Palm Center Shopping Center On Griggs Rd. At MLK Blvd.

[sevfiv]

Is King's Best Market the old Montgomery Wards that everyone is referring to, or something else? I remember going there in the late 90's for stereo equipment, and I can see how that was probably a department store at one time.

Yep, it's the old Montgomery Ward

[msteele6]

As sevfiv says, it was the old Montgomery Wards store, one of my best friends mother, Mrs. Guererro, worked at the store in the sewing (cloth?) department.

What I remember even more distinctly than the Montgomery Wards was the Jack in the Box that was built just in front of it on South Park (Martin Luther King). This was the first Jack in the Box that I remember in the Houston area. I still remember being driven up to the old Jack in the Box with the hidden speaker and placing my order, generally a burger with "secret sauce" and those great old fries. Had to have been mid '60's?

Edited August 29, 2012 by msteele6

[The Drake]

There was a Jack in the Box?!

Man. Does anyone know the median income before white flight?

[hbcu]

There was a lot out there then...but they kept on flying down the street when the area darkened up only to repeat the same thing down Bellfort, Almeda Genoa, etc. to now Pearland

[bred]

There was a Jack in the Box?!

Man. Does anyone know the median income before white flight?

Here's a good article on the history of South Park:

http://www.houstonpress.com/2011-01-13/news/still-standing/

[djrage]

Is King's Best Market the old Montgomery Wards that everyone is referring to, or something else? I remember going there in the late 90's for stereo equipment, and I can see how that was probably a department store at one time.

That Montgomery Wards was closed by 1985. The building became a flea market not too long after

[Konnie]

On 1/28/2009 at 12:18 PM, Gary K said:

Born in Houston in '57 (original St. Joseph's bldg. Maternity Ward downtown), I grew up in the Gulf Frwy & Park Place area.

Random remembrances of growing up in early-to-mid 1960s in this area:

Palm Center for JC Penny, Playhouse Toys (yah!), and Walter Pyes

Globe dept. store at Gulfgate was Wal-Mart of its time (?)

Of course, original Gulfgate Mall. My dad used Gulfgate State (?) bank. Dad would take me to One's a Meal and we would sit at the counter and drink a Coke (from a Coke glass with ice). Loved looking in the hobby shop (can't recall its name), bought Este's rocket stuff there eventually. I can vaguely recall Gulfgate before it was enclosed and A/Ced.

Groceries came from Mucasey's (Lucky-7?) grocery on Broadway just north of I-45 (everyone knew Mr. Mucasey), and Weingartens on Park Place just south of I-45

Drugs/prescriptions from Lang's, next to Weingartens

Burgers/Fries/Drinks from the Chuck Wagon (window service only!) also on Broadway close to Mucasey's

Soft-serve ice cream from Tasty Freeze (?) just next door to the Chuck Wagon

Elvis and Disney Movies at the Santa Rosa (Telephone Rd.) and the Broadway (Broadway).

For birthday parties, Peppermint Park (Gulf Frwy by Gulfgate) and occasionally Kiterik (ch. 13).

Was member and attended area YMCA

Church and School at St. Christopher Catholic on Park Place

Playing at Charlton Park next to St. Christopher

I remember the Drive-In (movie) and Frito Lay factory (class field trip) in the Gulfgate area

John Whirler of the Houston Zoo on Cadet Don (and Seymore the puppet!) TV show (ch. 13 again) in the mornings

Officer Ken Garnett also on Cadet Don, eventually was injured while on duty

Larry Kane's dance show on Saturdays (ch. 13 again!)

Art Grindle advertisements ("I Want To Sell You A CAR!!!") during Tarzan movies on TV on Saturdays

Al Bell (news), Sid Lasher (weather) on ch. 11 daily TV news

Chris Chandler and Jo Ann King on ch. 2 daily 5:00 pm local TV show

The Houston Zoo, riding the miniature train at Hermann Park, and the giant locomotive on display there

I remember Astrodome/Astroworld when new and exciting!

I remember a time before loop 610 existed. We went through downtown to get to the Med. Center/dome area.

I remember car dealerships downtown. Jacobe/Pearson Lincoln/Mercury anyone? Dad bought his '65 Comet there, probably in '65

Really trippin' the mind fantastic, but thanks for the opportunity!

-Gary K

I was also born in 57 at St. Josephs, Palm Center for Ones-A- Meal, Peppermint Park. I was a ride operator at Astroworld in the Alpine Sleighs. I took sewing lessons in Gulfgate Mall.

Went to Mt Carmel Schools and Church. We lived off MLK originally South Park. My dad worked for channel 13 in Master Control so I got to be on Kiterick and Cadet Don. I remember Marvin Zindler Eyewitness News. Dialing for Dollars. I’m glad I logged on and seen your post. I lost my mom in May of 1976 and my dad 5 years later. So even though I remember things of days gone, it’s nice to know someone else does.
 

[mayerl]

I have the dimmest of memories of a record store, Palm Music Center, that my father ran there. I believe he opened it 1956. Three years later we moved to NY. I remember the booths that you could go into and listen to records before you bought. There was the RCA dog, Nipper, that was as big as I was at 5 years old. 

[thedistrict84]

I just recently moved to Riverside Terrace within the last 18 months and my dad has been catching me up on the family history of the area. He grew up in South Park and lived on Pershing St. until 1967. My grandmother worked at the Montgomery Wards at Palm Center (I believe at the jewelry counter) for a while during that same time, and even for some time after they had moved. 

Apparently, someone in the family owned a BBQ restaurant on Griggs in that immediate area. I believe it was located at 5309 Griggs (the building is still there). It was apparently a popular place in the 1960s. I’ve tried looking up more information and am not coming up with anything and didn’t see any posts on here. Is anyone familiar with what the name of this BBQ place would have been?

[Dave W]

52 minutes ago, thedistrict84 said:

I just recently moved to Riverside Terrace within the last 18 months and my dad has been catching me up on the family history of the area. He grew up in South Park and lived on Pershing St. until 1967. My grandmother worked at the Montgomery Wards at Palm Center (I believe at the jewelry counter) for a while during that same time, and even for some time after they had moved. 

Apparently, someone in the family owned a BBQ restaurant on Griggs in that immediate area. I believe it was located at 5309 Griggs (the building is still there). It was apparently a popular place in the 1960s. I’ve tried looking up more information and am not coming up with anything and didn’t see any posts on here. Is anyone familiar with what the name of this BBQ place would have been?

It must have been at another address, Harris County property records show that 5309 Griggs is a vacant lot and has been since 2017 or earlier. I don't remember a barbecue place there, but there certainly could have been. The busiest restaurant in that area was Kip's Big Boy on the SW corner of South Park (MLK) at Griggs, which opened in 1965. Always packed. Montgomery Wards was just south of Kip's, across South Park from Palm Center.