 
Masterblaster
Member
Username: Masterblaster
Post Number: 85
Registered: 03-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:04 pm: |    |
On August 16th, an arsonist set fire to stretch of 11 contiguous buildings in the Wyoming/Curtis "Retail Center" just north of Mumford High School.
Does anyone have any memories of the kind of shopping that existed in this commercial district. Looking at the architecture of the buildings in this strip, it seems that this shopping area sprang up in the 1950's, AFTER THE CITY WAS ALREADY IN DECLINE!
Read my second post... |
Gazhekwe
Member
Username: Gazhekwe
Post Number: 496
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:12 pm: | |
I seem to remember a deli in that strip that sold hot knishes. It was take-out only, if I recall correctly. I don't remember what else was there, though. |
Masterblaster
Member
Username: Masterblaster
Post Number: 86
Registered: 03-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:15 pm: | |
…the remaining vestiges of the Schaefer/McNichols commercial district recently had a major demolition, creating a huge crater on Schaefer. Does anybody have any information/memories/thoughts about this particular “retail center”. I know that the Mercury Theater was there until the mid 1990’s.
The remaining buildings on the east side of Schaefer, south of McNichols have been totally disfigured - they have been remodeled on the exterior to turn their backs completely to the street.
It must have been pretty sweet living in northwest Detroit back in the day. You had the Avenue of Fashion (Livernois/7 Mile).
Then a little of over a mile to the west, you had Wyoming/Curtis area, and then another mile to the west you had the Schaefer/McNichols shopping. |
Gazhekwe
Member
Username: Gazhekwe
Post Number: 497
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:21 pm: | |
There was a Cunningham's there in the 70s, and Mercury Fish & Chips was there, too. It's interesting the Wrigley's Supermarket Sign is exposed.
Schaefer and 7 Mile had a fruit & veggie market and a bagel shop, too. |
Offical_birdbath
Member
Username: Offical_birdbath
Post Number: 14
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 12:26 am: | |
Masterblaster,
I remember there was a "Dexter - Davidson supermarket, New Modern Bakery, and further Down a toy store.
On the other side of the street, Grunt's Market.
On the NE corner of Curtis and Wyoming A Pediatrician, Dr. Bernstein's office, and on the SW corner, Jerome's shoes.(Kids shoe store) I have wonderful memories of the area. |
Fareastsider
Member
Username: Fareastsider
Post Number: 586
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 12:48 am: | |
I never understood the stuff that looked like gian toys set up there. Whos idea was it and why would something so crazy ever be put up. I think that would be the best place to leave someone on a acid trip with those wierd giant toys!
Seriously though even though the stretch was vacant its a shame it is burned out now making it more worthless than ever.
(Message edited by fareastsider on September 13, 2007) |
Cambrian
Member
Username: Cambrian
Post Number: 1606
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 12:55 am: | |
"It's interesting the Wrigley's Supermarket Sign is exposed. "
Is that the one Dad worked at? |
Viziondetroit
Member
Username: Viziondetroit
Post Number: 1099
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 2:18 am: | |
I was just telling my girlfriend someone must have just done that on our way to Butzel-Adams Rec.
I used to like seeing those big ass toys driving down Wyoming.
Anyone remember Aspen Records over there? |
Kimistree
Member
Username: Kimistree
Post Number: 92
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 6:03 am: | |
I remember Aspen Records. It was a state of the art record store for the time.
Before it was Aspen records it was a bowling alley. WY7 I believe. There were two as a matter of fact. They were on the northeast and southeast sides of Wyoming and Clarita. I also remember when the residents who lived on Kentucky and Wisconsin near Clarita successfully petitioned and had the side street closed because there was so much traffic from the bowling alleys. I think the street is still closed to this day, but I'm not sure.
Schaefer/6 mile Area, I remember there was a Federals Department store, a Woolworth and an A&P.I also remember the Mercury Theatre. It was so beautiful inside with its glow in the dark astrological theme.
The big crazy kids on Wyoming and Curtis were put there because that used to be a day care. Morris Child Development. I was really sad to see that it burned down.
I remember walking to Jerome's shoes as a kid when we needed new shoes. PF Flyers is what I got.
(Message edited by Kimistree on September 13, 2007) |
Goldensunshine
Member
Username: Goldensunshine
Post Number: 46
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 8:51 am: | |
What the hell is up with all the BURNING!!!!
And you know how frickin long it sometimes takes for the city to completely demolish these burned out shells!
When I see things like this it just makes me SO ANGRY. This right near some of my friends houses, and very close to my Mother-in-Law's old house, and where my husband and I lived (Northlawn behind Marygrove College) when we were still in Detroit.
As if the old buildings didn't look bad enough sitting in decay, now it looks like a war zone. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6506
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 9:39 am: | |
When I was a kid in the 1980s. The Wyoming/7 Mile Shopping district will nice and well kept up with black-owned businesses. Now the progress of Northland Mall, DEAD (C)KRAK HEADS, pimps and prostitutes, cause the destruction of the Northwest Detroit shopping district. In the very beautiful rows of brick homes in the Bagley district. Majority black residents know how to keep those homes up for property value sake, but most of them don't have a clue how to keep up the Wyoming businesses district, but to go the suburbs and suck dry from the white corporate owned franchise businesses. VERY PITIFUL!!! |
Paulmcall
Member
Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 404
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 10:16 am: | |
My grand parents lived over on Cloverlawn by there. The area was going downhill by the end of the 70's. |
Neilr
Member
Username: Neilr
Post Number: 577
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 10:25 am: | |
For many years, Dr. George Logwood was my dentist. His office was on 7 Mile near Wyoming. He was, in my opinion, the most gentle dentist in town. Visits to his office were like entering a time warp from the 1950's. It was all so old-fashioned. One of the many things I liked about Dr. Logwood was that his hours were flexible. If you wanted to come in at 7am, he'd open up for you. If you couldn't make it until 7pm, he'd wait. He was a good man. |
Ptpelee
Member
Username: Ptpelee
Post Number: 22
Registered: 09-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 11:05 am: | |
I grew up near there....my Mother shopped at that Wrigleys every week. It closed down after a fire in the early '70's. There was a Federal's at the corner of Shaefer and Six, next to it was a Kresege's then the Wrigleys after that I believe it was the Mercury Theatre. Across the street was a Aquarium shop a little further down a Dairy Queen. On the north side of Six there were many clothing stores and a Sanders. There also were alot of bars that catered to the hospital employees in the area West of Shaefer. It seems that by the mid '70's most of these places had closed up. |
65memories
Member
Username: 65memories
Post Number: 463
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 12:23 pm: | |
The arsonists have hit that strip, targeting an abandoned children's nursery, three times since Aug., most recently yesterday about 2 p.m. I t would be nice to see some viable businesses go in there (other than nail and wig shops). |
Gazhekwe
Member
Username: Gazhekwe
Post Number: 502
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 12:55 pm: | |
Dad worked at the Wrigley's on Six Mile just east of Evergreen. He liked the sign, how about the Free Parking? |
Gary
Member
Username: Gary
Post Number: 254
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 6:08 pm: | |
Used to be a great area up through the 70s. I grew up in that neighborhood too, I went to Mumford HS, a couple blocks south of Wyoming/Curtis. We used walk all along Wyoming every day and I don't ever remember seeing an abandoned store front.
If you ask me, the city's effort to "spruce up" the district with those crazy giant vertical street signs, information kiosks, murals and Legoland adornments in the late 70s/80s was a well-intentioned idea, but it only screwed things up worse. By the time they got around to doing all that, it was really too late. Now all that leftover abandoned stuff makes the whole place look spooky. |