ANYBODy still reading this post....I had a couple of weird thoughts.....weird that these two thoughts would be at the same time....whatever happened to Alan Merrill....and is the old strip joint still there...The Red Dog wasn't it?:evilsmile

Are you talking about Alan Merrill, the car saleman guy? I was in the army 1968-70 stationed near the District of Columbia. Interestingly, he found his way up there during that time, same pitch as used here! That was kinda funny. Didn't he have an unusual way of saying the word, "car", like "cahr" or something like that?

Yes, the Red Dog is still there. But, it sure ain't what it used to be.

Are you talking about Alan Merrill, the car saleman guy? I was in the army 1968-70 stationed near the District of Columbia. Interestingly, he found his way up there during that time, same pitch as used here! That was kinda funny. Didn't he have an unusual way of saying the word, "car", like "cahr" or something like that?

He had a marked lisp - "Route 66 in Yukon" came out as "Rowth Thixty-thix..."

Fun to imitate, especially after imbibing a couple of frosty adult beverages!

Yeah....he sounded like he came directly from the south side of Chicago...made millions during the energy crisis of early 70's........can't believe the Red Dog is still there....WOW!(an institute of higher learning for generations!)

He had a marked lisp - "Route 66 in Yukon" came out as "Rowth Thixty-thix..."

Fun to imitate, especially after imbibing a couple of frosty adult beverages!
He also said the words, "Proof Positive" in his ads. I hope nobody had to be in front of him when he said those words.

Lauri, you are so right about that lisp. I think that's what most people remembered.

When my brother was in the Navy, he once showed up at home on leave accompanied by a chap from New Jersey; after a couple of days, said chap observed Alan Merrell, and said "That's the first person I've heard here who didn't have an accent."

I guess that was before Al Eshback, huh?

Wow!
I just stumbled into this forum while checking out a Foreman Scotty link.
Reading this is really bringing back some memories. The old ads are awesome.
BTW...Neptunes on 31st and Classen is still open. Remember when it was Quicks?

Not sure if the Snake Farm question has been answered....but as I recall, Bob Jenni passed away in March of 2005. After his death, his wife Natalie disolved the Snake Farm. Not sure what became of the animals. He was an incredible man who was part of our childhood. He will be missed.

About the Foreman Scotty..... wasn't there a character on his show who played a roving reporter named "Scoop O'Brian"? He wasn't on every episode, but I'm almost sure it was the Foreman Scotty Show.

BTW...Neptunes on 31st and Classen is still open. Remember when it was Quicks?

Oh, yes! I loved Quicks burgers. For those who don't remember, they were McDonald's sized hamburgers, but instead of mustard and ketchup, their thing was hickory sauce! I've often wondered why the big chains (like McDonald's) have never tried that. I loved them. And good chocolate shakes, too. Wow - Quicks! Love those memories!

BTW, Welcome to OKCTalk, kentfromokc! Hope you stick around!

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Being of the same vintage as Rveit and many here - this thread has been wonderful.

Frederick's of Hollywood has also survived as one of the original Crossroad businesses. I was the assistant manager there on opening day of Crossroads Mall. Our most shoplifted item? Crotchless panties! lol

I graduated from Northeast HS, class of 73. We were bussed to NE - I should have been geographically assigned to Old Classen. We hung out on Classen a lot. Memorial Park was also a hot spot back then, especially on Friday nights after dark!

(sigh) Now I feel old.:eek:

I graduated from NE in 1969 and was the first class bussed to NE from Harding.
Sigh, I still remember the yearbook disaster of my senior year. Harding spent all of their yearbook money on the 1968 and so did NE. My senior year at NE had almost no money for the yearbook and it showed. It was the best they could come up with, but sadly not very good. Oh,well.

I also live a few blocks from Memorial Park. I have a friend or two that became preggers at that park. I took the high road and decided not to date til college (or rather the guys decided NOT to date me til then.) LOL Probably a good thing in the long run...cause I managed to graduate from HS and College before kids!

Oh, yes! I loved Quicks burgers. For those who don't remember, they were McDonald's sized hamburgers, but instead of mustard and ketchup, their thing was hickory sauce! I've often wondered why the big chains (like McDonald's) have never tried that. I loved them. And good chocolate shakes, too. Wow - Quicks! Love those memories!

BTW, Welcome to OKCTalk, kentfromokc! Hope you stick around!

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Quicks was the best! You had to pay a quarter to even get into the parking lot on the weekends. You got it back after you bought something to eat. They were that busy. We used to walk there from Harding for lunch. We were supposed to be walking home, but oh well. It is a sub sandwich place now and pretty decent. It has been there longer than Quicks.

:sofa:

ANYBODy still reading this post....I had a couple of weird thoughts.....weird that these two thoughts would be at the same time....whatever happened to Alan Merrill....and is the old strip joint still there...The Red Dog wasn't it?:evilsmile

Alan Merrill died several years ago. Yes, I remember his lisp and his "in You-can (yukon), Oklahoma," and the Mexican market.

The Red Dog is still around and as much of a dump and redneck hangout as ever.

Wow!
I just stumbled into this forum while checking out a Foreman Scotty link.
Reading this is really bringing back some memories. The old ads are awesome.
BTW...Neptunes on 31st and Classen is still open. Remember when it was Quicks?

Not sure if the Snake Farm question has been answered....but as I recall, Bob Jenni passed away in March of 2005. After his death, his wife Natalie disolved the Snake Farm. Not sure what became of the animals. He was an incredible man who was part of our childhood. He will be missed.

About the Foreman Scotty..... wasn't there a character on his show who played a roving reporter named "Scoop O'Brian"? He wasn't on every episode, but I'm almost sure it was the Foreman Scotty Show.

