Gone but not forgotten: Knoxville area restaurants and retailers we miss.

[Vjcvette]

That’s where you got those parachute pants!

LOL

 

[Vjcvette]

That’s where you got those parachute pants!

"
"Hammer Time"

 

[MAD]

Remember the clothing store in West Town called the "Merry Go Round", I had a friend that worked there and I did
visit that store in the mall when I would go there.

Not sure if you remember a store at West Town Mall called Susane Suede & Leather Fashions. That was my parents shop. It was two doors down from Orange Julius.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

What was the name of the Bar at the Howard Johnsons, or did it even have a name?

I don't know if the West Town HoJo was ever a bar. The HoJo at KP and Northshore was demolished and the corner became an Esso/Exxon service station. Just north of there was the motel with a bar that probably had multiple names. Family Inn, Rodeway Inn (iirc), and the bar was called Caddies at one point. Maybe Flamingos or something like that as well. That whole area bounded by Papermill, Northshore, Kingston Pike, and Weisgarber has been completely transformed. There was the HoJo/motel, a Little League ball field, a library (before a newer one was built at KP and Papermill), a YMCA in the old A-frame library building, a Direct gas station where Waffle House now sits, and even a small street with about 10 houses on it. Stokes Lighting Center was a cafeteria (Weaver's?). There was a gas station near the cafeteria that became a smoke shop. The Northshore "Towers" are about the oldest building in the vicinity along with the Stokes business. Even the fire station next to Waffle House used to be around the corner between I-40 east, north of Papermill and just west of the current eastbound Papermill/Northshore exit ramp.

 

[Vjcvette]

I don't know if the West Town HoJo was ever a bar. The HoJo at KP and Northshore was demolished and the corner became an Esso/Exxon service station. Just north of there was the motel with a bar that probably had multiple names. Family Inn, Rodeway Inn (iirc), and the bar was called Caddies at one point. Maybe Flamingos or something like that as well. That whole area bounded by Papermill, Northshore, Kingston Pike, and Weisgarber has been completely transformed. There was the HoJo/motel, a Little League ball field, a library (before a newer one was built at KP and Papermill), a YMCA in the old A-frame library building, a Direct gas station where Waffle House now sits, and even a small street with about 10 houses on it. Stokes Lighting Center was a cafeteria. There was a gas station near the cafeteria that became a smoke shop. The Northshore "Towers" are about the oldest building in the vicinity along with the Stokes business. Even the fire station next to Waffle House used to be around the corner between I-40 east, north of Papermill and just west of the current eastbound Papermill/Northshore exit ramp.

It is hard to keep all of the bars straight this many years later.

 

[Vjcvette]

Not sure if you remember a store at West Town Mall called Susane Suede & Leather Fashions. That was my parents shop. It was two doors down from Orange Julius.
View attachment 276643

Oh Wow, how neat, and that picture is like going back in time and it kind of looks like a store that was straight across from The Merry Go Round, Thanks for posting that.

 

[Vjcvette]

Not sure if you remember a store at West Town Mall called Susane Suede & Leather Fashions. That was my parents shop. It was two doors down from Orange Julius.
View attachment 276643

I guess that you were in the mall a lot then, did you ever know a fellow named Terry that was manager at The Merry Go Round?

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It is hard to keep all of the bars straight this many years later.

Yes. Each building seems to be transformed over and over.

 

[Vjcvette]

Yes. Each building seems to be transformed over and over.

Seems like it.....but thanks for all of the information, it kind of helps me with what building was where.

 

[MAD]

I guess that you were in the mall a lot then, did you ever know a fellow named Terry that was manager at The Merry Go Round?

I might have, I was there all the time.

 

[MAD]

I found an old menu from the 70’s of the Pizza place in West Town Mall called “The Orange Bowl”

It was located about right here on the right hand side heading towards Miller’s Department store.

 

[Vjcvette]

I found an old menu from the 70’s of the Pizza place in West Town Mall called “The Orange Bowl”
View attachment 276690
It was located about right here on the right hand side heading towards Miller’s Department store.
View attachment 276691

Awwwh I Love it, I am so glad that you posted this, its the next best thing to being able to go back to that time. My Dad told me a long time ago, "You can never go back", meaning things will never be the same as they were,
but this is the next best thing, so glad that you posted it.

 

[Vjcvette]

I might have, I was there all the time.

I was there often, lived on Dean Hill Dr., the fellow that I was talking about named Terry that worked at The Merry Go Round had one of those
popular hair styles from the 70's, a long blonde shag, kind of like a Rod Stewart hair do.

 

[Vjcvette]

Not sure if you remember a store at West Town Mall called Susane Suede & Leather Fashions. That was my parents shop. It was two doors down from Orange Julius.
View attachment 276643

I found these old pictures of West Town online West Town Mall through the years

 

[MAD]

I was there often, lived on Dean Hill Dr., the fellow that I was talking about named Terry that worked at The Merry Go Round had one of those
popular hair styles from the 70's, a long blonde shag, kind of like a Rod Stewart hair do.

I just asked my mom, she seems to remember him. I loved when West Town Mall when they would have the Midnight Madness Sale, and the Sidewalk sale. We lived in Sequoyah Hills but usually drove down Dean Hill Dr to get to the mall. We ended up moving out of Knoxville in 1980.

 

[MAD]

I found these old pictures of West Town online West Town Mall through the years

These are fantastic. Great find.

 

[Vjcvette]

I just asked my mom, she seems to remember him. I loved when West Town Mall when they would have the Midnight Madness Sale, and the Sidewalk sale. We lived in Sequoyah Hills but usually drove down Dean Hill Dr to get to the mall. We ended up moving out of Knoxville in 1980.

I had a friend that lived in Sequoyah Hills, Trinki McMillin.

 

[Boca Vol]

Was it near Paper Mill, I do remember it, just not sure exactly where it was.

I think that place was Michael's Cow Palace.

 

[Vjcvette]

I think that place was Michael's Cow Palace.

Oh ok , Thank ya

 

[Boca Vol]

Here's a pretty cool drive down memory lane:

Do you remember these closed Knoxville restaurants?

 

[MAD]

I had a friend that lived in Sequoyah Hills, Trinki McMillin.

She worked in my moms store, I was good friends with her brother.

 

[Vjcvette]

She worked in my moms store, I was good friends with her brother.

Wow what a small world this is, well I hope her and her family are doing good and that life has treated them well.

 

[Vjcvette]

She worked in my moms store, I was good friends with her brother.

I remember her brother's name was Eddie

 

[Vjcvette]

She worked in my moms store, I was good friends with her brother.

She was one of the first people that I met when I moved to Knoxville in 1975 at Bearden High School.

 

[MAD]

She was one of the first people that I met when I moved to Knoxville in 1975 at Bearden High School.

Yeah, Eddie and I ran cross country together at Bearden Jr. High. Their family had or still have a sporting goods shop on Cumberland Ave.