The great Halifax "I remember when" thread

[cormiermax]

So I got the idea from the I remember when thread over on the Regina forum, and thought it would be great to have it here on the Halifax boards.

Basically the idea is you say something about Halifax that has now changed, Example: (I remember when the Super Store on Quinpool was an IGA)

Any pictures to go along with it are highly encouraged.

Ill go first.

I remember when...

There was a large Xerox sign on one of the Purdy's wharf towers, many people still call Purdy's wharf the "Xerox Towers"

When the waterfront Marriot was a Sheraton, and included the original Casino Nova Scotia.

[halifaxboyns]

I remember when the Clayton Park Sobeys was still trees and the bus would drop you off literally in the ditch on the side of the road and Lacewood didn't go up to the 102.

[Keith P.]

I'm an old man (at least according to one member here) so I can remember a lot of things from way back when. I'll keep this batch limited to one geographic area downtown.

I remember when Scotia Square opened and there were shops in both the upper and lower malls, with a movie theater across from the Woolco store in the upper mall. I remember going to the new Woolco with my mom and walking down the broad staircase that led from Duke St onto the sales floor.

I remember when the Moirs chocolate factory was operating downtown where the WTCC now stands.

I remember going to buy jeans (when the market for blue jeans among young people was just taking off in the late 60s) at a store called the Warehouse which was in the building where the Five Fishermen now is.

I remember going to what is now Atlantic News in its original building where the Canada Trust bldg on Argyle now stands.

I remember my folks talking about going to the Peppermint Lounge on Barrington in a building where the Delta Barrington now stands. I remember the tall neon sign that place had.

I vaguely remember going with my folks to the old Halifax city market in the basement of the old Halifax police station, on a stretch of Market St that is now Albermarle, where the Scotia Sq apartments are now.

I remember shopping at Birks on Barrington (now an empty lot next to the Dennis Bldg).

I remember riding the NSL&P electric trolleys downtown.

[cormiermax]

I remember when Sobeys occupied what is now Sportcheck/Atmosphire in the HSC. It was a pretty cool place back then, and last time I was there I remember the parcel pickup conveyer belt was still out front.

[halifaxboyns]

I remember when Sobeys wasn't even at the HSC - it was in West End Mall. I remember the Woolco at SS and the wonderful dinner in what is now the Scotia Bank - that had the back of the old studabaker (SP?) where you'd get your utensils.

I remember when Bayers Road was a bustling mall and the old IGA, as I used to work there (and how we hated the talking cash registers and so we'd take every delight in breaking the speakers).

I remember when St. John's Anglican was on the corner of Dutch Village where the shoppers is now - I was in Boy Scouts there and how excited I'd get when I'd help sell blueberries in the summer when a train would go by (or even if I was at a cub meeting).

I even remember good old Halifax West - the original. I had some great times in that school. Plus the single family home lots at the top of Sunnybrae - I remember when that cul-de-sac was just forrest and then someone built those homes and the church.

[spaustin]

My memories from long ago are generally from a car window since I grew up out in Lawrencetown... I'm also only 30 so they don't go back to the horse and buggy era like Keith's ;) I do distinctly remember the giant boots from Little Nashville on Alderney Drive and when they came down. I remember sitting in traffic on the Mic Mac Rotary and I remember it disappearing. I remember those brightly coloured eyesores on Robie (now a vacant lot) that were painted clashing colours in anger after the owner's attempt to get a development agreement was turned down. I remember going to the Public Gardens as a kid to feed the ducks... a memory that new Haligonians will never have since you can't feed the fowl anymore.

[Keith P.]

I remember when Sobeys wasn't even at the HSC - it was in West End Mall.

Actually Sobeys was always in the HSC up to a few years ago. The original Sobeys there was in the same spot but there was no parking structure in front of it.

I remember when Bayers Road was a bustling mall and the old IGA, as I used to work there (and how we hated the talking cash registers and so we'd take every delight in breaking the speakers).

I remember those! I think that was the only place they were used locally. But I also remember when that was a Dominion store, and I remember it before it was expanded in the early 70s.

One of the odd things that sticks in your mind - I had a bit of a crush on a girl in high school, Debbie C., a nice kid, looked good, funny, smart, a bit of a jock. Nothing ever happened with us and i went to university and lost touch. A few years later I'm in the Dominion and I see her standing in line at the checkout. It was nice to see her again but I remember being shocked because she was now smoking! I never knew her as a smoker. Yes, back then you could smoke in a grocery store while you shopped. Unbelievable.

[terrynorthend]

I'm an old man (at least according to one member here) so I can remember a lot of things from way back when. I'll keep this batch limited to one geographic area downtown.

I remember when Scotia Square opened and there were shops in both the upper and lower malls, with a movie theater across from the Woolco store in the upper mall. I remember going to the new Woolco with my mom and walking down the broad staircase that led from Duke St onto the sales floor.



Well, I'm not as old as Keith, but I'm not young either. I remember Scotia Square back in the day with two floors of stores, the Woolco of course, a "50's" themed diner where you could get a bottle of Coke from a cooler that was fashioned into the trunk of an old car (57' chevy or such). Movie cinemas upstairs across from Woolco, yes. There was also a sort of animatronic Christmas show put on by NS Light and Power that we were bussed over from Dartmouth to see everyear as a class trip.

[fenwick16]

I remember when the TD Bank, CIBC, Metro Centre and Maritime Centre were being built. I also remember when the Maritime Centre was only 12 storeys high (it is better at its current height).

I also remember being inside the Metro Centre for a Nova Scotia Voyageurs game and CIS Basketball championship shortly after the Metro Centre opened (SMU and Acadia were the final two teams in the national CIS championship). I was a university student at the time and living in Fenwick Towers.

PS: I also remember the previous generation of harbour ferries (the first of the current generation of ferries was built in 1979, and still looks modern). I also remember the old ferry terminals as being somewhat rundown - the current ones were a huge improvement, especially when they were built about 30 years ago (I think the new terminals were built before I moved to Ontario in 1980).

[FuzzyWuz]

I remember seeing a movie at the Capital theatre. I think it was the Disney version of Robin Hood.

I remember when there were still electrical lines overhead for the trams that were gone by then.

I remember playing in the muddy mess that was to become Dunbrack street.

[halifaxboyns]

Actually Sobeys was always in the HSC up to a few years ago. The original Sobeys there was in the same spot but there was no parking structure in front of it.


What was the grocerry store at the West End Mall (Where the DMV ended up before it moved)??

I thought it was sobeys because it was in the West End mall with the Sears and then moved to Halifax Shopping Centre?

[Keith P.]

What was the grocerry store at the West End Mall (Where the DMV ended up before it moved)??