Thanks for the information on Bob Jenny...and keeping my thread active. I have had so much fun reading about everyone's memories. I wish so badly that I would have stopped and visited Bob's Snake Farm when I saw it originally. He was a cool dude, way before his time inthe reptile handling arena.

Wouldn't it be cool to find Foreman Scotty or Auction with Ho Ho videos. I remember watching them and all of the old Tarzan movies on Saturday mornings. If you haven't read it in this thread Cheetah the chimp is still alive! I donated $125to the sanctuary he lives in and hew painted a really cool picture that is hanging proudly in my living room> If anyone wants the website just let me know.

Anyway, I was sure glad to check in and see the "Memories" thread still going...it has been fun!

About the Foreman Scotty..... wasn't there a character on his show who played a roving reporter named "Scoop O'Brian"? He wasn't on every episode, but I'm almost sure it was the Foreman Scotty Show.

I don't remember Scoop O'brien being on "Foreman Scotty" (@1958-9) but I'm thinking he was on after "Foreman Scotty" and during the "The Adventures of Superman" and "Crusader Rabbit". He sat at a desk with a typewriter and dressed like Jimmy Olsen with a hat and big glasses. He'd announce the show and make an appearance, probably hawking a product or saying we'll be right back. That was a popular thing to do back then.

I don't remember Scoop O'brien being on "Foreman Scotty" (@1958-9) but I'm thinking he was on after "Foreman Scotty" and during the "The Adventures of Superman" and "Crusader Rabbit". He sat at a desk with a typewriter and dressed like Jimmy Olsen with a hat and big glasses. He'd announce the show and make an appearance, probably hawking a product or saying we'll be right back. That was a popular thing to do back then.

You are correct. I knew there was a reporter character but had forgotten the name. I think he was played by Wakefield Holly.

Oh, yes! I loved Quicks burgers. For those who don't remember, they were McDonald's sized hamburgers, but instead of mustard and ketchup, their thing was hickory sauce! I've often wondered why the big chains (like McDonald's) have never tried that. I loved them. And good chocolate shakes, too. Wow - Quicks! Love those memories!

I remember Quick's. It was one of the turn-a-rounds when cruising. I remember Officer Rains, the OKC cop working Quick's security, and when he bought his Kawasaki Mach III.

Prunepicker

I miss Crystal's Pizza! When my hubby & I drove to Dallas to fly out for our honeymoon, we made a point of driving halfway across the city just to eat at Crystal's. :) I'm still in love with their cheese pizza... and skeeball, of course!

I wonder why they closed the I-240 location back in the day? Was that right around the time of the shooting at the Sizzler (or whatever it was called) over there?

was that right around the time of the shooting at the sizzler (or whatever it was called) over there?

no... crystal's closed over a decade after the sirloin stockade incident. -M

I remember going to the drive-in on 59th & Santa Fe (think thats where its at). The last movie I saw there was Batman Begins. I went with my mom during the summer in her convertible 1991 Pontiac Sunbird, boy did I feel cool. I fell asleep about 5 minutes after the movie came on, lol. I wish we had a more upscale drive in, other than the one on Western with the waving cowboy my stepdaughter always refers to when we drive by, I did the same when I was young, always waving at it. Last time I went there the bathrooms and concessions were pretty ran down, I haven't even bothered to try again.

I read about the First National Clock being fixed yesterday and remembered when I was a kid the sign on top of the building that spelled out First National Bank and had the time. When my family had been out of town I remember seeing that on our way back and thinking "We're Home"

I read about the First National Clock being fixed yesterday and remembered when I was a kid the sign on top of the building that spelled out First National Bank and had the time. When my family had been out of town I remember seeing that on our way back and thinking "We're Home"

Are you thinking of First National Bank? I don't remember that at First, but remember when the old Liberty (called CITY National Bank at the time) did that. In fact, it didn't just spell it out - it wrote out the C-I-T-Y --- in script. I always thought that was very different. It certainly made a big impression on a lot of people at the time.

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you are right! I forgot that is what it said.
Tahnks

I miss Crystal's Pizza! I'm still in love with their cheese pizza... and skeeball, of course!

I wonder why they closed the I-240 location back in the day? Was that right around the time of the shooting at the Sizzler (or whatever it was called) over there?

I have no idea why they closed. You're thinking of the Sirloin Stockade. The northside Crystals seemed to be busy until the end.

They were owned by Casa Bonita, probably the most awful Mexican food in the world. You could get better Mexican food in Mandalay, Burma.

Crystals pizza was very good. Was there one in Tulsa on 21st and Sheridan? Yale? or was that Casa Bonita?

Prunepicker

Does anyone remember: the original Sussy's Italian Restaurant on Lincoln Blvd, where the servers put cloth bibs on all the customers, the trampolines on North May just off 39th Street, the outdoor ''watermelon place'
across from those trampolines, swimming at the Village Pool, Wedgewood Amusement Park and it's Saturday night Kaleidescope Dances, where The Who once performed, Sonic carhops that wore roller skates, Puddin' Lane Bowlin' Alley with Pappy's Pool Hall in the back, (my father's favorite hang out), the Paul Bunyan hamburger served at the Villager diner on Britton Rd, Taco Boy on NW 36th and May that was flattened by a tornado around 1969, ice skating after the Blazer games on Friday nights, the car races at the fairgrounds speedway, these are some of my favorite things as a child growing up in OKC.

Does anyone remember: the original Sussy's Italian Restaurant on Lincoln Blvd, where the servers put cloth bibs on all the customers, the trampolines on North May just off 39th Street, the outdoor ''watermelon place'
across from those trampolines, swimming at the Village Pool, Wedgewood Amusement Park and it's Saturday night Kaleidescope Dances, where The Who once performed, Sonic carhops that wore roller skates, Puddin' Lane Bowlin' Alley with Pappy's Pool Hall in the back, (my father's favorite hang out), the Paul Bunyan hamburger served at the Villager diner on Britton Rd, Taco Boy on NW 36th and May that was flattened by a tornado around 1969, ice skating after the Blazer games on Friday nights, the car races at the fairgrounds speedway, these are some of my favorite things as a child growing up in OKC.

