aggieengineer

Seemed to me that Luke's at the corner of Willow Bend and Post Oak turned into Annie's after the divorce. I worked at Belden's Food Giant in the '70s and used to walk over there for lunch regularly. Wyatt's Cafeteria directly across the street was also on the list. Also along the road were Westbury Yamaha, Cactus Tapes & Records, and AJ Foyt Chevrolet.

On 6/17/2016 at 10:03 PM, Gurgis said:

Ha ha!  I remember Texas Tumbleweed on Fondren at S. Braeswood because I worked there. In fact, it was my first job. I helped it get prepped to open, then stayed another month or two. That must have been about Summer 1979. 

 

The restaurant wasn't quite at the southern end though. I was fairly centered in the middle of the side facing Fondren.

I'm trying without luck to remember that restaurant. I lived in Maplewood at the time, and do recall a pizza joint in that strip mall. Wish I could remember the name. They had one of the first video games back around 1974.....Pong! 

I'm trying to remember the location of an old Houston meat market. I believe the name was "Paul & Bill's", perhaps on the southeast side of town. I used to go there with my parents back in the '60s, and don't remember a lot of details. 

My aunt and grandmother owned homes at the corner of Sul Ross and Greenbriar. When visiting, I would walk over to Cactus Tapes & Records on S. Shepherd. I believe it had been an A&P grocery at one time. Neat place with an incredible selection. Remember how good a record store used to smell? Perhaps that was just ventilation from the head shop! Demeris Barbecue and a Coney Island hot dog establishment were also across the street. 1970s were a fun time. 

That makes sense.  I don't remember that at all and it has bugged me for a long time.

 

Rice built a much bigger store on Hillcroft, just south of S. Braeswood (address on Hillcroft although it's back behind a strip center) that was a Rice Epicurean and is now a nice Walmart Neighborhood Market.

 

For aggieengineer, it's still a very nice neighborhood.  Meyerland, after all.  Houses immaculately maintained on the outside, anyway.  Interesting boutique businesses - The Russian General Store in the center where the L&C was, probably the biggest selection of salamis in Houston and lots of import goodies, My Pita, a Kosher bakery that makes fantastic pitas, and the New York Coffee and Bagel Shop with probably the best bagels in town.

I remember when the New York Bagel Shop opened. I'm pretty sure I was in high school at the time. None of us had ever had a bagel, so my dad took us there one morning to try it out. We were hooked! Anyone remember Zinnante's Delicatessen in the same area?

Say, you didn't work at the College Avenue Albertsons did you?

No, but I did work at Belden's Food Giant at Post Oak and West Bellfort while I was in high school, and during Christmas vacations while I was in college - 1974 until about 1980 probably.

There was a Lewis & Coker at the southeast corner of Hillcroft and S. Braeswood when I lived in that area from the mid-'60s until the '80s. My mother shopped there, claiming it was cleaner than other stores. In the same shopping center were an auto parts store (formerly a drug store), The Taxco Inn mexican restaurant, and a Schwinn bicycle shop owned by a rather stern man. It certainly was a nice area to live in back then.

The cafeteria mentioned was Wyatt's. Pretty good back in the day, about the same as Luby's. I used to eat lunch there occasionally during my breaks from bagging groceries across the street at Belden's.

That shopping center had an A&P market, which closed and later became Cactus Tapes & Records. Cactus was just too much competition for Evolution Tapes & Records, just a few hundred yards to the north. Evolution sold records, car stereos, and ...... paraphernalia. I still remember the smell of incense in there. I still have most of the albums I bought there with my tip money. Music was a big deal back then. What memories.

As a kid back in the '60s, it was such a thrill to go to Prince's on South Main near Braeswood. I can still remember waiting for the french fries to cool off enough to pick up. What a treat, and what a great time in Houston history.

My wife and I made a long-postponed trip to Houston this week and visited Westbury Square. The condition is basically hopeless. One can look through the windows of many of the old shops and see sunlight streaming in through the roof, or what's left of it. I think this was the old glassblower's shop, and it's in the the best condition of any of the buildings.