I thought it was sobeys because it was in the West End mall with the Sears and then moved to Halifax Shopping Centre?

There was a Sobeys there as well. It was in the space that later became Access NS down by The Bay (which originally opened up as Simpson's). But the one at HSC was in that development from the day it opened at the north end of the development, closest to Bayers Rd. You accessed it from inside the mall.

[terrynorthend]

I remember when the TD Bank, CIBC, Metro Centre and Maritime Centre were being built. I also remember when the Maritime Centre was only 12 storeys high (it is better at its current height).

I also remember being inside the Metro Centre for a Nova Scotia Voyageurs game and CIS Basketball championship shortly after the Metro Centre opened (SMU and Acadia were the final two teams in the national CIS championship). I was a university student at the time and living in Fenwick Towers.

PS: I also remember the previous generation of harbour ferries (the first of the current generation of ferries was built in 1979, and still looks modern). I also remember the old ferry terminals as being somewhat rundown - the current ones were a huge improvement, especially when they were built about 30 years ago (I think the new terminals were built before I moved to Ontario in 1980).

Yes, I remember those old ferries as well. One sat as a lobster restaurant docked by the current Halifax terminal for a while in the 80's I think. I do remember taking them across the harbour, you loaded on like cattle by a ramp at the bow/stern. The ferry had its own token system I think, and it cost 10 or 15 cents.

My dad also took me across to see Voyageurs games in the Metro Centre when it was first built. I remember how new, bright and big it seemed. Of course I was a young kid and it was much more cavernous in there before the skyboxes were added.

I remember Mic Mac Mall before the third floor was openned. It was always there since the orginal construction (to allow future expansion) and I remember looking up as a kid and wondering what it would be like to be way up there looking down into centre court. I was so excited when they finally announced expansion... they were adding an arcade too! (Fantasy 2000)

[Keith P.]

I remember Mic Mac Mall before the third floor was openned. It was always there since the orginal construction (to allow future expansion) and I remember looking up as a kid and wondering what it would be like to be way up there looking down into centre court. I was so excited when they finally announced expansion... they were adding an arcade too! (Fantasy 2000)

I'm trying to remember what that looked like before the expansion and am having a bit of difficulty. I do recall when the end that now contains Zellers (soon to be Target) was in its original form as Eaton's. That always seemed a bit of an odd store in that it seemed too small for what it was trying to offer in terms of merchandise selection. Still, it carried the usual good quality items that Eatons was known for. I still miss that chain - I was a big fan and bought most of my clothing there in the 80s (but at the HSC store).

I recall when Eatons closed in MicMac that the space sat empty for a while. I remember that at one point during that time they used it for a car display by GM.

[cormiermax]

Does anyone else find it odd that its hard to find pictures of Halifax from the 70s/80s? Iv never seen construction photos of any of the high rises downtown besides a few far away shots of Purdy's Wharf.

[coolmillion]

I remember when there was a Greek bakery on Gottingen St. near Falkland and when the West End Mall was a pretty happening place full of girls with skyscraper hair dos and guys wearing acid-wash jeans with partial elastic waist bands.

[fenwick16]

Does anyone else find it odd that its hard to find pictures of Halifax from the 70s/80s? Iv never seen construction photos of any of the high rises downtown besides a few far away shots of Purdy's Wharf.

I think because it was prior to digital cameras and the internet. And because it isn't considered to be historical yet, pictures haven't been scanned and saved at the Nova Scotia archives.

I would be interested in seeing some construction pictures of the Metro Centre, if anyone has any that they can scan.

[halifaxboyns]

I remember 'The Poppe Shop' just off Quinpool and good old Sister Sarah's on Quinpool being a big deal.

I also remember back before the Superstore was on Barrington Street that there was a container transfer terminal there (Clarke Transport). I know that because my mom was one the accounting supervisor for Clarke up until sometime in the 90's when her MS took a turn for the worse and she went on LTD. I loved going in with her on weekends when I was a kid, I'd colour and play with the typewritters and we'd get a clubhouse sandwhich from the little dinner on Barrington that closed a couple years ago.

Just before mom went on LTD, Clarke moved into a new facility out in Bayers Lake. I remember touring the building when it opened, since they were part of the reason for the railway spur out to Bayer's Lake not being shutdown when Volvo left. But eventually they moved away from railcars and bye bye rail line!

[Antigonish]

I remember going to Halifax and being fascinated by the graffiti boom of 1995. I was 6 then and being blown away by the whole "urban street" type culture happening there, it gave my first impression of Halifax being "The Big City" to me. Every time my family went back to visit my cousins there I'd have my head out the window looking for all the new bombs and pieces that were EVERYWHERE.

I also remember playing PeeWee football at the SMU astroturf 2000-01ish before they turned it into field turf. How more people didn't break their ankles and knees on that concrete carpet surprises me.

[cormiermax]

I remember when the building on the corner of Quinpool across from the Atlantica hotel had a parking garage and gas station on the ground floor, I believe it has now been converted to offices. I also remember on the other side of the same building there was a subway, I tried using the washroom in there once and I remember the conditions where just plain horrible.

[Keith P.]

I remember when the building on the corner of Quinpool across from the Atlantica hotel had a parking garage and gas station on the ground floor, I believe it has now been converted to offices. I also remember on the other side of the same building there was a subway, I tried using the washroom in there once and I remember the conditions where just plain horrible.

LOL... I went to St Pats High in the early 70s and that was a Gulf station complete with mechanical shop directly across from the school side entrance (on Parker St) and the pay parkade above. I bought gas there a few times. After they closed the mechanical shop the Pop Shoppe went in there. Seemed an odd location. Now I guess the parkade is for the use of the offices in the tower. If memory serves, the tower used to have a large Gulf sign on the top. I presume they had some offices there.

As for that Subway location, that spot was the kiss of death for anything that went in there. The Subway actually lasted longer than most. I would take the bus home from school and wait at the stop on Robie across from that location. That stop originally had one of Metro Transit's plastic purple "space bubble" shelters that eventually had all the plexiglass windows busted out of it by juvenile delinquents before it was replaced. Originally the Subway location was the Monterey Lounge which had a very (now retro) cool neon sign that included a cigarette in an odd-looking ashtray. How times change. I think at some point it became a short-lived restaurant before the Subway went in. Don't recall what is there today.

[spaustin]

I might be mixing things up, but wasn't there an paintball thing in that parking on Quinpool for a brief while? About a decade ago when paintball was new and all the rage?

Incidentally, I remember that subway. I was a real little kid back then and I remember going by it in the car and asking my mom if Halifax had a subway system. Didn't have cable and really didn't watch much tv when I was little (raccoons and fraggles) so I really didn't get exposed to much advertising. To me, subways were for trains and had nothing to do with sandwiches! Funny to look back on now given that HRM won't even consider light rail!