I remember:
Sussy's. The last time I drove by there was still nothing there. Jake Samara, the owner, told me the original Sussy's was on 23rd street near the capitol and was called the "Tempo" until Jack Sussy came in one day and said he was going to work for him. I've still got a copy of a check he wrote me that said "Sussy's/King's Club.

Everything about Wedgewood, including when they had the contest to see how long a Volkswagen could stay afloat in the pool.

Sonic carhops with skates. That was always a mess.

The stock car races at the Fairgrounds AND at Taft Stadium until @63? I also remember the drag races at the Fairgrounds. Last I looked the strip was still there.

The skating after the Blazers games. Does anybody remember the Tower Optician's carpet they rolled out for Score-O?

I don't remember the trampolines or the Village pool.
The watermelon place.
Taco Boy.

Where was the Puddin' Lane Bowling alley? I remember a Puddin' Lane grocery in Mayfair shopping center.

Was Bonaparte's Drive In (39th expressway) where Jimmy's Egg is now?

Who remembers Elmwood park on S. Shields?

Prunepicker

I remember:
Sussy's. The last time I drove by there was still nothing there. Jake Samara, the owner, told me the original Sussy's was on 23rd street near the capitol and was called the "Tempo" until Jack Sussy came in one day and said he was going to work for him. I've still got a copy of a check he wrote me that said "Sussy's/King's Club.

Everything about Wedgewood, including when they had the contest to see how long a Volkswagen could stay afloat in the pool.

Sonic carhops with skates. That was always a mess.

The stock car races at the Fairgrounds AND at Taft Stadium until @63? I also remember the drag races at the Fairgrounds. Last I looked the strip was still there.

The skating after the Blazers games. Does anybody remember the Tower Optician's carpet they rolled out for Score-O?

I don't remember the trampolines or the Village pool.
The watermelon place.
Taco Boy.

Where was the Puddin' Lane Bowling alley? I remember a Puddin' Lane grocery in Mayfair shopping center.

Was Bonaparte's Drive In (39th expressway) where Jimmy's Egg is now?

Who remembers Elmwood park on S. Shields?

Prunepicker

Prunepicker: Remember Thriftywise drug store with the owl sign & logo in Mayfair? A small cafeteria in Mayfair called Hart's? Rector's books? Stone's IGA? Otasco? I want to place the big Thriftywise drug store where the grocery store (Stone's, Puddin' Lane and all the incarnations) is now. Which is ironic, since the building is being torn down to become a drug store. I might be wrong about that, but I want to put Thriftywise right there on the corner.

Okiegal57: I remember the watermelon stands that were at several major intersections around town, complete with tents and picnic tables. Are you sure the one on 39th wasn't at Portland where they built the Portland Plaza shopping center? Wedgewood was such great fun! There's an excellent Wedgewood website at www.picturemeonline.com/wedgewood (http://www.picturemeonline.com/wedgewood)

Does anyone remember Spanky McFarland's pizza place (Spanky's Pizza) on May Avenue around 36th street?

I love nothing better on these boards than the nostalgia threads. So many great memories.

Prunepicker: Remember Thriftywise drug store with the owl sign & logo in Mayfair? A small cafeteria in Mayfair called Hart's? Rector's books? Stone's IGA? Otasco? I want to place the big Thriftywise drug store where the grocery store (Stone's and all the incarnations) is now. Which is ironic, since the building is being torn down to become a drug store. I might be wrong about that, but I want to put Thriftywise right there on the corner.

Okiegal57: I remember the watermelon stands that were at several major intersections around town, complete with tents and picnic tables. Are you sure the one on 39th wasn't at Portland where they built the Portland Plaza shopping center? Wedgewood was such great fun! There's an excellent Wedgewood website at PMO :: Home (http://www.picturemeonline.com/wedgewood)

Does anyone remember Spanky McFarland's pizza place (Spanky's Pizza) on May Avenue around 36th street?

I love nothing better on these boards than the nostalgia threads. So many great memories.

When we moved to Oklahoma City in 1960, there was a place called Katz where Mayfair Market is now. Plus, my mom shopped at both Spartan's and Atlantic. Spartan's was across from the fairgrounds, and Atlantic was in Economy Square. They merged, forming Spartan-Atlantic, then folded. And, yes. I remember Elmwood. We went there all the time.

I bet there are a lot of southside natives that remember Dodson's.

When we moved to Oklahoma City in 1960, there was a place called Katz where Mayfair Market is now. Plus, my mom shopped at both Spartan's and Atlantic. Spartan's was across from the fairgrounds, and Atlantic was in Economy Square. They merged, forming Spartan-Atlantic, then folded. And, yes. I remember Elmwood. We went there all the time.

I bet there are a lot of southside natives that remember Dodson's.

mranderson, You are right! Katz Drug, in fact, may have been there before any of them. I remember Spartan-Atlantic well and their hardwood floors that made an awful racket when the shopping carts rolled across the floor (loved it!). I also remember AMC being the first "membership" store (had to show a card to get in), and then Founders Fair on North May which later became Trade Mart groceries and then an attempt at being an event center before finally meeting the wrecking ball. Best Buy and all that is there now. mranderson, being from the southside, do you remember one of those watermelon stands under the big tents down there not far from a miniature golf course on kind of an out of the way road? I remember lots of trees.

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Thriftywise drug store with the owl sign & logo in Mayfair? A small cafeteria in Mayfair called Hart's? Rector's books? Stone's IGA? Otasco? I want to place the big Thriftywise drug store where the grocery store (Stone's, Puddin' Lane and all the incarnations) is now. Which is ironic, since the building is being torn down to become a drug store. I might be wrong about that, but I want to put Thriftywise right there on the corner.