The Christmas decorations give some indication of how long this place has been idle. In fact, the whole place has a kind of Omega Man feel to it. There's not a soul in sight, but there's scattered evidence of human activity - the occasional illuminated outdoor light, and lots of trash. There was considerable police presence in the area, and we watched one guy being driven off on West Bellfort in the back of a cruiser. It's not a place I would go after dark. How sad. I grew up a few blocks away, and it was such a nice place to spend an evening. I suspect the bulldozers will be along shortly, but the area is so blighted, I don't know who would want the property.

It would be great to see a photo of the old Shamrock 8 theater as well. Not exactly a famous landmark, but a fond memory.

Does anyone recall Timmy Chan's in Greenway Plaza? My dad used to take me there from time to time. They had an exquisite dish called "Pressed Duck". I ordered it every time I ate there. Ahh for a time machine!

Hey, I was in Ms Deats 1st grade class in 66'. She wrapped my arm in newspaper to stop me from sucking my thumb. I think that was also the year they put in a bunch of new play elements in the school yard. Don't know why but I remember some names: Kimberly, Lauren, Jeremy, Paul, Stuart, Tod. Any sound familiar? I've got a snapshot of her at a picnic at the Battleship Texas. That was the big trip of the year.

There was a gate at the back of the Little Red School House that always seemed to be the entrance to another world. When you went through that gate you knew you someplace special. I always thought it had been there forever and looked so old.

We stumbled across it in 2005 and it was certainly in sad shape. Had coffee in the new/now defunct coffee shop though. I noticed in the recent pics that the fountain statue inside the belfort entrance is gone and the iron work on the roof of the arch building is gone. They were there in 2005. It seems that the place is just fading away.

We used to go to the Village Inn Pizza to watch Paul Buskirk play banjo in 71-73. Johnston Jr High did their football victory parties there after every game. I thought they had the best pizza anywhere.

Later in 1974-75, I worked in the Fun Shop. I think it was in the old Electric Paisley shop because the there was a "Black Light" room about 10x10 for the velvet posters. I sold alot of majic and posters along with gag gifts and masks. It was a cool gig for a 15 yr old. The best part was closing the store to run down to Village Inn for a take out cheeze pizza.

Wow...I need to stop now.

Cheers to all.....

Ahh, it's a small world indeed. I vividly remember the trip to see the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto monument. I remember Kimberly too. I'm pretty sure her dad was a state senator, last name Ogg. If you remember Steven and Susan, send me a PM sometime. My wife and I are going to take a trip down there this fall and get some pictures before it's all gone.

I do.. she was my first grade teacher at St. Thomas Elemetary school near Meyerland Plaza in about 1958-59. Then soon after that she started "The Little Red School House" which I understood to be a day care???(I was 7 at the time). Wasnt it on Fondren road? And wasnt it also called "Mrs. Deats Country Day School"

She may have held several teaching positions. There was also a teacher named, I think, Mrs. Leverenz. (Spelling just a guess). The Little Red School House taught kindergarten and first grade. It was on the west side of the square. Mrs. Deats was my teacher there for first grade. I was there in the '64 to '66 time frame. After that, we moved to the Maplewood subdivision and I went to St. Thomas More. It's amazing how a really good teacher affects your life!

The '60s were a great time to grow up in that area. My Dad and I used to ride bikes to Westbury Square several nights a week. I'd give anything for the chance to go back for a hamburger at Brittain's and a haircut next door with Mr. Behunko.

I now live about 60 miles north of Fort Worth, but I'm planning to take a trip down there on the motorcycle when the weather is nice. I'd like to visit the area and reminisce. I'll probably be found crying in the Westbury Square parking lot, or maybe in jail after relieving myself on Home Depot!

Anyone remember Mrs. Deats at The Little Red School House? We're talking over 40 years ago....Class of '66.

I bet no one else remembers this: There was a restaurant on the corner of W. Belfort & Chimney Rock next to the (then) Weingartens which had little horses on springs arranged in a semi circle for kids to sit on while they ate their burgers.

I don't know what else they served or what the name of the place was but I LOVED that place back in the early/mid 60s.

That was Brittain's Broiler Burger. I grew up just a few blocks away, and it was a big deal to go there for dinner. Burgers were 35 cents back in the mid '60s. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the smoke from the broiler. I think the barber shop next door is still there judging from pictures. I left Houston in the early '80s, but it still feels like home. Thanks for resurrecting a great memory.