Richmond, Virginia - circa 1950s
Colorful little shopping center (especially that groovy looking GC Murphy Company store!), that, while not really an enclosed shopping mall, still looks cool enough to post here, me thinks.
Besides, I just love any kind of retail center with the word "plaza" in its title. I really do. :)
Mall history: n/a
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none
I like the word Plaza too. Usually you are always guaranteed to get a cool sign out of the word Plaza. Although this onme doesn't have one in the pic.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly can't miss that G.C. Murphy store. I had no idea that it was that colorful back in the day.
ReplyDeleteI know that this shopping center opened in 1956 with Giant Food, Peoples Drug, Plaza Bowl, G.C. Murphy Co., Miller & Rhoads, J.C. Penney Co., and F.W. Woolworth Co. There was also a Sears located in an outlot towards the main highway. Only the bowling alley remains.
All the other anchors left due to the opening of Cloverleaf Mall in 1972, regional or chainwide store closings, or white flight.
Today, this center is pretty much fully occupied, but it's a community shopping mall at best with a CVS, Maxway and a host of local or urban-themed stores.
my name is Cleve. i grew up down the street from southside plaza. it was a really cool place to go and shop with your parents back in the 50s and then it was cool to go cruisin' to meet girls in the 60s. every friday and saturday night the place was packed with people cruisin' around and meeting up with your high school friends and then going around behind the plaza to the plaza drive in. southside plaza is still there. as was stated earlier, the only original place there now is the plaza bowl and still is in operation. it was a great time back then. kinda miss those days.
ReplyDeletePlaza Bowl is still there! I'm surprised no one has mentioned that it is a DUCKPIN bowling place!!
ReplyDeleteyou forgot some stores that were there like dart drug, K&W Caferteria, & Farm Fresh.
ReplyDeletewas it K&W or S&W......yeah, good blue plate special place. I went Duck Pin Bowling last night. What a fun time. It has a new owner for a year now and he is cleaning and fixing the place up.
ReplyDeleteGrew up less then 2 blocks away on Welton Avenue in the '60's. Miller and Rhoads did not arrive until 1966. It was a stand alone store in the front part of the parking lot. Other greats were High's (you could actually sit down and order your ice cream, shake, and even a sandwich), White Tower (not Castle) in a stand-alone building, and Western Auto.
ReplyDeleteNice picture, Im wondering where did you get all this pictures of all these malls.
ReplyDeleteMalls are boring as an asss....
ReplyDeleteWasn't the first fast food place near Southside Plaza? I remember that it sold hamburgers for 19 cents, as well as fries, cokes and milkshakes. anybody remember the name of that place?
ReplyDeleteKelly Burgers
DeleteKelly's
Delete19 cent hamburgers? That would be Kelly's.
ReplyDeleteI grew up near the Plaza by McGuire Hospital in the 50' and 60's. I remember the White Castle at the far side of the Plaza and the waitresses that would come out to take your order from your car. Music City was the record shop. It seems I remember they used to have a yearly Old Timers Day and shops would have merchandise out on the sidewalk. You could even play an Old Timer in checkers at cracker barrels set up in front of the stores. The ladies at the Highs food counter refused to serve my friend and I one night in 1969 because of our long hair. We had already munched on a few donuts at the counter while waiting so we just got up and left.
ReplyDeleteI have very fond memories of Southside Plaza from those days.
Grew up not far from the Plaza.Worked at S and W Cafeteria after school.Shopped at many of the stores there and purchased many model cars at Woolworth.& G.C.Murphy.My first bike was from
ReplyDeletethe Western Auto store there.Kelly's was my favorite hamburger spot.Many good memories from the Plaza.
I remember going there with my mom shopping at Sears and Murphy’s . I remember that block wall in the parking lot , I use to walk that wall . I remember getting sailor Bob’s autograph on a sailor hat . In the early 70’s my dad bought the Texaco station across the street from Sears on Belt Blvd . I worked for him after school and I use to love seeing the muscle cars cruising the blvd on Friday and Saturday nights . There was a Bills Barbecue just up the road and a drive in movie theater in the plaza . I use to go to the drive in movie theater with my mom , is dad , brother and sister and with friends when I got older . Before my dad closed his Texaco , crime in the area was bad .
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