Does anyone remember Spanky McFarland's pizza place (Spanky's Pizza) on May Avenue around 36th street?

I don't remember Thriftywise Drug or Hart's.

I do remember Rector's books. Stone's was the stand alone building. The old man would take the money to the bank, across the street, in a bag and he'd carry a huge revolver. Puddin' Lane grocery was in the south section of what is now Michaels. Stones was afterwards.

Gene Warr is allowing a piece of his precious property to be tore down?

Wasn't Spanky's on the east side May across the street from the Dodge dealership? Just north of 39th Expressway? I thought it became the Draught Board (a bar) in the 70's.

Prunepicker

I don't remember Thriftywise Drug or Hart's.

I do remember Rector's books. Stone's was the stand alone building. The old man would take the money to the bank, across the street, in a bag and he'd carry a huge revolver. Puddin' Lane grocery was in the south section of what is now Michaels. Stones was afterwards.

Gene Warr is allowing a piece of his precious property to be tore down?

Wasn't Spanky's on the east side May across the street from the Dodge dealership? Just north of 39th Expressway? I thought it became the Draught Board (a bar) in the 70's.

Prunepicker

Prunepicker:

I forgot about Puddin' Lane being across the street. It's funny though, as soon as I read that - I remembered it perfectly in the mind's eye. Strange, huh?

Hart's took the entire building where the tailor shop and Aladdin Books are today. It was a small cafeteria, mid-late 60's I believe.

Spanky's: Yes, it was on the east side of May and it possibly was in the location you're talking about. I'm having a hard time placing it exactly. Dunn's Dairy Queen was also just north of 39th and a Mobil gas station was on the corner of 39th and May. I would LOVE to see an old film reel of someone just pointing their camera up and down some of these old streets. Wouldn't that be a blast?

Mayfair Village was sold to an out-of-state investor last year. In fact, the investor is who recently refused to renew the lease of Mayfair Market (even at the Williams offer of double the rent!). They accepted the bid from CVS for the land. They will be tearing it down (permits already issued) and building yet another cookie-cutter CVS.
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When we moved to Oklahoma City in 1960, there was a place called Katz where Mayfair Market is now. Plus, my mom shopped at both Spartan's and Atlantic. Spartan's was across from the fairgrounds, and Atlantic was in Economy Square. They merged, forming Spartan-Atlantic, then folded. And, yes. I remember Elmwood. We went there all the time.

I bet there are a lot of southside natives that remember Dodson's.

We thought Atlantic-Mills and Spartan were the greatest stores in the world. Jim's IGA was our grocery.

I remember Dodson's very well. Was the grocery store on the corner called 'Big Value'? We were members of the Hillcrest C.C.

Katz was there? I'm trying to see the sign. I think I'm only seeing the downtown store on the corner. I don't remember that part of Mayfair Village. J.C. Penny's, Rothschild's and B.C. Clarks were in that SW section of the center as was OTASCO.

Are there any photos on the web of these areas?

Prunepicker

Hart's took the entire building where the tailor shop and Aladdin Books are today. It was a small cafeteria, mid-late 60's I believe.

Mayfair Village was sold to an out-of-state investor last year. In fact, the investor is who recently refused to renew the lease of Mayfair Market (even at the Williams offer of double the rent!). They accepted the bid from CVS for the land. They will be tearing it down (permits already issued) and building yet another cookie-cutter CVS

The barber shop has been there since 1958. It's the only original shop in the center. I still don't remember the cafeteria.

I'm wondering if Gene Warr is still in charge of his properties. He's very old. That's the first time I ever remember a piece of his property being sold to anybody.

Mayfair Village was in awful shape. When he put up that new facade around 1988 he hired the cheapest contractors he could find. The wiring was a rat's nest and not much better afterwards. It's a wonder the place hadn't burned to the ground.

Prunepicker

The barber shop has been there since 1958. It's the only original shop in the center. I still don't remember the cafeteria.

I'm wondering if Gene Warr is still in charge of his properties. He's very old. That's the first time I ever remember a piece of his property being sold to anybody.

Mayfair Village was in awful shape. When he put up that new facade around 1988 he hired the cheapest contractors he could find. The wiring was a rat's nest and not much better afterwards. It's a wonder the place hadn't burned to the ground.

Prunepicker

The barber shop was always there, you are right. I am going to check the old Yellow Pages at the Downtown Library about some of these places. This discussion has raised my curiosity about my own memory. I know Katz was there at one point, and Hart's - I'm going to check that out. Otasco was in the SE corner with the garage doors facing May Avenue. I know that because my Grandfather worked there. As for the Warr family selling Mayfair Village - it was last April. Here's an article about Mayfair Village shutting down:

Store's closing ends era seniors worry about losing community

By Trisha Evans
Business Writer


Pat Miller isn't scared of very much anymore — age has a way of shattering timidity. But she is afraid of losing a community and way of life.

She's not alone. Other seniors who live close and shop at Mayfair Market say they will be lost when the more than 50-year-old grocery closes next month.

"There are people who are just devastated,” Miller said. "It's like losing an arm.”


Many seniors now walk to the store and others don't feel safe driving on major streets to get to other stores, she said.

Store co-owner Jeff Williams doesn't know who will serve the elderly residents who come to the market for carry-out service, small size and post office. The store also delivers groceries to several who are shut in, he said.


But the decision is out of his hands. The land was leased to CVS. The building will be torn down and a pharmacy will be built.

A California investor bought the family-owned Mayfair Village shopping center in April. Williams said he offered to pay double in rent, more than $10,000 a month, in order to keep the store. But his offer wasn't sweet enough.
"We could have offered to triple our lease, but CVS would have still outbid us,” Williams said. "I'm sad. I hate it that we have to leave.”
Drugstore wars?


