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A while back, I tried the Hardees in the mall, next door to Circus World. It was pretty good and I'll go back. I had a roast beef sandwich, and they have hot dogs that come in hot dog length styrofoam containers. The decor was strange. Display cases of basket type things and many prints of basketweaving going on.
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Ironic that y'all bring this up. I was thinking about that Hardee's just the other day, for some reason or another. It must have went out by the time I was about 4 or 5 years old, but I can just barely remember going there for a milkshake. I also remember it being very dark.

I can also remember a great little shoe store next to Chick-Fil-A where my parents bought a lot of my first shoes. The people in there were always so nice to a hyper kid like me. We also ate a lot at Morrison's, though I know it hasn't been gone quite as long as the others. Never understand why that didn't become a Picadilly cafeteria.

Fun memories.
Most people get it..that's I'm talking about the past. The mall back was the style of the time.. dark stone floors, planters, fountains, ridiculous metal sculptures, and unfinished wood.

I'd take those old floors over the carpet there now.. it looks like crap in my opinion

What stands out in my mind most about that place is the pictures of basketweaving theme..very weird. I also remember that as a kid, when I heard "roast beef sandwich", I thought of Hardee's, NOT Arby's! Ha..
The carpet looks cheap and dirty and it's a health hazard.

I remember there also being two music stores (one was Pegasus) the place that sold organs, the Singer Sewing center, Waterbed World, Mothercare and a great import store.

And for the first few years the Christmas decorations were wonderful....lots of animated characters. When my son was little he loved the carolers that were put in the middle of the fountain which was made to look like snow.
quote:
Originally posted by MarianLibrarian:
Smoothcat, I remember that shoe store too. I think it was where Journey's is now and was a Stride Rite? I also remember the dark Hardee's. It seems like it was two stores down from J.C Penney and that there was a record store right next to it.


Yeah, I think you are right about the location of that shoe store. As for the Hardee's, I seem to want to place it at the very end, next to JCPenney, where Dollar Tree had a store for a while. I could be, and probably are, wrong though.

As a kid I enjoyed the fountains of course, and throwing pennies into them. Wasn't there a "Big B" drug store (I think that was the name) where the children's Dillard's store is now? I seem to remember having to step up to go inside, and always buying a coke in there.

Sorry about all the reminiscing, LOL. This is fun.
quote:
Originally posted by Isobel:
I actually ran across an old Record Bar receipt the other day while going through some old papers. It almost brought a tear to my eye.


I know what you mean! Not long ago I ran into an old friend who worked there forever (you may remember a shorter guy with long, straight brown hair pulled back in a ponytail that went down to his waist). The Record Bar came up in conversation, and I swear we both lost track of time reminiscing about the place. Smiler
I remember this Hardees! It was the first place I had ever been where you'd pump your ketchup in the little white cups.

I loved the old Regency Mall. Does anyone remember a store called "World Bazaar" or something like that? Bazaar Bazaar? I remember Big B's. I remember a shoe store named "McKinneys" or something like that. I loved going to the mall on the weekend and then to the Capri 4 behind it.

Anyone remember the Big Top Deli?
World Bazaar was across from Hardees and Circus World, which were both next to JC Penneys.

Hardees also had art/stuff about glass blowing.

Circus World had the checkout counter on the left as you walked in. There was a big clown head on a helium tank and the carpet had a circus/colorful pattern to it. I bought Star Wars figs there. I remember the day I bought the AT-AT at Circus World, then got my haircut at the "Beauty Shop" in Castner Knotts..

But hey..this one is about Hardee's.. We'll have to reminisce about the other stores in another thread.

BTW.. The drug store was Eckerd's, located where whichever dept store's kid's store is. It HAD an entrance in the mall, and another entrance/exit down a hallway that led out next to Baskin Robbins..
E---was the guy at Record Bar named Wade? (I won't go into the last name, but I do remember it.) Anyways, I was in 6th grade and thought Wade at Record Bar was the Bee's Knees. It was that pre-pubescent, well, pubescent love that just got to me. Cutest boy ever, back then. He was a big U2 fan... Gosh. I even remember his personalized tag, and I now feel like I was a 12 year old stalker. But all 12 year girls are "stalkers", right?

