Reminiscing (When I Was A Boy....)

[Persephone]

I am definitely too young, as well as only having lived here for 6 years, but I find this thread fascinating to say the least

[tomcat123]

Oh gosh! I a lot of that (except the bird)....I worked at the Met when I was a teen (my parents knew the bookkeeper). On Friday after work I had to walk to the Occidental and wait for my parents to finish drinking to get a ride home.
I remember the Starlite drive in....I remember being taken to see Paint Your Wagon...and I remember the strip mall where the IGA was and going to Wellington for Jr. High and going to the trailer on our lunches for fries....My three oldest siblings went to Woodlands and us 4 younger ones went to Wellington.

[FireChef]

I remeber coming to Nanaimo to visit my grandparents (they have been here since 1955 same house...lol) and going out to Woodgrove and looking at the waterslide at the mall. I think it was called the "red barn" where Flying Fish is on Commercial St. My grandpa remembers when Bowen Rd and the Island Highway was a 4-way stop, Commerical St used to be cobblestone. A&B Sound used to be a car dealership. Even in the 21 years I have lived here, I have seen LOTS of changes. It's kind of sad, but cool at the same time.


*side note*

My step-dad ran the old Econo/Esso gas station at Turner Rd and the Island Highway, where Dot's used to be for 20-something years

[alas]

Sampson Motors on Front Street and Western Fuel on the Wharf (where the barge is now?)

[yogi bear]

Firechief,
So was your step-dad named Brian? I worked for a couple years at the ol' Econo by Northridge (and the one at Nicol and Milton)back in the late seventies.....I remember the day a guy in a Budget rent-a-truck ran into the Northridge one and levelled it.....it reopened as an Esso self serve later...

Cheers,
Al

[Ronzo]

well thats kinda bizzare, because I worked there in the summer of '77, and it was managed by a guy named Terry I believe..the smell of the pies from across the lot, sure did enjoy Dot's back then.

[yogi bear]

Well....

Thinking back, I guess I started working at the Econo back in about 1979 when I graduated high school, I worked there after it turned to an Esso, then went downtown and worked at the Nicol/Milton Econo till 7/11 took over the location, and I worked for them into the mid eighties..So I probably worked there a little later than you, Ronzo.....my manager's name was Brian, and his last name started with a H.
And yep, Dot's did make some mighty fine pies.... : )

Cheers,
Al

[Susan]

Wow, some of your posts sure brought back memories...I forgot all about the bird cage in Harbour Park Mall!

I lived close to what is now Country Club and I remember it quite well...there was of course the IGA as well as the Bank of Montreal, Al's Sport Shop, Busy Bee Dry Cleaners, Ann's (candy, cigarettes, magazines, gifts, etc.). I remember going up there once with some friends, we were around 10 or 11, and we all went in a Yo-Yo contest...I think my friend one a sweater-vest - he thought he had the World by the tail!

I remember Kelly's too - bought many a 45 there and I'm sure a few K-Tel albums as well. Just down the road from Kelly's was Sam's - that was a great place to get penny candy.

Does anyone remember the Red Patch store at the corner of Northfield and Bowen Roads? The Columbia Bakery is in the area now.

I think the Starlite would have been in the Wellington library area.

How about a zoo on Rutherford Road....I can't remember much about this but I do seem to remember hearing that a tiger killed someone there and then it was shut down.

Nanaimo is overflowing with history...some changes good and some not so good...I think I liked it when it wasn't so "big".

Oh yeah, how about when the DQ was at Terminal Park and the putt putt golf was where the Burger King is now.

Pinky Coin laundry on Fitzwilliam...the dairy on Franklyn...I loved the huge staircase in Eaton's...had breakfast with Santa many at time at the Rendezvous...and how about Anderson's...I think it was clothing upstairs and fabric downstairs....and I remember my older sisters talking about Sweet Sixteen clothing on Commercial..I never shopped there but from the way they talked about it I thought it must be pretty cool!

How about the murder at the Long House on Front Street...not too many violent events like that back then.

Okay, I'm rambling...or maybe I'm reminiscing!

Oh, can't forget Red Carr's gas station right at the entrance to the Civic Arena....very sad to see that torn down - I'll never forget the smell inside the arena.


Susan

[AllieG]

Hey Susan, thanks for all those memories. I certainly remember the Red Patch, but didn't go there much as we tended to hang out at Watson's store on 4th St. Can't remember a zoo at all but it was a real treat to go to putt putt golf (especially on your birthday). Sweet Sixteen was THE store to shop at if you were a teenage girl. We used to go every Saturday and just look - they had all the latest fashions - I remember coveting a green cord pea jacket. Also remember the Long House shooting; I went to school with the victim. It was a real shocker as apart from the Lovers Lane murders, it was unheard of for that sort of violence to occur.
I agree, I liked the smaller Nanaimo - when I lived there Harewood wasn't part of the city. It had such a vibrant downtown scene, but maybe it's just those rose tinted glasses again!

[Susan]

I was driving around on my lunch hour today and when I went down Wakesiah Avenue I was reminded of the Kozy Korner ice cream shop...mmm mmm....that was quite a treat to go there when we were kids, all the way from the Country Club area.

Then, coming home tonight along the old highway, does anyone remember when you used to be able to go across the highway at the Northfield/19A lights and go down that little hill onto Highland Boulevard? I remember seeing some goof driving a semi try to do it once...needless to say he was there for a while!

A&W Drive-Inn, where Zouglas is now! I think my older sisters used to hang out there when they were teens....I think it eventually burned and was never re-opened.

What was the name of the corner store near Long Lake - can't quite remember what it is now but back then it had a lunch counter.

Susan