Williams and nearby residents both say the grocery store was caught in a competitive war between CVS and the Walgreens across the street.


CVS officials say similar demographics drew them to the area, not their competitor. The company denies they are responsible for the grocery store going out of business.

"The property became available and we took the opportunity,” CVS spokesman Mike DeAngelis said. "Economically, it's very hard for grocery stores to survive in that small a footprint.”


Nonetheless, the issue is an emotional one.

"There have been tears shed on the floor. Some of these people have worked here for 30 years,” Williams said. "I've got customers in their 80s and they've been shopping here their whole lives.”


For 93-year-old Juanita Schwarberg the store is one-stop-shop. She banks at Union Bank next door and picks up stamps at the post office.

Since she doesn't drive on highways anymore, her options are limited to the SuperTarget nearby, which doesn't have a full line of groceries and is too big, she said.

"I'm just burned up about this,” she said. "We're losing all of our good grocery stores.”


Longtime employees like Earla Miles are also disappointed, but many will commute to Del City or Choctaw to work in Williams' other stores.
"I feel bad for the customers,” Miles said. "I know a lot of the customers. It's just hard to see it go.”


Local residents recently organized two community meetings at Central Presbyterian Church to protest the decision and voice concerns with city officials and a CVS representative.


"There's nothing CVS could have given us except a grocery store,” Miller said.


She said residents want fresh meat and produce and to see familiar faces and neighbors in the aisles. A grocery store has a way of tying a community together, a community she said is already starting to unravel.

"If we have to go elsewhere to get groceries, we'll probably go elsewhere for everything else,” she said. "It's destroyed the family neighborhood. We're lost no matter what.”

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This thread sure makes me feel young.

Here's the Oklahokman article relating to the Warr family selling 3 shopping centers, including Mayfair Village:

Timing was right for family's sale of Mayfair Village
April 28, 2006
Richard Mize; Real Estate Editor


A CALIFORNIA investor bought Mayfair Village, family-owned since developed in the 1950s, and two other high-profile shopping centers this week in a single $30.1-million deal.

Mayfair Village had been in the hands of the Warr family - for whom the city of Warr Acres is named - since C.B. Warr developed it in the 1950s on both sides of May Avenue between NW 47 and NW 50.

Mayfair Village fetched $13.5 million. Midland Plaza at Independence Avenue and Northwest Expressway brought $9.05 million. Market Place Shopping Center at 33rd Street and Boulevard in Edmond sold for $7.55 million.

The sale of Mayfair Village to an out-of-state owner will come as a surprise to some, but it is a sign of the times.

California money is worth so much more in Oklahoma that such deals have become commonplace. The buyer was Bernard Rosenson of Woodland Hills, Calif. He could not be reached for comment.

"It was a good deal for the sellers. They got far more than what the replacement cost is. The cap rates are low, below market," said Paul Ravencraft, retail property specialist with Price Edwards & Co., which handled the deal.

Capitalization rates measure a rental property's value by dividing net operating income by price. Cap rates are low in Oklahoma compared with the West Coast because property values here are comparatively low, making Oklahoma a good place to park capital leaving a higher-price market.

The buyer had money coming out a 1031 tax-free exchange allowed under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The law allows "like-kind" exchanges of investment property free of capital gains taxation under certain circumstances.

"He had to place some money. There's just not that many of these kinds of deals to wrap your arms around," Ravencraft said, noting that the three-property transaction - involving three separate owners - was unusual.

It was the right time to sell, said Kory Warr, whose grandfather C.B. developed Mayfair Village and whose father, Gene, led the family business in new directions during his tenure. Kory Warr said the sale represents another major shift in emphasis for the family business.

"Given where we are in the real estate market right now, and given the age and location of the property, we feel this sale represents our opportunity to get the most value out of this asset," he said. "The sale of Mayfair will enable us to reposition the company for the future by shifting our focus to value-creation through development rather than through management of mature properties.

"God willing, we will reinvest the cash we take out of this deal in developments that will be stable and profitable in the long term."

Asked whether it was difficult to sell the property his grandfather developed and his father maintained for so many years, Warr said, "Sentimentality is profitable only to greeting card companies."

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Man, there are lots of things here brining up memories for me...

I grew up in SW OKC, and Dodson's was the place to go for a fancy lunch after church, if my dad (who basically hated church) would let us go. I remember my standard lunch: veal cutlet, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, and chocolate ice-box pie. I can still remember the sound of the organist in the background as the smells from that serving line wafted over the dining area, and the "clink-clink-clink" of real silverware hitting real plates.

One of the most fun memories I have of Dodson's as a kid...during the summertime, my mom and I would just about always go pick up her mom and we'd spend the day running around town. One day, we got a wild notion to go have some Dodson's chocolate ice-box pie, so we went there, bought an entire pie, took it back to my grandmother's house, and ate the whole cotton picking thing right there. It was a luscious and memorable indulgence as we sat at my grandmother's Duncan-Fife dining table in her too-small house and laughed out loud at our collective gluttony. What makes it all the funnier is that my grandmother could stand sideways and disappear; she never weighed more than 90 lbs as long as I knew her, and she ate every kind of food that would be considered "illegal" today while living into her late eighties.

A standard summer morning for my mom and me would be to pile in the car, head to TG&Y where I'd sometimes grab a new package of Bugs Bunny comic books, a new set of View Master reels, Matchbox cars, or maybe a coloring book and crayons. We'd probably then head over to Sears on SW 44th to either pick up or return some sort of catalog order, usually clothes, and a wonderfully pleasant lady named (if memory serves) Mrs. Garnstead almost always waited on us. I'd stroll over to the sporting goods area where they always had Pong set up...and you could grab the scent of the nuts and popcorn coming from the candy center just down the corridor (not many people realize Sears used to have one).