[cormiermax]

Yeah, if only the city kept its progressiveness that it had at the turn of the century, apparently back in 1917 the city was planning to build a subway system, it was scuttled eventually probably because of the explosion. Maybe if they had built it that location would be indeed a subway station :rolleyes:

[Keith P.]

Here's one for you. When Halifax and Dartmouth were separate cities, Halifax had (typically) an "early closing bylaw" that prevented stores from opening after 6PM. At first there was an exception for Friday nights; later that was extended, first to Thursday, then to Wednesday. Naturally this was a boon to Dartmouth retailers since they had no such restriction and could open 6 nights a week. This led to much retail development in Dartmouth.

A couple of memories: despite it being pretty crappy even for the times, the Dartmouth Shopping Center at the end of the MacDonald bridge did good business. It wasn't hurt by the fact that the Halifax electric trolley line crossed the bridge and had its terminal in the DSC lot. There was a Dominion grocery store there (where the Save Easy is now) and a Zellers at the opposite end, roughly where the Shoppers Drug Mart now sits. I remember going there with my parents one time to buy some rollup window shades. Those had to be custom cut to width, a pretty standard thing I gather. The sales clerk didn't know how to do it but paged the guy who could. This fellow appears smoking a large cigar, gets the instructions, clamps the stogie between his teeth and cuts the blinds! Hilarious.

The other big development that occurred in the 60s was the establishment of KMart on Tacoma Drive, where the Sobeys/NSLC is now. That was really out in the sticks at the time but was incredibly busy in its early years. It had discount pricing of a kind that this market apparently had not seen previously. One of the cool things about it was that they had a little food section just past the main doors where you could buy baked goods, some deli items, etc. They had a donut machine there with a window in the side where you could watch the donuts being made - the machine would drop a ring of batter into the hot oil, and a paddle would slowly push it around a circle in the frying oil until it reached a flipper device that would eject it from the machine into a hopper. I think there might also have been a device that flipped them over halfway around. They might not have been the best donuts in the world, but they were sure fresh.

[terrynorthend]

A couple of memories: despite it being pretty crappy even for the times, the Dartmouth Shopping Center at the end of the MacDonald bridge did good business. It wasn't hurt by the fact that the Halifax electric trolley line crossed the bridge and had its terminal in the DSC lot. There was a Dominion grocery store there (where the Save Easy is now) and a Zellers at the opposite end, roughly where the Shoppers Drug Mart now sits.

I remember there was a lunch counter in that Zellers, with spinning stools. Much fun! I also liked that it was an enclosed Mall at DSC, but I think it was first opened as an outdoor plaza, then later enclosed (only to be turned back into a plaza as it currently stands). This made for an interesting main hall with an elbow turn at its midpoint and a sloped grade from the top (up by Zellers) to the bottom (down by Dominion).

[JET]

I remember before Metro Transit, that Hfx and Dart both had their own bus system; there was a #11 bus that went from Scotia square to the Dart Shop. centre; the Dart. drivers could make change for the fare. Between the bus lanes at the dart terminal was a fast food shop.

I remember that when i went to Dal, I lived at the Lord Nelson hotel, a single room for $275/month. I remember going to the Dominion next to the LNH one day to buy apples and Ravi Shankar and his wife were in line next to me buying fruit.

[fenwick16]

I remember that when i went to Dal, I lived at the Lord Nelson hotel, a single room for $275/month. I remember going to the Dominion next to the LNH one day to buy apples and Ravi Shankar and his wife were in line next to me buying fruit.

You must have been financially well-off for a student. In 1979, I had a basement, bachelor-style apartment at 5261 Kent Street (a 4 storey apartment building) that cost about $165/month. My memory isn't good enough to remember the address that far back, but I was able to find the building and address with Street View since I remembered the general area (what a great resource all these map services are!).

I remember the time when if you wanted to find a particular news story you would have to read newspapers or scan the TV news (it was always so frustrating to just miss a story on the TV or radio). Now getting any news story on the internet takes just a matter of seconds, or minutes at the most.

[resetcbu1]

I might be mixing things up, but wasn't there an paintball thing in that parking on Quinpool for a brief while? About a decade ago when paintball was new and all the rage?

Incidentally, I remember that subway. I was a real little kid back then and I remember going by it in the car and asking my mom if Halifax had a subway system. Didn't have cable and really didn't watch much tv when I was little (raccoons and fraggles) so I really didn't get exposed to much advertising. To me, subways were for trains and had nothing to do with sandwiches! Funny to look back on now given that HRM won't even consider light rail!

Yes, splatshot indoor paintball was locatede there for a short period , until the owners got into legal trouble I belive, but not 100% on that. I remember it was also an indoor skateboard park as I spent all my time as a youth out skateboading and still do at 30 :D:worship: it was quite the nice park,very profesional as well, but it went bankrupt and the ramps were sold off ,I belive Truro bought them(cheap) and put them outside where expensive wood ramps do not belong.

[resetcbu1]

I remember when forest fires in Quebec turned the sky completely orange and black , it looked like the appocalypse was here, also it was the last day of school before summer vaccation that woulda been a terrible day for the world to end.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I remember when forest fires in Quebec turned the sky completely orange and black , it looked like the appocalypse was here, also it was the last day of school before summer vaccation that woulda been a terrible day for the world to end.

I remember that, I was 5 years old and did think that the world was going to end. Vivid memory of being on North Street and looking up.

[ZET]

You must have been financially well-off for a student. In 1979, I had a basement, bachelor-style apartment at 5261 Kent Street (a 4 storey apartment building) that cost about $165/month. My memory isn't good enough to remember the address that far back, but I was able to find the building and address with Street View since I remembered the general area (what a great resource all these map services are!).

I remember the time when if you wanted to find a particular news story you would have to read newspapers or scan the TV news (it was always so frustrating to just miss a story on the TV or radio). Now getting any news story on the internet takes just a matter of seconds, or minutes at the most.

'House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, 'alf the floor was missing, and we were all 'uddled together in one corner for fear of falling.'

not really well off, just ate apples and peanut butter, lost 30 pounds in four months. Did you have any floors in that place on Kent? $165, wow

[fenwick16]

'House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, 'alf the floor was missing, and we were all 'uddled together in one corner for fear of falling.'

not really well off, just ate apples and peanut butter, lost 30 pounds in four months. Did you have any floors in that place on Kent? $165, wow

It was an actual apartment building at 5261 Kent Street (probably built in the mid 1900's) at $165/month where I lived in 1979/1980 (university year). Here is the Street View link (http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=&q=5261+Kent+Street,+halifax,+nova+scotia&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=5261+Kent+St,+Halifax,+Nova+Scotia+B3H+2R3&gl=ca&ll=44.638155,-63.571401&spn=0.005176,0.033023&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=44.638154,-63.57139&panoid=OCLYC2WN5pzOl6YqpEuxmA&cbp=11,326.41,,0,-8.07). It was fairly good and had no rats. It was on the ground floor/basement with a separate door directly to the outdoors.

