lowspark

2 things. Harlow's is reopening, and I believe the last Bert Wheeler's is on Beltway8 by I-10, if it's still open.

The new Harlow's is owned by Landry's so I'm not sure it's as much a reopening as a reusing of a familiar name. Their website boasts a lot of arcade type games so I'm guessing they want it to be a teen hangout to increase business for the movie theatre. I haven't been there but it looks to me that it's not really like the old original Harlow's and not my kind of place. I might go there for lunch to check it out one of these days though, since I work very near by.

The Food Lion stores opened in Houston right at about the time 60 minutes (or one of those kinds of shows) did a huge expos

There use to be an area that was upstairs at Sharpstown Mall that had bars and resturants. Anyone remember that? Names of any of them? I use to go see live music there sometimes.

That was pretty much the first food court in a mall in Houston as far as I know. It was put in when they put the second floor on the mall -- sometime in the mid 70s. The entire food court was called "Good Time Charlie's". And yes, one of the restarants was Chelsea Street Pub which was a sort of a bar/appetizer type of place. I'm pretty sure they had live music at the beginning.

There was also a very nice restaurant up there, I can't remember the name of it. It was a reservations only/maitre d' type place -- very hoity toity and high $. It lasted about 5 minutes.

Oh, and you might want to check out this thread which has a ton of memories of long lost houston restaurants.

Houston Restaurants No Longer Here

No more Gulf gas stations.

Gulf got bought out by Chevron in 1983 and all those Gulf stations eventually got new signs and became Chevrons. It mystifies me, however, that Gulf stations still do exist in other parts of the country.

The Home Depot at Westbury Square is brand new, so I don't think there is much you can do about that. Also, there is a Home Depot in the Pin Oak area (near the city of Bellaire) and that did not hurt the surrounding community.

As for the Square itself, I think it should be revitalized - Would a new Target help the Square?

I'm not sure the square is able to be revitalized. HD has pretty much taken up most of that land and there is very little left. Certainly not enough for a Target --- but with the new Target recently opened in Meyerland, I can't see that they would open one there anyway.

About the only thing I can think of to revitalize what's left would be to open a couple of restaurants. Might be an opportunity for someone willing to take the risk -- there are almost no restaurants to speak of in the entire Westbury area.

Now I'm awaiting for someone to take the old Media Play spot at Meyer Park.

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That old Media Play spot in Meyer Park started out as PharMor. Media play lasted about 5 minutes in the grand scheme of things. And that very large spot has been empty ever since. How many years has it been?

That empty spot, the rundown condition of the Walmart and the deterioration of the AMC movie theatre have contributed greatly to the decline of Meyer Park. When that movie theatre opened, it was the largest in Texas (or something like that) and was very nice. But as soon as stadium seating came into the picture, it was done for.

The amazing thing is that the houses in the neighborhood directly south of the center (Willow Meadows), although old (mid-century), have held up their value very well and continue to gain in value. I can't figure out why that center has gone down and why that one piece of it has remained empty for so long.

Are we adding our Astrodome memories here? I remember going to the Astrodome in 1968 when Humphrey was running for president against Nixon. President Johnson was there endorsing Humphrey, lots of speeches were made which I paid no attention to (I was 8 years old), but what I remember most was the entire Astrodome yelling

H H H! H H H!

(for Hubert Horatio Humphrey) as they flashed three huge H's across the scoreboard. I'm not sure I would remember that day at all if it weren't for the H H H cheer!

I'm old enough to remember when Astroworld first opened. I was 8 yo and we were thrilled!!

Memories:

The tram which took you from the parking lot to the park -- the driver used to give you a sort of tour -- interesting things about Astroworld, etc, as he transported you. What I remember most was the fact that Hofheinz paid ONE MILLION dollars JUST to build the bridge across 610. Doesn't sound like much now, but in 1968, that was a fortune --- and just for the bridge!

