I am a Jacksonville native, and some of my earliest memories are of Gateway shopping center/Mall. I lived here until I was about 4 years old and didn’t come back until the mid-1970s. I vaguely remember 2 grocery stores in the Gateway area. I don’t have any real early memories of Pantry Pride so I think that it must have moved to Gateway sometime after 1975. But I do remember a Big Star and another store, but I cannot remember its name. I know that either this store or Big Star gave out S&H Greenstamps and the other one gave out Top Value stamps. Does anyone know the name of this other grocery store?
Welcome was one grocery store. It was located in the building that is now the Norwood Flea Market. Is that the one you are talking about?
Welcome is a recent arrival. I remember a grocery store that emphasized bulk quantities sold from self-serve bins that took the Woolco space in Norwood Plaza sometime the 1980s, but I don't remember its name and I think it closed after a short while. A similar store was located on Blanding Boulevard in the late 1980s in the shopping center where Harbor Freight is located now but I never really paid any attention to its name.
If I remember right the store that had the trading stamps was gone by the time I moved back to Jacksonville in the mid-1970s. I don't have any memories of it after I came back to town. Not being able to remember the name is driving me crazy. I am only in my mid-40s and my family doesn't have any history of dementia or Alzheimers, but I had a bout with congestive heart failure in 2008 and since then I have had trouble remembering things from my childhood. I’m hoping somebody can tell me the name of this grocery store so I can say ‘yea I remember it nowâ€.
LOL, I wouldn't call Welcome's arrival 'recent', as it was a while ago. Your supermarket description sounded like Welcome to the tee, a Norwood Plaza supermarket that focused on bulk items, and it closed down very shortly. Maybe some old head will come up with the name of the supermarket, although I been here in Jax for a decent lil' while (since 86') I betcha Lake knows the market, as he's spot on with his info. Stay healthy.
I dont know about the one on Norwood... But the bulk bin store on Blanding was Welcome. It was in the middle of the shopping center that sits behind Shoguns.
Quote from: I-10east on August 31, 2011, 12:16:38 AM
LOL, I wouldn't call Welcome's arrival 'recent', as it was a while ago. Your supermarket description sounded like Welcome to the tee, a Norwood Plaza supermarket that focused on bulk items, and it closed down very shortly. Maybe some old head will come up with the name of the supermarket, although I been here in Jax for a decent lil' while (since 86') I betcha Lake knows the market, as he's spot on with his info. Stay healthy.
The store I am talking about did not have bulk merchandise and it was here in the early 1970s. The store with bulk items didn't arrive until after the Woolco went out of business in the mid-1980s.
Quote from: I-10east on August 31, 2011, 12:16:38 AM
LOL, I wouldn't call Welcome's arrival 'recent', as it was a while ago. Your supermarket description sounded like Welcome to the tee, a Norwood Plaza supermarket that focused on bulk items, and it closed down very shortly. Maybe some old head will come up with the name of the supermarket, although I been here in Jax for a decent lil' while (since 86') I betcha Lake knows the market, as he's spot on with his info. Stay healthy.
I agree Welcome was closed down in the 80's. Thas not to recent. Welcome was the last thing there before they open the flea market. Growing up in this area I remember that vividley.
You might try the old City Directories at the downtown library.
Sort of like a reverse phone book, they go through every street and tell you what was located at each address. I think they go up through the mid-1970s.
They're an amazing historical resource. Really old ones (from the teens) tell you whether a person was white or black, and later ones tell you whether the house or business had a telephone.
Quote from: lowlyplanner on August 31, 2011, 11:01:10 AM
You might try the old City Directories at the downtown library.
Sort of like a reverse phone book, they go through every street and tell you what was located at each address. I think they go up through the mid-1970s.
They're an amazing historical resource. Really old ones (from the teens) tell you whether a person was white or black, and later ones tell you whether the house or business had a telephone.
It may come to this. I am driving myself crazy trying to think of the name of this grocery store.
Pantry Pride? There was one at Philips Mall. There was probably one at Gateway. And if that's not it, thanks a lot, Jax Native, because now I"M going crazy trying to think of it. LOL
Quote from: Debbie Thompson on August 31, 2011, 01:27:46 PM
Pantry Pride? There was one at Philips Mall. There was probably one at Gateway. And if that's not it, thanks a lot, Jax Native, because now I"M going crazy trying to think of it. LOL
I remember the Pantry Pride now that I think of it. I remember it being located in a seperate building on an outparcel when I was born and then it moved to a storefront in the main building at Gateway a few stores down from Murphy's sometime after I came back to town in 1975. But Pantry Pride is not the store I am thinking of.