In 1978 I lived for a few months in a rooming house on Cogswell Street (the green house) - link (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=&geocode=&q=cogswell+street,+halifax,+nova+scotia&aq=&sll=44.650154,-63.582559&sspn=0.01151,0.033023&gl=ca&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cogswell+St,+Halifax,+Halifax+County,+Nova+Scotia&ll=44.650154,-63.582559&spn=0.005175,0.033023&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=44.65016,-63.582569&panoid=8WPexlq_M2HLuJAklarVEA&cbp=11,293.04,,0,-3.86) for $15/week which had no rats just rat poison under the hot water radiators. Then for the second half of the university year I lived in a 2nd floor flat on Almon Street for $145/month (with very little water pressure and a few rats that would chew into my cereal boxes until I started keeping all my food in the fridge - if only I had a cat at the time).

My best apartment while attending university was in 1977/78 on the 16th floor of Fenwick Towers with two other students in a 3 person apartment (I forget how much the rent was). My first year 1976/77 was good also being in the Dalhousie dormitory - Howe Hall (I think Cameron House). PS: I think that it was actually Smith house - the western wing along Coburg Street.

[beyeas]

'House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, 'alf the floor was missing, and we were all 'uddled together in one corner for fear of falling.'

not really well off, just ate apples and peanut butter, lost 30 pounds in four months. Did you have any floors in that place on Kent? $165, wow

Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 'ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky! :haha:

[beyeas]

I remember that, I was 5 years old and did think that the world was going to end. Vivid memory of being on North Street and looking up.

Yeah it was late June 1991... just shy of 20 years ago now!
I was working that summer in downtown Saint John, and I remember that it was a hot day and they had to shut down the air conditioning in public buildings because they didn't want to draw the smoke in so the buildings were stupidly hot and muggy.

[JET]

Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 'ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky! :haha:

And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.

76/77 I was in Howe Hall, 3rd floor Henderson for 4 months, and then had an attic apt on Brenton st for 4 months. There was photo studio at the other end of Brenton; Sherman Hines. He also had a studio on Brunswick st, an old house next to the dutch church that had beautiful stained glass in the door.

[fenwick16]

And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.

76/77 I was in Howe Hall, 3rd floor Henderson for 4 months, and then had an attic apt on Brenton st for 4 months. There was photo studio at the other end of Brenton; Sherman Hines. He also had a studio on Brunswick st, an old house next to the dutch church that had beautiful stained glass in the door.

Howe Hall is a great place for first year students being right on campus, and since it has a large cafeteria students won't go hungry. Dalhousie University is a very scenic university in a great setting (south-end Halifax).

I think I said the wrong dormitory house though - I think now that it was actually Smith House. It was the wing on the right in the picture below which I now think is Smith House (directly on Coburg Street on the west side of Howe Hall).

http://fm.dal.ca/campusmap/images/bpics/c520.jpg

[JET]

I remember when they were building the trade centre and there was the plywood perimeter with a hole that you could look in. Beside the hole someone had written: "Uniters of the world, WORK." Funny:)

[jolopiccollo]

I remember E.T playing at the Hyland Theatre at the Armdale Rotary; the Quinpool McDonald's being THE place to go as one of the only McDonald's in Hfx; I remember when the parking garage for Simpsons (the Bay) now (?) was built and I thought the whole building was odd as it looked pink!

[reddog794]

I remember going Christmas shopping with my grandmother @ the Eatons in MicMac Mall, and when the Coles there, was the book store for the area. I also remember the Downtown Dartmouth Natal Day festivities, the Moosehead Grand Prix, and when Admiral Westphal was a rival Jr. High.

[JET]

I remember E.T playing at the Hyland Theatre at the Armdale Rotary; the Quinpool McDonald's being THE place to go as one of the only McDonald's in Hfx; I remember when the parking garage for Simpsons (the Bay) now (?) was built and I thought the whole building was odd as it looked pink!

jolopiccollo; welcome to the forum.

[beyeas]

I have a vague memory of going to The Spaghetti Factory downtown as a kid... where was that? I feel like it was maybe where the Five Fishermen is located, but am not sure.

[JET]

I have a vague memory of going to The Spaghetti Factory downtown as a kid... where was that? I feel like it was maybe where the Five Fishermen is located, but am not sure.

The Spaghetti Factory was in the present McKelvies restaurant, which was originally a fire station.
http://mckelvies.com/about.html

[beyeas]

Ah ok... I guess it was just that I remember playing frisbee in the Grand Parade before going there, so I assumed in my mind it must have been close by.

Thanks!

[alps]

I'm a bit too young to be able to contribute to this thread much, but I love reading through it.

I'm curious about the Dartmouth IKEA. When did it open? When did it close? What building was it located in, exactly? (My parents said it was on Akerley Blvd).

Edit: I was searching for info in old editions of the 4th Estate newspaper available online at NSARM and found this interesting map from 1976. Interesting because I had always simply assumed the earliest Burnside developments would have been closer to the Circ.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/halps00/291b1137.png

[FuzzyWuz]

I remember the Ice Cream Factory on Tacoma; Swensons on Spring Garden where the Dairy Queen just was; Fat Franks in the spot that now holds a Jewellery store on Spring Garden; And...(drum roll please) A&Ws in two spots: Bedford across from the recently moved atlantic gardens, and Kempt Rd where the McDonalds is now. They were the ones with trays that hung on the window in your parking spot where you ordered through your own intercom.

[Keith P.]

The Spaghetti Factory was in the present McKelvies restaurant, which was originally a fire station.
http://mckelvies.com/about.html

Actualy there were two different Spaghetti Factory (or similar name) restos downtown: the one you noted in the McKelvies location, and another one in the space that most recently housed Bubbles Mansion. I do not believe they were related. The one in the Bubbles location was part of this chain:

http://www.oldspaghettifactory.ca/

[Jstaleness]

I remember going Christmas shopping with my grandmother @ the Eatons in MicMac Mall, and when the Coles there, was the book store for the area. I also remember the Downtown Dartmouth Natal Day festivities, the Moosehead Grand Prix, and when Admiral Westphal was a rival Jr. High.

I was going to mention the Moosehead Grand Prix as well. I would love to see something like that again. Even if on a smaller scale car.