The advertising jingle: Astroworld, Astroworld, what a wonderful world of fun fun fu-un! Astroworld, Astroworld, what a wonderful world of fun!

The astrowheel -- the two sided ferris wheel and the Astro Needle were sort of the signature rides when it first opened.

Alpine Sleigh Ride -- it always had the longest lines because you got to ride through the tunnel where freezing cold air was blasted at you. When Astroworld was still very new, at the very end of the ride, just as you exited the last tunnel, the Abominable Snowman would jump out at you. It was a guy dressed in a furry white costume -- a real person. It was so cool and very scary (especially at my young age). Even though you knew he'd be there, you were still anticipating the scare! He didn't last very long because unfortunately I think people threw things at him or tried to hurt him somehow.

The Lost Riverboat Ride -- don't remember the exact name of this ride, but you know the routine. They used that tired old "Shirley Temple" joke (Shirley tribe's temple) ad nauseum, but we loved going on it because you could get sprayed with water!

The Black Dragon -- too wild for me at 8 yo, I didn't go on it again till I was a teenager!

The Serpent -- it was Astroworld's first "roller coaster". It was so tame but all we had at that time! Then....

Dexter Frebish's Electrical Roller Ride opened -- now THAT was a roller coaster! I was 12 years old and a friend and I rode on it ten times in a row one day.

Crystal Palace -- you had to arrive at least 20 minutes before the show was scheduled to arrive or you couldn't get in. It was such a relief to sit in the A/C and rest your feet. The shows were pretty good too, with live male & female dancers and a comedian or ventriloquist or some such. I'm pretty sure it was local college aged kids who had an opportunity to use their talents!

OUTDOOR A/C -- The outdoor patio tables at some of the cafes had air conditioning shooting out of the center of the table. Wow! We were so impressed!

The bread shop -- Mrs. Baird's if I remember correctly. You could buy a freshly baked mini-loaf.

This all sounds so tame now, but in my youth, Astroworld was the highlight of my summers!

That's all I can remember right now. I'm sure I'll remember more later. I have to admit, I haven't been there in years -- I'm not a kid anymore. How sad that it will go away.

Where was his place?  On South Main?  I remember the one in T&C - Windmill Dinner Theatre, I think.

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I don't know if it was always there but in 1979 it was on Westridge Rd (that's one of the streets that spikes out from the Astrodome).

And yes, I do remember the Windmill Dinner Theatre in Town & Country!

Just thought of this -- Remember the Basement at Foley's? Downtown store had one and Sharpstown had one. They would sell lower priced items in the basement than they did on the other floors.

No flame here,  to each his own.  But when and where did White Castle open.  I have eaten there a few times when traveling and I absolutely love them.  Was this recent of many moons ago.

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I think White Castle opened here in the mid or late 80s. There was one on S. Post Oak near W. Belfort if I remember correctly, and I don't know what other locations they had. I'm pretty sure they didn't stay in business a whole year.

Hamburgers by Gourmet on Kirby and on Alabama near University of St. Thomas. 

Harlow's Hollywood Cafe on Hillcroft.  Late hours and chocolate cheesecake for dessert!

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Hamburgers by Gourmet, never ate there but I do remember it -- and it actually reminded me of another restaurant, Across the Street. I can't remember where it was located, but there were telephones on every table and you'd call your order into the kitchen. I remember going there around 1975ish.

I just (on my way back from lunch) saw a sign on the Edward's Theatre building (Weslayan at 59) that said they're going to open a restaurant called Harlow's! I do remember the Harlow's on Hillcroft (near Richmond I think) for its late night hours and old movie posters featuring (who else?) Jean Harlow.

I worked very close to that Nabisco plant from 1992 - 1999 and remember smelling the wonderful smells some mornings.

Wasn't there some way those broken RITZ could have been recycled? 

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I knew someone who worked for Nabisco several years ago, and he told me that the recipe for fig newtons required a mixture of broken crackers/cookies. So, assuming he wasn't lying, they did recycle the broken stuff.