Neh...
I too remember the old Hardees in the mall! I also think it was the first store next to Penny's and had the toy store next to it. Long gone are the days of Baskin Robins and Aladin's Castle.(another dark place in the mall) Ah the memories.

So what do you just hate about the mall of today?

I too am not a fan of the carpet or the lack of water fountains.
Man, this thread brings back memories. Do ya'll remember a store called "Talk of the Town"? It was where the Hallmark store is now. I remember as a child my mother telling me they had trashy clothes there and only "loose women" shopping there. (My mom is a pretty conservative lady.) That store always was so mysterious and "sinful" and strangely attractive to me after she told me that! It's the whole "Don't eat the apple, Eve" complex that made me want to go in there and find out what kind of clothes "those" kind of women wore!! LOL
I remember Record Bar, they used to sell the cheesy rock buttons by the cash register. Pegasus also had a small store there, but I think it was near the middle of the mall.

For whatever reason, the thing I remember most was that sometimes the fountains had some kind of soap or something in them. I can remember walking past them and seeing that soapy foam in them. I was pretty little then, maybe I dreamed it.
I'm digging this nostalgia trip.

OK, I've got this memory from when I was a little kid--would have been about 1980--but I don't know if it's actually true: My parents took me to Southgate mall, and we got ice cream and listened to some cheesy Lawrence Welk type of band. And there were THRONGS of people there.

Wes Southgate ever actually a busy mall?
If you're looking at the Sears entrance, Record Bar was on the right. I believe it originally wasn't the one next to Sears, but the 2nd one from Sears.

Pegasus was across from there, in what later became GNC..that sort of weird corner like space. There was a dark haired girl that was pretty groovy and of course Charles Hart, who was in Radio Tokyo and later worked in the Tenn St. Pegasus. I bought a bunch of KISS tapes in that Pegasus.

Regency Square opened in '78. Southgate is indeed a very old mall to still physically exist. I read it opened in '68 with Roger's Dept Store as the sole Anchor. I'm guessing the attached Wal Mart and 2nd anchor came much later. Not sure when it opened, but the Florence Wal Mart opened in '84 and a few of the managers, including the store manager, Joe Knight, came from Woolco. Blahhh..what a tangent..

So yes..Southgate was probably still thriving around 1980. It probably had over 75% occupancy in the early 90s. Wal Mart moving was definitely a blow to it.
quote:
Originally posted by joeycuda:
If you're looking at the Sears entrance, Record Bar was on the right. I believe it originally wasn't the one next to Sears, but the 2nd one from Sears.

Pegasus was across from there, in what later became GNC..that sort of weird corner like space. There was a dark haired girl that was pretty groovy and of course Charles Hart, who was in Radio Tokyo and later worked in the Tenn St. Pegasus. I bought a bunch of KISS tapes in that Pegasus.

Regency Square opened in '78. Southgate is indeed a very old mall to still physically exist. I read it opened in '68 with Roger's Dept Store as the sole Anchor. I'm guessing the attached Wal Mart and 2nd anchor came much later. Not sure when it opened, but the Florence Wal Mart opened in '84 and a few of the managers, including the store manager, Joe Knight, came from Woolco. Blahhh..what a tangent..

So yes..Southgate was probably still thriving around 1980. It probably had over 75% occupancy in the early 90s. Wal Mart moving was definitely a blow to it.


The old Walmart was originally a Woolcoand the mall was built on form there. There was also Thom McAnn (sp?) shoe store, Colony Men's sore, Tommie Lou's Red Rooster, Ford's Shoe store, Burney's Sportin Goods, Zale's, Baskin Robbinsins, and others. Rumor was that JcPenny was supposed to have anchored the other end, bit it fell through. And yes, it was very crowded on the weekends especially. They usually always had some sort of entertainment on the weekends. And the Christmas decorations were always better than Regency.
I had no idea about Woolco and the mall. Cool..Good to hear more retail history. I remember when that Wal Mart was open that it had a weird layout.

It's incredible that the mall is still there, but sadly it's probably because there's nothing better to put there and not that great of a need to land to (re)develop in Muscle Shoals.
quote:
Originally posted by joeycuda:
I had no idea about Woolco and the mall. Cool..Good to hear more retail history. I remember when that Wal Mart was open that it had a weird layout.