The TG&Y on 74th was as much an event as it was a place to shop. It was so huge; records at one end, furniture and TV's in the other, photo studio, snack bar, and pharmacy in the middle...just next to Jim's IGA. A grzzly old guy named Homer Brock owned the Radio Shack store that used to be in the east end of that center. A big storm rolled through one day in 1973 and blew down the Southern Hills Shopping Center sign - flat to the ground, the debris running parallel to Penn.

I remember when Crossroads first went under construction, and the first early steel framework got blown away by a small tornado and had to be rebuilt, and I remember how cool it was for something like Crossroads to be so close to my house! And the "Le Mans Speedway" was just unreal with its bumper cars and pinball machines...Emmer Brothers spanned both floors on the west end just before you got to Penny's, Napoleon Nash was just outside of Dillard's, and John A. Brown opened where Macy's sits now....

okay, okay, I'm blathering...lots of great memories coming back...

-soonerdave

What a fun read. I was on Foreman Scotty "with a cute pixie haircut." The ultimate was to be there on your birthday, you got to sit on Woody, the horse.

I moved to OKC in 75 from Shawnee because "there was nothing to do".

I worked at the TG&Y National office until they folded in 1985. Saw Iron Butterfly on Paseo and remember Alan Merrell Chev. and Linda Soundtrack.

okay, okay, I'm blathering...lots of great memories coming back...
-soonerdave

No, no, no! A lot of what is posted on this board is "blather," but I love to the nostalgia threads and read the memories of others early days in Oklahoma City. Did Dodson's use a xylophone to summon staff for people who needed help with their trays? SoonerDave, that was great stuff, thanks for sharing. You know, some of my great early memories also involved TG&Y in one way or another. I remember mostly being in the dime stores, and then when they opened their "TG&Y Family Centers" they seemed HUGE.

----------------

writerranger, thanks for the encouragement :)

I don't think Dodson's used a xylophone. I believe the lady at the end of the serving line who prepared your ticket (you didn't actually pay until you left) just rang a bell when someone needed assistance.

No, there's never going to be anything like TG&Y again, although in the five-and-dime arena, Walgreens comes awfully close...it was really sad to see later management come in and try to make TG&Y something it wasn't, and it literally killed the entire chain. It was so, so sad. I worked at a TG&Y as a stock boy, and it's a miracle I didn't get fired for one stupid thing I did. I was pulling layaways, and one day I was told to go get an unfinished desk out of storage for a customer. I went to the storage area (a miserably hot place on the east end of the center, basically surrounded by just sheet metal and not one breath of air in it), found the desk, and took it back to a conveyor system to get it downstairs. Well, the desk was just barely more than a couple sheets of thin plywood stapled together, so when I put it on the conveyor and hit the switch, the belt tore the side of the desk off!!! I was horrified. Fortunately, the manager took pity on me and just had me get another one, and someone showed me how to load it properly...

Heck, I had the good fortune of having been on Foreman Scotty TWICE. Magic Lasso, Buffalo Nickels, "Cannonball," just all too cool. Talk about the glory days of local television; it was awesome - the Circle 4 Ranch. Does anyone here remember going to the fairgrounds to get their Secret Decoder Cards from Foreman Scotty to send messages to bypass The Count? And the "Control Center" with "teletransporter" he built that I realize now, thirty years
later, was supposed to look like the bridge of the Enterprise....he played all kinds of fun games - Polka Dot, The Friendship Wheel, and in fact I *still* have a Channel Master transistor radio I won from Foreman Scotty *and it still works perfectly*. Not many folks realize that Danny Williams, who played Xavier T. Willard (Willie), is also the brother of former WKY TV meteorologist Jim Williams.

HoHo on KOCO was their answer to Bozo the Clown, and I got to see him in person once; what a sweet and gentle man he was. He never talked down to kids, never treated them like idiots (as most kid-oriented TV does these days) he just had fun showing their hand-crayoned pictures on camera, trading jokes with Pokey the Puppet, and talking to the dog named "Dog." He'd show cool movies on his "Tempus Levitator," and give away Tootsie Roll banks and cans of "Suga Duga," which was nothing more than flavored table sugar (banana, berry, and a few others come to mind). HoHo, played by a man named Ed Birchall, was about as opposite a contemporary kid-oriented TV personality as you can get.

Channel 9 never really had any kid-themed shows, at least not that I remember. They always had Wayne Liles and Bill Hare early in the morning with their Evergreen Farm Report, and even though I had no clue what they were, I always knew the price of "Barrows and Gilts" (which I'm sure I spelled incorrectly), mixed in between Mr. Magoo cartoons.

Shifting slightly away from TV, does anyone remember the Shakey's Pizza restaurants here in town? There used to be several. The one we used to frequent was over on S. Western, and they had the most marvelous pepperoni pizza anywhere - I've never tasted anything quite like it since. The atmosphere was awesome, with its blue-and-red-keyed rinky-tink player piano and dark-hewed tables and giant pitchers of soft drinks; man, it just didn't get any better than Shakey's. The remanants of an original Shakey's building is still around over on SE 29th in Del City, under the name of "Round Up Pizza."

-soonerdave

And the "Control Center" with "teletransporter" he built that I realize now, thirty years
later, was supposed to look like the bridge of the Enterprise....

I swear it was used during 3D Danny and that was in the 50's. 3D was over just after 1960.


HoHo on KOCO was their answer to Bozo the Clown... he just had fun showing their hand-crayoned pictures on camera, trading jokes with Pokey the Puppet, and talking to the dog named "Dog."

The dog's name was Queenie. I know who she was named after but swore to never tell.


Channel 9 never really had any kid-themed shows...

Weren't Kaptain Kangaroo (nat'l syndicate) and Miss Fran from Storyland (local) on 9?