[beyeas]

What was the name of the faux 50's diner that used to be in Scotia Square back in the early '80s? I remember it had an old car sitting by the front of the store, and diner style seating with individual juke boxes at each table.

[JET]

I'm a bit too young to be able to contribute to this thread much, but I love reading through it.

I'm curious about the Dartmouth IKEA. When did it open? When did it close? What building was it located in, exactly? (My parents said it was on Akerley Blvd).

Edit: I was searching for info in old editions of the 4th Estate newspaper available online at NSARM and found this interesting map from 1976. Interesting because I had always simply assumed the earliest Burnside developments would have been closer to the Circ.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/halps00/291b1137.png

I remember shopping at Ikea in Burnside in 1986; it wasn't there long before that and was probably gone by 1988. I was in Halifax then, and we had to take a bus accross the bridge, and then a bus to Shannon Park, and then walk in ti Burnside. Ikea was near the mooshead brewery (Is now brewdebakers?) location.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I remember when SSP Halifax was just a thread, and people still used SSC.

[Keith P.]

I remember shopping at Ikea in Burnside in 1986; it wasn't there long before that and was probably gone by 1988.

I am pretty sure Ikea was there in the late 70s. I remember visiting a friend's house around '80 or '81 and they had an Ikea dining set that they had owned for a while.

[ZET]

I am pretty sure Ikea was there in the late 70s. I remember visiting a friend's house around '80 or '81 and they had an Ikea dining set that they had owned for a while.

I have a chest of drawers that i bought from them last month; it came in the mail. I'm fairly sure that it wasn't there before mid 80's

[spaustin]

I'm pretty sure it was the 80s too. I remember standing outside in the rain with my mom for the opening or maybe it was a door crashing sale, but I'm pretty sure it was the opening. They gave out free umbrellas to everyone waiting.

[Keith P.]

I have a chest of drawers that i bought from them last month; it came in the mail.

Theirs didn't, smart guy.

[terrynorthend]

I remember going Christmas shopping with my grandmother @ the Eatons in MicMac Mall, and when the Coles there, was the book store for the area. I also remember the Downtown Dartmouth Natal Day festivities, the Moosehead Grand Prix, and when Admiral Westphal was a rival Jr. High.

Ha ha, you must have went to Caledonia Jr. High. I did, and I remember the perrenial rumour that "...there was going to be a rumble with Admiral Westphal after school..." Don't think one ever happened LOL

[J.M.]

I remember the strip mall type place by the MacDonald Bridge in Dartmouth had an IGA, I would go there all the time with my mom shopping. I remember going to yard sales a lot when I lived on Albro Lake Rd., lot's of ps1's and Genesis stuff. I also remember getting my first Nintendo 64 at the Mic Mac mall... I also remember going to Halifax via the ferry a lot and would walk around plenty...

[JET]

Theirs didn't, smart guy.

I'm not being smart (playful perhaps, but I wouldn't call it smart) You didn't say they they bought it there, just that they had it. Sounded as if they could have bought it through the mail. I can only go on what you said.
PS, I thought that Queen Judith didn't like Ikea.

[Keith P.]

Of course they bought it there. Nobody here ever heard of Ikea until they opened their store in Burnside in the mid-70s. Once they did it became the go-to place for young couples and university students to buy furniture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_IKEA_stores

[ScovaNotian]

Of course they bought it there. Nobody here ever heard of Ikea until they opened their store in Burnside in the mid-70s. Once they did it became the go-to place for young couples and university students to buy furniture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_IKEA_stores
Checking the "Discussion" tab on that page, there is a lengthy discussion on whether the Dartmouth store is an urban legend, plus the reason for its closing (if it's ever existed, of course ;)).

[hoser111]

I remember when Zapata's was in the CBC building @ Sackville & South Park... :cheers:

[ZET]

Of course they bought it there. Nobody here ever heard of Ikea until they opened their store in Burnside in the mid-70s. Once they did it became the go-to place for young couples and university students to buy furniture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_IKEA_stores

Keith of course people heard of Ikea before they opened in Burnside, at least I did. Since I'm from Missouri you need will to provide some data on when it opened. I still don't accept that it was open in Burnside in the mid-70's; not until there's more to go on.

[Keith P.]

Keith of course people heard of Ikea before they opened in Burnside, at least I did. Since I'm from Missouri you need will to provide some data on when it opened. I still don't accept that it was open in Burnside in the mid-70's; not until there's more to go on.

So if you heard of it before they opened in Burnside in the mid'70s, why are you denying that it was ever there? Were you there at the time? I was. I shopped there. If you don't accept that as sufficient evidence I can only presume you deny 9/11 actually happened or that man landed on the moon as well. Don't be absurd.

[ZET]

Keith, read my post #49 (JET, ZET; same thing).
Ikea was indeed in Burnside and I shopped there; what I'm not convinced about is that it was open in the 70's; you may in fact be right about that, but I'm not yet convinced that it is true. If you are right then I will :worship:

[someone123]

This person also went to IKEA in the 70s: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3609849&postcount=2

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I lived in Halifax from 1979-89 and remember shopping at IKEA in Burnside a number of times. A great store. It was a major trauma to civic pride when it closed.

As far as I can recollect, it was already open when I moved to the city. I would guess it maybe opened in 1975. I think it was their first store in North America.

[JET]

I'm a bit too young to be able to contribute to this thread much, but I love reading through it.

I'm curious about the Dartmouth IKEA. When did it open? When did it close? What building was it located in, exactly? (My parents said it was on Akerley Blvd).

Edit: I was searching for info in old editions of the 4th Estate newspaper available online at NSARM and found this interesting map from 1976. Interesting because I had always simply assumed the earliest Burnside developments would have been closer to the Circ.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/halps00/291b1137.png

To answer your question about the Ikea location, it was near the corner of Akerley and Windmill. It is behind the buildings on Windmill, and the entrance was probably on Akerley, but I seem to remember going in the end closest to Dawn St. It's a long one-story building with a faded red roof. I drove past it on Saturday.
Sounds like it was probably open in the mis 70's, but it is hard to accept that Ikea's first location was in Burnside.
Oh well, :worship:

[JET]

I remember the 1995 G7 meeting in Halifax. It was a peaceful celebration. I remember watching the world leaders (Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, etc) walking about down by Historic Properties and shaking hands with citizens. Minimal security, no violence. Probably the last time there was a peaceful 'G8'

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Current/HalifaxSummitG7/Release/FactSheet.html

[cormiermax]

Iv noticed that a lot of the high rises along Quinpool have a very similar resemblance, such as the Quinpool Centre and the Atantica Hotel. Anyone know if they were all built in a single development by a single developer?

[Keith P.]

