Quote:
Originally Posted by arbeiter
Northcross was starting to sag by the time I was old enough to remember, but my earliest memories were of a pretty "youth-friendly" mall. It had the ice skating rink and a pretty good arcade, and a lot of the stores were youth focused. It was also in the middle of town and easy to get to.
The size lent it a smaller town feel and it almost felt like a "mall set" from a low budget TV show or something.
On the other hand, the Village shopping center has never really seen a decline despite being kind of early 70's looking and ugly. Alamo Drafthouse essentially ensured that it would remain viable for some time to come. But I remember the days when Coco's Restaurant was still around, there was a Loehmann's and CompuAdd (a computer store and manufacturer) were still around as well. (And I'm only 26)
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Wow, for being 26 you have an incredible and detailed memory of this city.
I completely forgot about Coco's... There were at least 2 or 3 other locations in town (290E & 35 , and 35 & Oltorf in south Austin). I think they were originally known as JoJo's
The Office Depot on Anderson was originally a US Post Office, which sat vacant for many years (having moved around the corner to Northcross Drive and Foster Lane in the early 90s).
Other stores within a 1-2 mile radius of Burnet and Anderson, in no particular order (many of which have already been discussed):
-Kinney's Shoes (next door to McDonald's)
-Edison's (mentioned earlier)
-Steak and Ale
-Del Taco (now a Whataburger)
-Monterrey House (Mexican restaurant chain, now a Waterloo Ice House)
-Miller's Outpost (Anderson and 183/Lamar)
-Sambo's Restuarant (absolutely true... a Billiards store now)...Anderson & Anderson Square
-Petco (also in the former Sambo's location)
-Wendy's, 183 and Ohlen (now an Arby's)
-Wendy's, Burnet at Rockwood (i think it was torn down... in front of Slick Willies)
-Burger King (on 183 just north of Lamar)
-Winn's (Grand Central Station shopping center)
-Kentucky Fried Chicken (183, just north of Ohlen)
-Tom Thumb (183 at Ohlen...now a Petsmart)
-Handy Dan (pre Home Depot home improvement center chain)
-Handy Andy (Burnet at Rockwood, later a Market Basket then a SteinMart, which remains today).
-Chi Chi's mexican restaurant (now an Olive Garden).
-Carl's Jr - Burnet at Greenlawn (now a Hill Bert's)
-Carl's Jr - Burnet at Rutland (now a Jack in the Box)
-Glastron Boats - Burnet at 183 (HUGE manufacturing facility and showroom, on the current site of Gold's Gym).
-Frisco Elecronics/McDuff Electronics (now a Cavendar's)
-Levitz Furniture (now a Furniture Row outlet)
-UR Cooks (now a Sherlock's)
-Lone Star Cafe (Crossroads center, 183 and Burnet)
-Sirloin Stockade steakhouse (183 and Peyton Gin)
-Kmart (183 and Peyton Gin)
-Sun Harvest Farms (original location, 183 and Peyton Gin)
-Skaggs Alpha Beta (183 and Ohlen...now a Famsa).
-Popeye's (183 and Anderson Square... torn down to make way for 183 expansion, late 80s i think)
-Bonanza Steakhouse (next door to Popeye's...ditto)
-Long John Silvers (183, just east of Anderson...also torn down to make way for 183 expansion)
-Western Sizzlin Steakhouse (about a block east of the Long John Silvers, now a Ninfa's?).
-Safeway (Burnet at Justin)
-Kroger's (Burnet Rd...current Ross location)
-Edge of Town nightclub (This goes WAY back when it literally was the edge of town...now a Harold's outlet barn, Mopac just S of 183).
-Bookstop (183 at Burnet...Crossroads Center)
-Whole Foods (ditto... moved to the Gateway center 183 at 360, in the mid 90s).
-Jack in the Box (Burnet at North Loop)
-Poncho's Meixcan Restaurant (Allendale Shopping Center, next to HEB)
-Revco Drug Store (Anderson at Rockwood)
-Wienerschnitzel (Burnet in front of Northcross Mall... now a Sonic)
-Long John Silvers (next door to Wienerschnitzel...torn down, now a Panda Express).
-Krispy Kreme (next door to Long John Silvers, now a Rug Store)
-Denny's (next door to Krispy Kreme
... recent closed)
-Aquarius movie theater (Hancock, just W of Burnet... now a city Library)
-Luby's (North Loop, just west of Burnet. Closed earlier this decade; now a Univision TV studio).
-Sound Warehouse (Burnet at 49th/Woodrow)
Just an FYI... The Target at 183 and Ohlen opened 30 years ago this summer (not quite old enough to remember though).
Ok, time to stop. In my mind I've just driven 30 miles up and down Burnet and Anderson Lanes. Time to get some gas at the Gulf station at Anderson and Rockwood