...does anyone remember the Shakey's Pizza restaurants here in town?
Shakey's was great. They had an all you can eat buffet with fried chicken. I'd stuff myself on pepperoni pizza and fried chicken. OH! And those potatoes! We went to the one on S. Western, too. I went to the one on N.W. 39th most often.

Who played the organ at Dodson's?

Prunepicker

..Sears on SW 44th to either pick up or return some sort of catalog order, usually clothes, and a wonderfully pleasant lady named (if memory serves) Mrs. Garnstead almost always waited on us.

Ahh, the days when employees worked on commission. Not that most weren't nice people but if they treated you badly you'd ask for someone else and they'd lose $$$ on the sale. The good people almost always stayed. They could make good money.


...and you could grab the scent of the nuts and popcorn coming from the candy center just down the corridor (not many people realize Sears used to have one).

The Sears on NW 23rd. We'd enter from the west doors and walk right into that smell. Chocolate Stars and Popcorn. I still smell it. THAT is a memory the wife and I talk about quite often.

Prunepicker

I remember
- The Paul Mead insurance commercials
- Shopping at Rothchilds, Anthony's, Sanger Harris, AMC, TG&Y, OTASCO, Gibson's
- When we still had Dairy Queen and Taco Tico here
- Taco Boy (I think the same place)/ Del Taco in Del City
- the thrift store at about 12th and Janeway in Moore (had a funny name- don't remember what it was. I think the place closed in the late 80s.)


And some things I wish I remembered-
- was there a Fuddrucker's or something with a similar name somewhere on the southside?
- What was where the Ford Center is, before the Ford Center was there?
- What happened to Dave of Dave and Dan on KXY?

I swear it was used during 3D Danny and that was in the 50's. 3D was over just after 1960.



The dog's name was Queenie. I know who she was named after but swore to never tell.



Weren't Kaptain Kangaroo (nat'l syndicate) and Miss Fran from Storyland (local) on 9?


Shakey's was great. They had an all you can eat buffet with fried chicken. I'd stuff myself on pepperoni pizza and fried chicken. OH! And those potatoes! We went to the one on S. Western, too. I went to the one on N.W. 39th most often.

Who played the organ at Dodson's?

Prunepicker

3D Danny even predates me. Danny Williams did it from the day WKY first went on the air until sometime in the mid 50's. I do not remember watching it. I never missed Forman Scotty.

Ho-Ho's dog was taught to not respond to her name. She would only go to him if he called her a d-o-g because she did not think she was a dog.

I remember the last time I saw Ed Birchall. He was driving down my street on the way to a gig. A friend of mine and I had just overhauled an old lawn mower engine my dad had, and I put a long pipe where the muffler was. We had six incles of snow on the ground, and Ho-Ho stopped his car, an old Edsel, took our picture with the lawn mower and asked "you guys mowing the snow?"

Yes. "Captain Kangaroo" and "Miss Fran From Storyland" were both on KWTV, channel 9.

Soonerdave: Based on the description of your incident, I would guess you worked at TG&Y 411.

- was there a Fuddrucker's or something with a similar name somewhere on the southside?
- What was where the 'place the Hornets play', before 'place the Hornets play' was there?

There was a Fuddruckers.

The Continental Baking Company was where' the Hornets play' They baked Wonder Bread. Many times, maybe every year, they'd let loose a million balloons and the sky would look like a Wonder Bread loaf. Pretty cool.

Prunepicker

3D Danny even predates me. Danny Williams did it from the day WKY first went on the air until sometime in the mid 50's. I do not remember watching it. I never missed Forman Scotty.

When we moved here from where they pick prunes, in 1958, I would watch it. It was one of the first shows I ever watched in Oklahoma. Foreman Scotty came on in 1960.

Prunepicker

was there a Fuddrucker's or something with a similar name somewhere on the southside?


Absolutely. Actually, it came after a "fix-it-yourself" burger chain called Longneckers that opened up in the TG&Y parking lot. Fudd's was in the strip shopping mall on S Western where Taste of China is right now.

Yes, mranderson, TGY 411 was where I worked....bit of irony there about the man who hired me back then - he and I are now both deacons at our church.

Miss Fran's storytime was strictly a Sunday-only thing on Channel 9, wasn't it? Foreman Scotty and HoHo were five-day-a-week things that both stations really poured some effort into...that's why I didn't really think much about them, particularly since Captain Kangaroo was a CBS entity.

Dunn's Dairy Queens were all over town way back when, and I sure miss them. Sad thing is that they all started deteriorating rather conspicuously in later years, and there was really only one worth visiting. The last one I know of in the central Oklahoma area was in Norman on Main Street, but it was closed and torn down over a year ago. I have NO place to get my Oreo Blizzards, although DQ's are plentiful in Texas..

Both of the Sears stores had candy counters. Thet Sears on 44th also had a coffee shop on the south end, and it actually also had light sandwiches and snacks. Heck, that was back when Sears sold heavy furniture like dining room sets with hutches and side tables. There also used to be an Allstate booth on the left just as you entered through the west side of the store.

The "Control Center" that Foreman Scotty used had the "teletransporter" in the middle - just a door with a couple of dials and a needle that would move from one end to the other. To the right was a set of "control screens" that listed things Foreman Scotty could show, including "Laurel and Hardy" movies, "Cartoons," and a couple other things that escape me at the moment. As I think back, it was pretty darned sophisticated (well, maybe not exactly the right word) for a local TV station.

One other thing comes to mind - anyone remember the "Stars and Stripes" show that used to be held at the Myriad and broadcast nationwide on NBC on or about July 4th? Bob Hope hosted it, and would typically bring in a *bunch* of big name stars of that era. We actually got tickets to see it live once or twice, and it was a heck of an event.

-soonerdave

Yes, mranderson, TGY 411 was where I worked....bit of irony there about the man who hired me back then - he and I are now both deacons at our church.