The Atlantica Hotel was originally built as a Holiday Inn in the early '70s by Ken Rowe's IMP Group. Quinpool Center was late-70s. I forget the developer but it wasn't IMP.

[halifaxboyns]

I remember the 1995 G7 meeting in Halifax. It was a peaceful celebration. I remember watching the world leaders (Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, etc) walking about down by Historic Properties and shaking hands with citizens. Minimal security, no violence. Probably the last time there was a peaceful 'G8'

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Current/HalifaxSummitG7/Release/FactSheet.html

That was the first summer I worked for the federal government and I got to work on the computer network for the summit. It was awesome. I got to meet Clinton by chance. Very firm handshake as I recall.

[kenandpat]

Canada Canada 1975 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

IKEA opened its first North American store in 1975 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, although that store—and another in Victoria, British Columbia—were closed in 1988 due to high operational costs and market size.[4][5] As of 2011, there are eleven stores in four provinces—two in British Columbia (Richmond and Coquitlam), two in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton), five in Ontario (Burlington, Etobicoke, North York, Ottawa, and Vaughan), and two in Quebec (Boucherville and Montreal).[6] IKEA will enter its fifth province when it opens its twelfth Canadian location in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2012.[7]

This info came from wikipedia. The store was located on Akerley Blvd in Dartmouth. Shopped there often, got some of the furniture for my first apt there... now I'm aging myself.

[JET]

Canada Canada 1975 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

IKEA opened its first North American store in 1975 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, although that store—and another in Victoria, British Columbia—were closed in 1988 due to high operational costs and market size.[4][5] As of 2011, there are eleven stores in four provinces—two in British Columbia (Richmond and Coquitlam), two in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton), five in Ontario (Burlington, Etobicoke, North York, Ottawa, and Vaughan), and two in Quebec (Boucherville and Montreal).[6] IKEA will enter its fifth province when it opens its twelfth Canadian location in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2012.[7]

This info came from wikipedia. The store was located on Akerley Blvd in Dartmouth. Shopped there often, got some of the furniture for my first apt there... now I'm aging myself.

Welcome to the forum. First store in North America was in Burnside. Wow.
Keith was right, I was wrong.

[halifaxboyns]

I remember when Burton Ettinger Elementary School on Sunnybrae Avenue in Fairview (my old street growing up) was still two buildings and then the addition to bring it all into one building was built. I thought it was really cool at the time because the old library space was seperated from the 'hallway' by these really cool and tall dividers. That room ended up being my grade 4 classroom. I remember by grade 4 I no longer had to put on snow pants to walk outside to go to the other building. The new gym was huge (for a kid) and the new library was all purple. So were the new doors in the new wing and that teachers room was the old music room.

Streetview (http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Burton+Ettinger+School,+Halifax,+Nova+Scotia&hl=en&ll=44.65165,-63.636723&spn=0.000008,0.004125&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=35.05337,67.587891&vpsrc=6&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=44.651724,-63.636557&panoid=QobXZebyE9LMoNBJIDSqIQ&cbp=12,328.16,,0,0.94)

[Empire]

Does anyone remember the Paradise restaurant or the Ocean tavern?

[Glenmore]

Hi, forgive me if my first post focuses on old bars but frequenting them was a large part of my youth...

I remember JJ Rossy's in the Granville Mall (now an art gallery I think?), Jaguars then Secretary's (now Reflections), Scoundrel's below the TD building, and finally Rosa's Cantina in the Carleton Hotel.

I'm sure there are truckloads of memories out there for drinking establishments....:cheers:

[JET]

I remember playing asteroids at the Ocean Tavern, lower water st, before the TD building was built. There was also a tavern at the foot of North St, next to Camille's fish and chips, but I can't remember the name.

[Empire]

I remember playing asteroids at the Ocean Tavern, lower water st, before the TD building was built. There was also a tavern at the foot of North St, next to Camille's fish and chips, but I can't remember the name.

1801 Hollis occupies the site of the old Ocean Tavern.

[JET]

1801 Hollis occupies the site of the old Ocean Tavern.

Is that not the TD building? or am I confused again. It must be one of those bank buildings (Central Trust, maybe). It's the same block that "Sanfords" was in

[Jstaleness]

1801 Hollis was formally the Central Trust Tower. The TD building is a bit up the hill from there at George and Barrington St.

[kool maudit]

i remember: hell's hotel, suisha gardens, the cole harbour riots, q.e. vs. st. pat's, seeing "coming to america" at the barrington paramount, the lighthouse tavern, cyclesmith at quinpool and preston... the late '80s and early '90s, i guess.

[OldDartmouthMark]

To answer your question about the Ikea location, it was near the corner of Akerley and Windmill. It is behind the buildings on Windmill, and the entrance was probably on Akerley, but I seem to remember going in the end closest to Dawn St. It's a long one-story building with a faded red roof. I drove past it on Saturday.
Sounds like it was probably open in the mis 70's, but it is hard to accept that Ikea's first location was in Burnside.
Oh well, :worship:

To my best recollection, Ikea was located in this building at the bottom of Akerley: http://goo.gl/maps/sI9Ff

Its appearance has changed a lot since then.

BTW, according to Ikea's website, the first store in Canada was in Vancouver:
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea/the_ikea_way/history/1960_1970.html

[OldDartmouthMark]

Mentioning the Dartmouth Shopping Centre brings back lots of memories.

I remember it as the earlier open mall and later when it was enclosed. Living nearby, most of our family's shopping in the pre-Mic Mac Mall days was at the DSC (and the lower Portland Street area).

Here's a pic of what the area looked like in the sixties (this and all images below - source: NS archives http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/):

http://i50.tinypic.com/359fyh4.jpg

How about the old Dartmouth Memorial Arena (I think that's what they called it) on the site currently occupied by the Dartmouth Sportsplex? I can remember being at the Bill Lynch fair on the site currently occupied by McDonalds on Nantucket in the mid seventies when the rink burned down. I'll never forget seeing the flames coming out of the roof of the old rink.

http://i47.tinypic.com/25flw8h.jpg

Anybody remember the "Esso" sign on Nantucket that flashed E-S-S-O...ESSO?

http://i47.tinypic.com/nyff2q.jpg

Sobeys and Dominion were in direct competition at DSC and Wyse Rd.

http://i47.tinypic.com/1hdmoz.jpg

[kenandpat]

Sobeys and Dominion were in direct competition at DSC and Wyse Rd.

http://i47.tinypic.com/1hdmoz.jpg[/QUOTE]


Directly across the crosswalk form Sobeys was the location of Nova Scotia's first Tim Hortons. The old house on the corner and the small building on the next lot (a small barber shop) were torn down to build the donut shop. I remember they had probably 20 different flavors of filled donuts covered in powdered sugar.... they also sold really great pies. I think it opened in the summer of 1974.