Dang. I thought I had the mystery solved. :-)
Daylight?
Big Star?
IGA?
Quote from: Jaxson on August 31, 2011, 04:55:52 PM
Daylight?
Big Star?
IGA?
Big Star is one of the stores that used to be at Gateway, but there was another one as well in addition to Pantry Pride. Neither Daylight, nor IGA ring any bells.
Was it Piggly Wiggly?
Quote from: Jaxson on August 31, 2011, 08:37:03 PM
Was it Piggly Wiggly?
No. As far as I know Jacksonville has never had a Piggly Wiggly.
I think it was an A&P ?
Quote from: Garden guy on August 31, 2011, 10:25:10 PM
I think it was an A&P ?
I couldn't say right off that it was. I remember an A&P on Main Street near Dunn Avenue, but I don't remember one at Gateway. Do you know if A&P gave out trading stamps?
I remember Gateway being built in the late 50's. There was a Pantry Pride, which was in the section closest to JC Penney. There was a GC Murphy dime store and on the other end was Publix. It was one of the first in Jacksonville. It closed after a few years and Publix did not have a store in Jacksonville for a while. I worked at Gateway on several occasions. My first job was at JC Penney shoe department. Then I worked at Campbell Shoes, which was a local business. In the early 80's I worked for May Cohens. I was in the "display" department and we traveled to all the branches. There was a May Cohens store in the former WT Grant space at Gateway. I also did all the Levitation shops. They were the jeans stores that were owned by May Cohens. Does anyone remember them?
In it's heyday, Gateway was completely filled and a lot bigger. Since I'm going down memory lane I will name some of the shops.
There was a Service Merchandise in the former JC Penney store before they built the two story Penney's in the mall section.
As I mentioned there was a WT Grant, GC Murphy, Walgreens and Montgomery/Jefferson Ward.
At one time in the mall there was a local men's shop The Golden Knight, a Chess King, Mr Kicks, Baker Shoes, Levi-Wolf, Cal's Records, Hallmark Cards, Thom McCann shoes and several other shops I can't seem to recall. Oh yeah a Morrison Cafeteria. Heading north outside the mall through Penney's was the Pantry Pride and a local men's store The Matador. The Matador was also at Regency. Just for nostalgia sake there was a cool store at Roosevelt Mall called Carnaby Street. And for the old timers there was the coolest shop of all in the old days called the Naked Pear. They had a location on Cesery Blvd in Arlington, which they eventually moved to Regency Mall near where the current food court is located. But my favorite location was the second floor of the drugstore building in 5 Points next to Sake House.
Back to Gateway. There was a Lerner's shop, a barber shop, a Nancy Scott, which was a women's clothing store, French Novelty, Baskin Robbins ice cream shop, S&H green stamp store, The Vogue owned by the same people who have the Body Shop. There were others that I can't recall, but when I do I will add them. There was another shop in the mall that my girlfriend and I bough matching Levi's, but I cant remember the name. There was another shoe store also. I think it was a men's shoe store.
Quote from: avonjax on September 01, 2011, 12:43:12 AM
There was a Pantry Pride, which was in the section closest to JC Penney. There was a GC Murphy dime store and on the other end was Publix.
I remember Pantry Pride in a stand-alone building out in the parking lot in the early 1970s. Sometime after I came back to town in 1975 it moved into a storefront between Murphy’s and the Penney’s.
QuoteI also did all the Levitation shops. They were the jeans stores that were owned by May Cohens. Does anyone remember them?
The name is vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn’t tell you anything about the store.
QuoteThere was a Service Merchandise in the former JC Penney store before they built the two story Penney's in the mall section.
I only remember the Penney store in the mall. I do remember Service Merchandise as Standard Sales in a storefront on the end opposite the mall.
QuoteAs I mentioned there was a WT Grant, GC Murphy, Walgreens and Montgomery/Jefferson Ward.
I am not old enough to remember the Grant store in Jacksonville, but I know it from when I lived in Georgia. I remember when the lunch counter in Walgreens burned; my mother and I were coming into town for a visit and we just happened to pass by Gateway on I95 while the firemen and their trucks were fighting the fire. But I don’t have any conscious memory of Walgreens before the fire.
QuoteBut my favorite location was the second floor of the drugstore building in 5 Points next to Sake House.