I never heard of Rettig's but I remember a Carvel on Richmond and Hillcroft by the Walkabout Cafe.    That Ice Cream was AWESOME.

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Oh yes! I remember Carvel. Someone I knew at that time they opened (must have been the mid 80s) raved about how wonderful Carvel was when she was growing up in New York. It lasted about 5 minutes -- correct me if I'm wrong but it's just soft serve ice cream, right?

Reminds me of White Castle Hamburgers. It's the kind of thing that brings back youthful memories for people who grew up somewhere else, not because it was so delicious but because it was what ate when they were a kid.

They open one here, everyone who grew up with it gets excited and goes a couple of times and that's it -- not enough to keep the place(s) in business, because, after all, they're not really good, just nostalgic, and they can't compete with other (better) places that are here.

OK, all you Carvel & White Castle lovers, go ahead and flame me. I'm a native Houstonian and I just don't get the attraction for either of these restaurants.

Go subdude!! You have all the great pictures! Thanks for posting those!

Insofar as that HEB can carry a lot of anything--it's teeny-tiny.  Not much of an exaggeration to say that there are some aisles in that store where two carts cannot pass.

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Yeah, I agree, it's a tiny store. But just after Albertson's closed up HEB went full force with the kosher foods at that location. They devoted quite a bit of space to it, hoping to attract shoppers who formerly went to Albertson's specifically for their kosher foods.

That amount of kosher foods dwindled significantly after a while although they do still carry quite a bit percentagewise in relationship to the size of that store.

y'now:

Beldens has some VERY good hebrew national salami! But I found it at HEB at times! :9 (and now it comes Cotto Salami!! Hallujah!

That Dunvale and feeling like you left the U.S. (LMAO!!! TOO FUNNY!!)

i get Meyer Park/Meyerland mixed up b/c  I don't live around the area but I am familiar with it.

Every senior citizen in the Meyer area (better? ) goes to Casa Ole' over there!! The seniors don't need Margarita nite thurs!! Can't they just go play Bingo or something! (BTW I am kidding!)

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Yeah! Belden's has a lot of Kosher foods, and that HEB started carrying a lot too but it's sort of catch as catch can with HEB.

I think a lot of people get the Meyers mixed up.

MeyerLand is the former mall on Beechnut & 610, built in 1958 (?)

Meyer Park is the strip center on W. Belfort & 610 which contains the Randalls & Wal Mart and it was developed in the 80s I think.

But Meyer Area will do fine!

I never go to that Casa Ole! There is (or was) a Chinese buffet in that same strip as Casa Ole which was wonderful when it first opened, but went downhill so I haven't been there in a long time now.

Steak and Ale and their Beer battered bread!!! WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

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There's apparently 4 Steak & Ales still in Houston:

12250 Gulf Freeway

Houston

77034

713-944-9986

11109 Katy Freeway

Houston

77079

713-467-5050

17425 N Freeway

Houston

77090

281-440-1983

2425 Mangum Road

Houston

77092

713-681-4675

I went to the one on Mangum (at 290) recently --- I didn't know they had beer battered bread, tho!

I HATE going to that little bitty crowded Walmart in Meyerland.

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It's actually in Meyer Park (not Meyerland). Those are two separate and distinct centers -- the new Target is in Meyerland and that whole center has been revitalized and is wonderful. Meyer Park on the other hand, with the crummy WalMart, has not kept up its initial promise. It has sort of gone downhill a bit. Although they did remodel that Randall's recently, I don't have high hopes for Randall's long term future in Houston.

Don't forget Belden's at N. Braeswood & Chimney Rock. Or is that considered too upscale, and thus not in direct competition with Wally World? Granted, Belden's everyday prices are a bit on the high side (think: Randall's), though they have good specials that you don't need a card to take advantage of.