[Keith P.]

Anybody remember the "Esso" sign on Nantucket that flashed E-S-S-O...ESSO?

http://i47.tinypic.com/nyff2q.jpg


In other cities these signs were usually erected on top of a large building. Here, since we had no tall buildings, they were put on the ground. :haha:

I also recall an animated neon sign in Downtown Dartmouth for the Royal Bank.

Interesting to see the old Zellers store on the site where Shoppers Drug Mart is now located.


Sobeys and Dominion were in direct competition at DSC and Wyse Rd.

http://i47.tinypic.com/1hdmoz.jpg

I had forgotten all about that Sobeys store. I remember that space later became a McDonalds in the 1970s, and that it burned in the 1980s.

The return of Sobeys just north of this site next year will bring them full circle.
Sad to see that land up the hill from this site that was open at the time which is now a public housing ghetto.

[Keith P.]

Directly across the crosswalk form Sobeys was the location of Nova Scotia's first Tim Hortons. The old house on the corner and the small building on the next lot (a small barber shop) were torn down to build the donut shop. I remember they had probably 20 different flavors of filled donuts covered in powdered sugar.... they also sold really great pies. I think it opened in the summer of 1974.

That sounds about right. I remember my parents went there shortly after it opened and brought home some donuts and one of the pies. The donuts were good but the pies were fabulous. I recall they were amazed that they came in a proper metal pie plate, not the foil type usually used in supermarket bakeries. They couldn't understand how they could make money on the pies because of that and the quality for the price charged. Mom had a collection of Tim's pie tins for a while.

[Keith P.]

How about the old Dartmouth Memorial Arena (I think that's what they called it) on the site currently occupied by the Dartmouth Sportsplex? I can remember being at the Bill Lynch fair on the site currently occupied by McDonalds on Nantucket in the mid seventies when the rink burned down. I'll never forget seeing the flames coming out of the roof of the old rink.

http://i47.tinypic.com/25flw8h.jpg


I believe that is the Miss Dartmouth restaurant near the intersection. The Bank of Nova Scotia is now in that same general area.

I seem to recall a car dealership - perhaps just their used car lot - in the upper part of this lot. I believe it was Teasdale and Foot, which later became Forbes Chev-Olds when they moved to Portland St in the late 1960s.

Nice to see the old Holiday Inn "great sign" across the street.

[Aya_Akai]

I remember when forest fires in Quebec turned the sky completely orange and black , it looked like the appocalypse was here, also it was the last day of school before summer vaccation that woulda been a terrible day for the world to end.

I remember this so well, I was at my babysitters, we were playing nintendo in the basement and came upstairs to see outside looking like it did, we thought it was the end of the world.. we went back inside and went and hid under couches till our parents came to pick us up. lol

I was only born in 1987, but I've got a lot of interesting memories of Dartmouth from my years growing up, I never really did venture to Halifax other than to visit my Nan who lived up near the water tower on Robie.... I know Wishblade will share a lot of these too, as he grew up not too far from me lol

Every year on fathers day myself, my dad and my grandfather would go on a bikeride together through the woods to the east of Portland Estates, we would go bike in, and then walk around exploring for hours in the woods, such a good time. We went to go one year only to find construction and the start of the then to-be lower part of portland estates and portland hills.

I remember when they were building the back entrance to burnside, akerley/forest hills extension and the interchange at the 118.. My dad had a nifty little 4 wheel drive Honda Wagovan he used for Atlantic Rallycross- and we snuck into the site of the highway while it was under construction and drive around like it was nobody's business in the dirt.. that was a blast.

I remember when they turned the Tacoma shopping centre into a plaza from an indoor mall- also when the separated the K-Mart to tear down the building to put up the Canadian Tire, I thought converting the mall like that was the most interesting thing. I also recall when the lot at the corner of the #7/Main St/Forest Hills was just a dirt lot and there was a farmer clems there every year before they put up the first "big" sobeys I ever remember. While on the topic of retail.. I remember when the portland street superstore had that huge blue and red box canopy-type thing that came off the front of the store that you could drive under, drop people off or load your car with groceries in inclement weather. The good old days of the Penhorn Mall sunday flea market.. and going way back I remember when there was a Woolco at penhorn- where wal-mart took over. In colby village, there was a Towers which was bought out and converted into a Zellers- which is now a new wal-mart. In the same plaza on the opposite end there was a small IGA which later became a superstore.

Halifax water also for years and years only had 1, nasty dingy looking concrete water tower on Mt. Edward Road.. then they put up a new metal one and then painted them both white, I also recall when Telus put up their tower on the same site on top of the hill.. then rogers went to do the same and the entire area got into a big uproar about there being 2 towers, and rogers ended up taking theirs down and relocating a kilometer or so out towards main st/highway.

[OldDartmouthMark]

In other cities these signs were usually erected on top of a large building. Here, since we had no tall buildings, they were put on the ground. :haha:

I also recall an animated neon sign in Downtown Dartmouth for the Royal Bank.

Interesting to see the old Zellers store on the site where Shoppers Drug Mart is now located.



I had forgotten all about that Sobeys store. I remember that space later became a McDonalds in the 1970s, and that it burned in the 1980s.

The return of Sobeys just north of this site next year will bring them full circle.
Sad to see that land up the hill from this site that was open at the time which is now a public housing ghetto.

:haha: Never thought about the sign from the tall-building perspective, it was always "just there"... makes sense though. :tup:

I remember that Zellers store well. Since I'm not in that neighborhood much anymore, every time I see the Shoppers Drug Mart there it still looks a little strange to me.

Here's another pic of the Zellers store from the sixties (source: NS archives):
http://i46.tinypic.com/vhyclt.jpg

I barely remember that Sobeys store, but remember well the McDonalds in the same location (and a bank?). That McDonalds was a popular hangout for Dartmouth High kids after the school dances.

Here's another pic of the Sobeys from the Chronicle Herald:
http://i50.tinypic.com/2wcr63c.jpg

Sigh... never quite understood the public housing ghetto thing... sure had a negative impact on the neighborhood.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Directly across the crosswalk form Sobeys was the location of Nova Scotia's first Tim Hortons. The old house on the corner and the small building on the next lot (a small barber shop) were torn down to build the donut shop. I remember they had probably 20 different flavors of filled donuts covered in powdered sugar.... they also sold really great pies. I think it opened in the summer of 1974.

I remember that Tim's well... back in the days when everything was baked onsite...

[HalifaxRetales]

Anyone happen to have a pic of the old IGA on Portland near Prince Arthur

[lawsond]

Just stumbled onto this thread and wondered if anyone is old enough to remember "The Arrow" dance club which is the first (and last) place I went disco dancing. From there, I graduated to the "Turret"....late '70s.
The Arrow I think was across from the Town Clock.