Do you remember Petersen’s?
QuoteBack to Gateway. There was a Lerner's shop,
My mother was working at Lerner Shop as a cashier and bookkeeping clerk when I was born.
Quote from: jax-native68 on August 31, 2011, 09:41:32 PM
Quote from: Jaxson on August 31, 2011, 08:37:03 PM
Was it Piggly Wiggly?
No. As far as I know Jacksonville has never had a Piggly Wiggly.
Jacksonville had Piggly Wiggly, but the chain left town altogether. What locations? I have to do my research...
http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Picture%20of%20Supermarket,%20Davis%20Family.htm
In San Marco?
jax-native68 wrote:
QuoteI remember an A&P on Main Street near Dunn Avenue...
It was at the intersection of Main St. and Baisden Rd. I grew up on Baisden Rd. I believe they did have trading stamps but I don't recall which kind. I believe the building is currently used as a dance/cheerleading school.
I remember Petersen's. I loved Petersen's. They had everything...simply everything... that you couldn't find anywhere else. The Piggly Wiggly reminded me of something. We spent a few years in Oklahoma in the 1970's, and when we moved out there, the top grocery stores in the little OK towns we called home were Piggly Wiggly and Humpty Dumpty! I thought I had stepped through the Looking Glass somehow and ended up in Wonderland. LOL
But back to Gateway...besides the ones already mentioned, I'm out of ideas for "lost" groceries, except for Albertson's.
Quote from: urbanlibertarian on September 01, 2011, 12:31:08 PM
jax-native68 wrote: QuoteI remember an A&P on Main Street near Dunn Avenue...
It was at the intersection of Main St. and Baisden Rd. I grew up on Baisden Rd. I believe they did have trading stamps but I don't recall which kind. I believe the building is currently used as a dance/cheerleading school.
If A&P is the store at Gateway that I am trying to remember it is weird that I don’t remember it. The A&P on Main was there for as far back as I can remember so if there was one at Gateway I find it strange that I cannot remember that the store on Main was also at Gateway.
I just happen to be at the library and remembered this thread. Looking at the directories, Pantry Pride was at Gateway as far back as 1970. Also, the 1973 directory has a store listed as Sperry & Hutchinson Co. Green Stamps at 5430 Norwood. Evidently, it was next to the Gatepost Restaurant.
I remember going with my mom to the greenstamp place to redeem the green stamps. I can't remember anything they were ever redeemed for besides a set of dishes once.
Quote from: danno on September 02, 2011, 05:08:51 PM
I remember going with my mom to the greenstamp place to redeem the green stamps. I can't remember anything they were ever redeemed for besides a set of dishes once.
I remember the S&H showroom at Gateway. But since my family seldom shopped at any store that gave S&H green stamps the only real reason I was ever in the showroom was to get a catalog to have something to look at.
The descendants of S&H founders sold the company in 1981. S&H later ended up with a holding company who sold it to a descendant of the founding Sperry family. S&H greenpoints are now given out for some online purchases.
BTW: The right to use the name Montgomery Ward, another store that was at Gateway, is now owned by a subsidiary of the Swiss Colony.
Ahhh good ole Monkey Wards
Just out of interest who here ever went to the old Main street drive in
Saw Rocky and Star Wars there for the first time. Mom and dad made us wear our pj's becuase we would always fall asleep before the movie was over and dad would have to carry us to bed when we got home.
Quote from: danno on September 03, 2011, 08:19:24 AM
Saw Rocky and Star Wars there for the first time. Mom and dad made us wear our pj's becuase we would always fall asleep before the movie was over and dad would have to carry us to bed when we got home.
Saw kubricks 2001 there and for some reason "that darn cat" sticks in my mind
Quote from: thelakelander on September 02, 2011, 04:17:02 PM
I just happen to be at the library and remembered this thread. Looking at the directories, Pantry Pride was at Gateway as far back as 1970. Also, the 1973 directory has a store listed as Sperry & Hutchinson Co. Green Stamps at 5430 Norwood. Evidently, it was next to the Gatepost Restaurant.
Wow, I'm amazed somebody remembered us! My family opened the Gatepost Restaurant, and in those days, I attended Holy Rosary right across the street. I hardly ever went home, seems like!
I used to find it funny the other kids at school would tell all about going out to eat, and I was always hoping to be able to say we ate at home the night before!
Thanks for the mention!
Marsha
maybe Scaggs-Alberstson?
there was never a Piggly Wiggly on this side of Florida that I know of.