Paul1956

There used to be a few Gallaghers Steak House's scattered around. I remember they had live music on weekends and I saw the late great John Vandiver there one time at the Gulf Freeway location. John was a great local talent.

Early 1970's - There was a little mom and pop restaurant on Spencer, close to Shaver, that was originally a little white frame house. It was converted into a restaurant and pie shop. No parking lot, just an open field. On Sundays, it could take a couple hours just to get in.

Man, haven't thought about that for many many years. Anyone remember it?

Oh Yeah! I made a wallet from a Tandy leather kit one time - had completely forgotten about that. Spent days threading little leather strips through holes to make a wallet. I remember Zales too - bought my senior ring from Zales, Pasadena Plaza in '74. Man, that's going way back.

There was a Whites Appliance on one end and a grocery store on the other. Byrds Pet Shop was always fun. I bought alot of turtles there. I remember the Palais Royal, a drug store, possibly Kresge's (spelling?) with a diner, a TSO, a Playhouse Toys, and an H & H Music. The H & H also sold records and you could actually play a record before you bought it. The plaza parking lot didn't have speed bumps - it had speed dips, and I remember Dad's car bottoming out on them.

I remember that WIERD audio/video introduction very well. Used to sit with my Dad every Sat night and wait for it to start. Also, never missed Houston Wrestling with Paul Boesch (spelling?). That Ivan Putski put on quite a show.

Also, in the early 1970's one of the UHF channels (26 or 39?) used to have Kid news anchors in the afternoons. Any idea whatever happened those kids?

We lived near Freeman Elementary for a while, and there was a U-Tote-M on Edgebrook where I would buy comics for 12 cents and a Rat Fink vending machine. Close by was another little store called 'Cunninghams' that I remember had cartons and cartons of BicPens on the counter for 19 cents each. Strange what sticks out in my mind after all these years.

I remember when Almeda Mall opened. We had done all our shopping at Pasadena Plaza or across the street at Monkey Wards before that. Also, within just a couple years after opening, Foleys added a 'huge' (we thought at the time) extension to the north side.