Also, my father always called the first KFC in the area in Bedford "Colonel Ernie's". Does anyone recall that nickname or was that just my father's fertile imagination...we went there in the early mid-60s when it was quite the thing.

Also does anyone recall seeing Scotia Square when it was just (gigantic) hole in the ground? I remember asking my parents what happened there as it looked like the Halifax Explosion. They said it was "a new mall".
I fell in love with the "idea" of Scotia Square...and the TV ad: "Shopping's never cold or wet...where the Funshine never sets...get the good good feeling. That very special feeling when you shop along the mall at Scotia Square". It wasn't until later when I realized that it was really killing the area around it. I still have a strange affection for it though...as it was the first new development downtown...and looked like Place VIlle Marie which I saw in person in 1970.

One more thing...was what we (and everyone) called "The Gag and Spew"...the Gardenview on SGR removed for the Park Lane Mall? I just returned to Halifax one time and noticed it was gone.

[lawsond]

http://http://www.halifaxhistory.ca/TownCountry.jpg

[pblaauw]

I believe there was a Dominion grocery store where Park Lane is now. I vaguely remember going there when I was a kid. I think the Garden View is where Hakim Optical was.

[teddifax]

Actually, the Garden View is where HMV was on SGR. The Cameo was a restaurant many years ago where Hakim Optical was and where Tim's is moving. The Arrow was a club replaced by the New Palace, where now HFX Sports Bar is. Colonel Ernie was the name of the franchisee for KFC way back in the 60's - we use to always call it Colonel Ernies. As for Scotia Square, I remember trying to peek into the windows at the new Woolco Department Store which was to open soon... the anticipation of having a department store downtown and a mall as well. It used to be a happening mall and upstairs had Village Square a separate mall made to look like a streetscape with Dick Turpin's Pub at the back end. Ahhh, memories....

[Jstaleness]

Also, my father always called the first KFC in the area in Bedford "Colonel Ernie's". Does anyone recall that nickname or was that just my father's fertile imagination...we went there in the early mid-60s when it was quite the thing.


http://www.halifaxhistory.ca/TownCountry.jpg

"Colonel Ernie" Edwards met Colonel Harland Sanders in the 50's and the Town & Country Restaurant at 6310 Quinpool Road became the first restaurant in Nova Scotia to serve Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was a very successful franchise and continues today at that location under the KFC logo/brand.

Photo and text source: http://www.halifaxhistory.ca/other-photo.html

[Keith P.]

Yes, the Town & Country (along with the Flamingo at Bayers Road Shopping Center) was one of my favorite places to go out for dinner in the early 1960s when I was just a kiddo. Despite all the other things on the menu that my parents would order, I would always get the Kentucky Fried Chicken, which in that environment, was served on a china plate with potatoes and veg.

[lawsond]

Right you are....The first KFC was on Quinpool Rd. I thought my dad was just doing his usual "thing" but Ernie has a history.
We also enjoyed the majestic cuisine of Ho Ho Hoagies Swiss Steak House. The home baked bread was really very good.
Also, The Ardmore Tea Room introduced a very important saying to our family. My friends went there and ordered eggs "over easy" This was decades ago. The waitress looked at them disgusted and said: "Eggs is eggs. Eat. 'em." That became the catch phrase for any time I acted "full of myself".
Thanks for filling in the blanks guys...and yes, I loved that darkish but fascintating food court on the second floor of Scotia Square.

[curnhalio]

I'm still pretty young at 29, but I can remember back to the early 90's when Bayers Rd, West End Mall, Downsview, and Penhorn were all indoor malls. I'm too young to have ever been in the Lighthouse Tavern, but I distinctly remember the painting of the blonde, nearly naked chick that was on the exterior wall. I would walk from St. Francis school to Barrington to take the 9 home just so I could look at it. I was 11 so I had that sort of child like, pre-pubescent fascination with it.

I can remember when Lacewood, Radcliffe, Langbrae and Farnham Gate just abruptly ended. I thought it was the weirdest thing, especially Lacewood, which had the painted lines right up to the barrier just past Caxton Close. This was the small window in the early 90's when Lacewood Terminal was appropriately sized.

I remember when the DMV was on Young St, and Kempt Rd continued as a one-way ramp on to Robie before the Esso and Tims were built.

I'm fortunate to have been in the North End tavern before it burned down. They had 2-for-1 steaks on Saturday night my wife and I would go there for steaks and beer, among the best steak I've ever had.

The Pizza Hut on Young when it was a full dine-in restaurant with dessert bar.

When the rail spur that ran along Kempt Rd was an active rail line, and waiting at the Lady Hammond Rd crossing for trains to pass.

When the Joe Howe ramp to/from the 102 ended at Dutch Village Rd, and the Keddy's Hotel at the start of the Bay Rd.

Some transit related memories:

The tiny old DSC terminal, soon to be replaced by the only slightly less tiny Bridge Terminal.

When the Classic 4-cylinder Turbo buses first arrived (967-974 and later 975-985). They had elementary school artwork on them for the first bit, and I thought they were so cool. They're nearly on the way out now, but I am fortunate to have been able to drive them.

The tiny GMC fishbowl buses, that always used to be on the 7 in the mornings.

That super-small terminal at Mic Mac Mall that buses had to zig zag through the parking lot just to get to.

The old (and superior) Mumford Terminal outside of West End Mall.

[JET]

do you remeber when the Dartmouth 'terminal' was on the other side of Nantucket and food could be bought inside?

[HalifaxRetales]

I remember when there used be Gas Station sin Parkades, the Texaco on Granville and the Shell on Abermarle

I remember when Bayers rd was the place to go because it had the only Kettle Creek

I remember when it was just KFC and GreenGable son Cole Harbour Rd

I remember when SuperStore on Portland was the Farm I bought fresh eggs at as a kid

I remember the Capitol on Portland being slanted and you could let your grocery cart go and it would zip to the other side of the store

I remember having to go to Canal St NSLC to get my Liquor License

I remember when Subway opened in Sackville in the early 80s and failed
then a few years later the one on Argyle opened and was the only one for a couple years

I remember all the Arcades, Backstreet Imports, Electric Avenue, Galaxy, Fantasy 2000

speaking of 2000 i remember Sheldon always trying to rip off kids at Odyssey 2000

I remember when it was big deal to drive to Halifax because they had Wendy's and Burger King

I remember lots of fires on Main St
Hub, MT Bellys, Ponderosa then Swiss Chalet in the same spot
and then Swiss Chalet again
the DQ burned to the ground but the sign out front still said come try our "Charbroiled burgers today"