It's incredible that the mall is still there, but sadly it's probably because there's nothing better to put there and not that great of a need to land to (re)develop in Muscle Shoals.
Actually Wal-Mart came from the Town Plaza in Sheffield. It was originally a Big-K store. I even have some old cassette tapes privately labeled BigK. After Big K became Wall Mart, they moved into the old Woolco building at Southgate Mall.
quote:
Originally posted by MarianLibrarian:
Smoothcat, I remember that shoe store too. I think it was where Journey's is now and was a Stride Rite? I also remember the dark Hardee's. It seems like it was two stores down from J.C Penney and that there was a record store right next to it.


I don't remember the name of the store, but It was owned by the Klibanoff family, I belive. They also had a Bootery across the way from it. Morris and Roz's son Daniel ran it. Daniel now lives in Huntsville. Hank, of course, is the Pulitzer Prize winner.
quote:
Originally posted by joeycuda:
World Bazaar was across from Hardees and Circus World, which were both next to JC Penneys.

Hardees also had art/stuff about glass blowing.

Circus World had the checkout counter on the left as you walked in. There was a big clown head on a helium tank and the carpet had a circus/colorful pattern to it. I bought Star Wars figs there. I remember the day I bought the AT-AT at Circus World, then got my haircut at the "Beauty Shop" in Castner Knotts..

But hey..this one is about Hardee's.. We'll have to reminisce about the other stores in another thread.

BTW.. The drug store was Eckerd's, located where whichever dept store's kid's store is. It HAD an entrance in the mall, and another entrance/exit down a hallway that led out next to Baskin Robbins..


I think World Bazaar was next to Sears on the other end. There was a Dill's Wood and Wax close to Penney's at one time.
quote:
Originally posted by mandomama:
Man, this thread brings back memories. Do ya'll remember a store called "Talk of the Town"? It was where the Hallmark store is now. I remember as a child my mother telling me they had trashy clothes there and only "loose women" shopping there. (My mom is a pretty conservative lady.) That store always was so mysterious and "sinful" and strangely attractive to me after she told me that! It's the whole "Don't eat the apple, Eve" complex that made me want to go in there and find out what kind of clothes "those" kind of women wore!! LOL


That was a spin-off of Kriesman's Ladies Wear. I think they had a separate section in their Court Street store called TOTT first, then opened at the mall. Jack and Jill Haynes ran it. I don't remember it being trashy, just what we would have called back then funky.
quote:
Originally posted by Skeevers:
E---was the guy at Record Bar named Wade? (I won't go into the last name, but I do remember it.) Anyways, I was in 6th grade and thought Wade at Record Bar was the Bee's Knees. It was that pre-pubescent, well, pubescent love that just got to me. Cutest boy ever, back then. He was a big U2 fan... Gosh. I even remember his personalized tag, and I now feel like I was a 12 year old stalker. But all 12 year girls are "stalkers", right?

Neh...


Was this guy the mgr.? Last name began with a P? If so I dated him, but was in love with someone else...I had very great taste back then.
In Regency i remember World Bazaar next to Sears with one of the music stores next to it (I believe that whole space is now The Shoe Department) and the other music store across the hall next to Radio Shack.
Wasn't Eckerd's, which is owned by Penney's replaced by Big B? or the other way around...
And there was Pearle Vision center and Dr. Hopper's office near the drugstore.

And Southgate was once THE place to shop. I especially liked The Eleanor Shop for women's clothing. They also had a store in downtown Florence.
Sometimes there would be a flatbed in the Woolco parking lot and local musician's would give free concerts.
Southgate also had Winn-Dixie and a Big B.
First hubby and i bought groceries at WD and i rmember him fussing because the bill for a week's groceries was almost $25.00 !!
in '73 that was a lot.
thanks goodness for Hamburger Helper...it was a new product back then.
Last edited by ^PuF^
quote:
Originally posted by esteinmehl:
I'm digging this nostalgia trip.

OK, I've got this memory from when I was a little kid--would have been about 1980--but I don't know if it's actually true: My parents took me to Southgate mall, and we got ice cream and listened to some cheesy Lawrence Welk type of band. And there were THRONGS of people there.

Wes Southgate ever actually a busy mall?


Actually I do remember shopping there with my mom as a child, and yes, believe it or not, there were actually many shoppers walking through the mall back then. That would have been in the 70s. And I won't talk about what I once did as a small child in the dressing room at the Red Rooster. Red Face

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