The Mercer's had a jewelry store there. Bobby Mercer, **** Yankee, was their son, wasn't he?


Miss Fran's storytime was strictly a Sunday-only thing on Channel 9, wasn't it?

Miss Fran was M-F and came on @7:50am. She may have been on Sunday am but I would have been in church at that time.


One other thing comes to mind - anyone remember the "Stars and Stripes" show that used to be held at the Myriad and broadcast nationwide on NBC on or about July 4th? Bob Hope hosted it, and would typically bring in a *bunch* of big name stars of that era. We actually got tickets to see it live once or twice, and it was a heck of an event.

I remember when the park was dedicated. Bob Hope was at that event. It was a big deal. A friend and I went to the park later that night and after everyone had left. There were a million places to hide at that lake.

Prunepicker

Absolutely. Actually, it came after a "fix-it-yourself" burger chain called Longneckers that opened up in the TG&Y parking lot. Fudd's was in the strip shopping mall on S Western where Taste of China is right now.

-soonerdave

Longneckers- I bet that's what I'm thinking of. I once asked my mother if she knew what the hamburger place was and she said Fuddruckers but I didn't remember it as a Fuddruckers. I guess we're both right.

The Mercer's had a jewelry store there. Bobby Mercer, **** Yankee, was their son, wasn't he?



Miss Fran was M-F and came on @7:50am. She may have been on Sunday am but I would have been in church at that time.



I remember when the park was dedicated. Bob Hope was at that event. It was a big deal. A friend and I went to the park later that night and after everyone had left. There were a million places to hide at that lake.

Prunepicker

Yes. I went to school with Bobby's brother, Randy, and knew Bobby fairly well then. BTW: Both of his parents are dead now. I think his mom died of cancer and his dad committed suicide. Either that or it was the other way around. Also. I usually do not correct spelling, however, this is an excption. They spell their last name M-u-r-c-e-r.

Re Stars and Stripes

I remember when the park was dedicated. Bob Hope was at that event. It was a big deal. A friend and I went to the park later that night and after everyone had left. There were a million places to hide at that lake.

Prunepicker

Well, I'm not talking about the dedication of the Stars and Stripes park. I'm talking about an annual July 4th celebration television event that was called the "Stars and Stripes Show." It was taped at the Myriad earlier in the year, but run on or about July 4th...

-soonerdave

Well, I'm not talking about the dedication of the Stars and Stripes park. I'm talking about an annual July 4th celebration television event that was called the "Stars and Stripes Show." It was taped at the Myriad earlier in the year, but run on or about July 4th...

-soonerdave

OHHHHHH. Duh! That's different. I just remember Bob Hope was at the dedication of Stars and Stripes Park and that there was a big show, too. I guess the dedication was at the Myriad. It could have been the Fairgrounds Arena. Maybe the "Stars and Stripes Show" was the predecessor or spin off of the dedication.

Prunepicker

OHHHHHH. Duh! That's different. I just remember Bob Hope was at the dedication of Stars and Stripes Park and that there was a big show, too. I guess the dedication was at the Myriad. It could have been the Fairgrounds Arena. Maybe the "Stars and Stripes Show" was the predecessor or spin off of the dedication.

Prunepicker

The park was as a result of the "Stars and Stripes Show." The city was so greatful to Bob Hope and NBC for choosing Oklahoma City to host it, they decided to honor him with the park. It is too bad is has deterorated since then.

The park was as a result of the "Stars and Stripes Show." The city was so greatful to Bob Hope and NBC for choosing Oklahoma City to host it, they decided to honor him with the park. It is too bad is has deterorated since then.

That's very interesting. Was the park built in 1970?

Prunepicker

this thread delivers. being born in '77, i remember the very last vestiges of many of these places and have often heard my folks and older brothers recount stories.


who played the organ at dodson's?
i'm pretty sure it was joe dodson himself... -M

That's very interesting. Was the park built in 1970?

Prunepicker

To be honest. I do not remember what year it was built. However, it was around that timeframe.

One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to the Omniplex and planterium at the fairgrounds with my grandfather. I was always somewhat of a scince nerd.
I don't know how I went into accounting. I guess that's because not many girls my age were encouraged to be engineers. What a thrill it was when the new Omniplex opened when I was a teenager. I think they still have some of the old exhibits. When my kids were little I would take them there and we would literally be there all day long. Like mother like daughter (and son). Now that my kids are teenagers they take my nephews who are 3 and 4 and they stay all day. What a great place!!! And what a difference from the old Fair Park location.

One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to the Omniplex and planterium at the fairgrounds with my grandfather. I was always somewhat of a scince nerd.

When I was a kid a trip to the Kilpatrick Planetarium was a yearly event. I remember the mummy. Do they still have it on display?

I'm going to take the grandkids this summer.

Prunepicker

I had totally forgotten about the mummy. I remember you could actually see the mummified skin where some of the wraps had worn away. No, it is not on display anymore. Not sure where it went.

Regarding Fuddruckers, yes it was on the NW corner of I-240 and Western. I leased them that space. And in fairness, it was there before Longneckers but the latter may have out-lasted it.

There was another Fuddruckers on NW Expressway between McArthur and Rockwell on the south side of the street. Both of those locations opened around 1984 and only lasted a few years.

And in fairness, it was there before Longneckers but the latter may have out-lasted it.

Malibu, not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things, but I think you've got your dates backwards. Longneckers predated Fuddruckers along I-240 by several years. I remember when Fuddruckers first went in over there on Western and thought it was an outrageous ripoff of Longneckers. Now, if you mean the chain Fudd's predated Longneckers, my apologies. But Longneckers was the first physical operating restaurant of those two long that I-240 corridor. When it first opened, my family made it a *very* regular destination...

-SoonerDave