 8:58 am #621537
WesCAddleMemberI know this one isn’t too far in the past, but I really loved the Admiral Cafe. They transformed it into a bank a few years ago.
I loved going in there for breakfast, and was wondering what ever happened to the wait staff from that place…especially the “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town”.
December 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm #621538
JenVMemberI loved the Admiral Cafe…and before it was the Admiral it was Mr. Ed’s. We used to sit and drink coffee & smoke cigarettes for hours. How patient was that wait staff?! Of course, nine times out of ten it was our friends waiting on us…and they would join us after their shift was over.
December 5, 2008 at 3:35 pm #621539
seahawk kidMemberI grew up on 18th s.w. & s.w. Henderson between Wesewood & White Center. At Westwood I remember on the Trenton side it was swamp area And I would go there to look for pollywogs and spend the afternoon there. Westwood had Santa Clause house there.There was also Winchell donuts,Ernst hardware,Pay n Save, A shoe repair shop where my mom would get rubber taps for my dad.In White Center they had Wig-Wam store, Another store called the 88 cent store and a dime store.My favorite though was a pinball hall. I also remember me and my friend would go to White Center with a shoe shine box and shine shoes to make money.They had a Herfys where KFC is and everybody would hang out there with their cars.My brother used to work at Taco Time when It was just a walk in with no seating.Does anyone remember when you could collect pop bottles and return them for money? 5 cents for small bottles and 10 cents for big bottles.We would go around collecting and make a few dollars which back then would get you alot of candy.
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