Great Post! Was it GiGi's Model Shop or Gene's Model Shop that was in the mall?
In 1964, at age 9, I was strolling through the recently opened Sharpstown Shopping Center, and one of my favorite places there was the model shop near Montgomery Ward. It was named either "Gene's" or "Jean's", not "Gigi's". It not only had plastic models, train sets, etc., but also coins. Last year, I was shocked to stumble across an almost exact replica of this shop in "The Village" (and indoor/outdoor collection of trendy stores and restaurants) near Rice University. It was like walking back in time. The store was the same size as its Sharpstown "twin", and its merchandise was even laid out in the same way! One of the two men running the place told me the owner of The Village store was also the owner of the Sharpstown facility, which he had opened second.
I grew up in the mid-1960s about a block from Pat Neff Elementary School, on Sharpview near Osage. I didn't leave until around 1978. Four years ago, however, I got a job nearby, so I often stroll through Sharpstown on my lunch hour. The main differences between then and now? The homes have aged, of course, and the demographic mix is now much more Hispanic/Black/Asian than White. The apartment complex across from Sharpstown Middle School is a run-down eyesore and has been for many years, but it used to be quite nice. The trees throughout the neighborhood have had 40 years to blossom from saplings into full-grown beauties, causing one to ponder how God's creations improve through time while man's decay. The saddest difference is all the security bars on the doors and windows of the homes, and all the fencing around the schools and Lansdale Park. In the 1960s and 1970s, you could walk virtually anywhere you wanted and never even think much less worry about trespassing, burglaries, muggings, pedophiles, drive-by shootings, major vandalism, etc. People locked their doors at night, yes, but generally they went through their lives feeling safe. Also, because almost everyone in the neighborhood was a stereotypical, lily-White American, we all celebrated the same American holidays; whereas, in the neighborhood where I now reside, holidays are variously and less publicly celebrated by Whites, American Blacks, African Blacks, Indians, Arabs, Asians, and Pakistanis. This heterogeneous mix also seems to work against neighbors getting to know each other, at least as compared to Sharpstown in the mid-1960s.
Back to Sharpstown Mall: Does anyone know how/where I can find the names of the original tenants of Sharpstown Shopping Center? A few years ago, I tried getting a list of the stores and restaurants from a manager at Foley's, who initially promised to help me, but things subsequently fizzled out.
Memories Of Sharpstown
in Historic Houston
Posted
In 1964, at age 9, I was strolling through the recently opened Sharpstown Shopping Center, and one of my favorite places there was the model shop near Montgomery Ward. It was named either "Gene's" or "Jean's", not "Gigi's". It not only had plastic models, train sets, etc., but also coins. Last year, I was shocked to stumble across an almost exact replica of this shop in "The Village" (and indoor/outdoor collection of trendy stores and restaurants) near Rice University. It was like walking back in time. The store was the same size as its Sharpstown "twin", and its merchandise was even laid out in the same way! One of the two men running the place told me the owner of The Village store was also the owner of the Sharpstown facility, which he had opened second.
I grew up in the mid-1960s about a block from Pat Neff Elementary School, on Sharpview near Osage. I didn't leave until around 1978. Four years ago, however, I got a job nearby, so I often stroll through Sharpstown on my lunch hour. The main differences between then and now? The homes have aged, of course, and the demographic mix is now much more Hispanic/Black/Asian than White. The apartment complex across from Sharpstown Middle School is a run-down eyesore and has been for many years, but it used to be quite nice. The trees throughout the neighborhood have had 40 years to blossom from saplings into full-grown beauties, causing one to ponder how God's creations improve through time while man's decay. The saddest difference is all the security bars on the doors and windows of the homes, and all the fencing around the schools and Lansdale Park. In the 1960s and 1970s, you could walk virtually anywhere you wanted and never even think much less worry about trespassing, burglaries, muggings, pedophiles, drive-by shootings, major vandalism, etc. People locked their doors at night, yes, but generally they went through their lives feeling safe. Also, because almost everyone in the neighborhood was a stereotypical, lily-White American, we all celebrated the same American holidays; whereas, in the neighborhood where I now reside, holidays are variously and less publicly celebrated by Whites, American Blacks, African Blacks, Indians, Arabs, Asians, and Pakistanis. This heterogeneous mix also seems to work against neighbors getting to know each other, at least as compared to Sharpstown in the mid-1960s.
Back to Sharpstown Mall: Does anyone know how/where I can find the names of the original tenants of Sharpstown Shopping Center? A few years ago, I tried getting a list of the stores and restaurants from a manager at Foley's, who initially promised to help me, but things subsequently fizzled out.