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Yeah, I'm not sure how much competition Belden's represents for WalMart -- I think it's a different kind of store. You don't need a card at the HEB or Walmart either -- that's a Randall's/Krogers gimmick. I can't imagine that anyone who would regularly shop at Walmart would switch to regularly doing all their grocery shopping at Belden's. I do go to Belden's occasionally for specific things but in general, their prices are much higher.

Who knows, Wal-Mart might consolidate their two stores into one in the future.  But the neighborhood one I didn't know about.  Seems Wal-mart will save cost by leaving them both alone.

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I sorta doubt they'll consolidate. The big store in Meyer Park has been there for several years. They just opened the Neighborhood store about a year or two ago, so I'm guessing they did a study to see where the best place for a grocery store would be.

In fact, it IS a much better location for a grocery store. Their only competition for the Nbhd store is the HEB (formerly Pantry so very small) at the corner of S. Braeswood & Chimney Rock. That Walmart has pretty much sewed up that area. Whereas if they were to expand the MeyerPark WalMart, they'd be in direct competition with the already existing Randalls & Kroger which are right there at that spot.

The only potential threat to the Nbhd store is if any other grocery store were ever to open in the now-defunct location of Albertsons on S. Braeswood & Fondren. But that location has not been successful in the past -- just that one mile between Hillcroft & Fondren represents a great difference in neighborhood, from large single family homes on both sides of Hillcroft, to a slew of apartments along Fondren which have not held up well to the test of time.

In its prime, the Red Lion was considered a very fine dining establishment. It was demolished after being badly damaged by fire in the 90s.

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I just was on S. Shepherd last night and happened to pass a Restaurant just north of Westheimer called, Red Lion. It was a smaller house-looking building than their old location but still a good size. The sign had that same lion on it as the sign in the picture above. So I'm thinking it's the same restaurant, reopened in a new location. I didn't get more than a quick glance at it as I was driving and had to pay attention to the road!

I agree - that walmart is scuzzy. There is already a "Neighborhood WalMart" on Hillcroft just south of S. Braeswood which is the grocery store Walmart only without the regular merchandise. That store does a good business and is (so far) in much better shape than the regular store in Meyer Park. So why would Walmart want to put in groceries at Meyer Park? They'd be competing with themselves by expanding a store which has rapidly gone downhill since it opened.

Depending on where you live in Meyerland, that Walmart grocery store is probably almost as close to you as the Meyer Park store. Plus, the new Target, although it's not a super Target, does have a lot of groceries. It looked to me like they pretty much had everything except meat and produce. They had frozen foods, non-perishables and even a partial dairy dept.

You are probably thinking of Gemco, which I believe was an acronym for Government Employees something something something.

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GEMCO! Yup! That's it!

I also remember in Sharpstown Mall:

Chandler's Shoes

Margolis Shoes

Adrien's Fashions

And old Grocery Stores:

Food Giant

There was either a Food Giant or Weingarten's in Sharpstown Mall.

Food Giant was also somewhere on W. Belfort west of Post Oak, and I think there was one on the corner of N. Braeswood & Chimney Rock which is Belden's now.

oooh auchan's - there was one on 610 south going east past the astrodome...

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There was also one on the West Belt & Beechnut.

I also remember

Meyer Brothers in Meyerland

W Bell

What was the name of that store that was on the corner of Fondren & 59 or maybe it was Fondren & Beechnut where you had to belong to their club before you could shop there. Along the lines of Sam's club but it wasn't groceries, just clothes & stuff like that I think. It lasted a few years before going out.

There was a Food Lion in Sugar Land on the corner of Eldridge & Jess Pirtle. I think it's Gerlands now but could be wrong about that.

There was also one on W. Airport west of Kirkwood that turned into a school or something like that.

I happened to pass by there yesterday and the building is gone. It's just the remnants of the parking lot with some light poles, and a large concrete area that looks like it was the foundation for the building. All of it is overgrown with grass/weeds. So at this point, I'd say it's just another empty lot.