19 replies to this topic

[Giraffe]

Just thought I'd toss off the names of various businesses I remember being in the Wedgwood Shopping Center over the years. This is at the intersection of Granbury Road and Loop 820...


* Pancho's Mexican Buffet. This restaurant is still open and has been doing business there since at least the early 1970s. I think there was once a big fire in the place that required extensive remodeling. I think I saw my very first arcade games in the lobby there during Christmas of 1975 or so. My family had a Christmas Eve tradition: Eat dinner at Pancho's, then drive to Burnett Park in downtown to look at the city Christmas tree, then drive around the neighborhoods looking at all the Christmas lights. Still has good guacamole.

* Bolen's Toy Palace. Always fun for a kid to browse through, but I don't think I ever bought anything there. They always had the highest prices in town.

* Bicycle store that was also tied to the Bolen family, but I never shopped there, for some reason.

* Johnny Copeland's TV. My family bought our first big-screen TV here in the early '80s, and later we also bought our first VCR there.

* C & S Music. (Do I have the name right?) Pretty big music store. I liked to play with the high-tech synthesizers on display. I think they eventually moved into an old Steak & Ale building at the intersection of 820 and Hulen, but then it eventually closed as well and the entire building demolished. No trace left of it now.

* AT&T store. In the early '80s you could finally go buy your own telephone for your house, instead of having to lease it from the phone company.

* Wolfe Nursery. This is where my family got our Christmas tree each year. It was fun to look at all the plants and flowers for sale outside the building. I remember they had a big blow-up "Ziggy" cartoon mounted up on the wall, that showed Ziggy holding a can of "Bug Spray" in his hand, and millions of bugs literally shooting out of it! Not sure why this place closed; did they just relocate, or shut down operations completely? Goodyear operated out of this location after they left their original building at Trail Lake & Wedgmont Circle, but they're no longer there, either.

* A&P Grocery Store. I think this used to be located in the shopping center next to the Wedgwood Theater. Wasn't very big, compared to grocery stores today. Eventually they changed the name to TJ's. It later became an archery store, and today it's some sort of fabric store.

* Ice cream store. I forget the name of it (Ashburn's?), but it was located in the building closest to the Wedgwood Veterinary Clinic.

* Drug store. (Skillern's?)

* Liquor store. Still there. (I've never heard of a liquor store going out of business.)

* Japanese restaurant. Never ate there.

* Ogle School of Hair Design. Never ate there, either.

* Pizza Inn. I _did_ eat there several times. I think it was in the building where the O'Reilly Auto Parts store is now.

* Nude Furniture Store. Sold wooden furniture that was unpainted. This was up against the 820 service road.

* Sporting Goods store. Can't remember the name...


Was there once a Radio Shack in this shopping center? And either a Fotomat or a Fox Photo building? Any and all memories and information are welcome.

[Roger_H]

* Pancho's Mexican Buffet. I don't remember a fire but you're right about the guacamole.

* C & S Music sold out and is now Mr. E's Music. The current store is on the west side of Hulen Mall.

* The original Japanese restaurant was actually pretty good. I never ate at the later versions.

Didn't Bolen have a Hallmark card shop there as well?

[Giraffe]

* Pancho's Mexican Buffet. I don't remember a fire but you're right about the guacamole.

* C & S Music sold out and is now Mr. E's Music. The current store is on the west side of Hulen Mall.

* The original Japanese restaurant was actually pretty good. I never ate at the later versions.

Didn't Bolen have a Hallmark card shop there as well?

Now, there's a coincidence! I was in that Mr. E's Music store for the very first time just the other day. I'm not a musician, so I don't go into music stores often, but it looked pretty good.

I remember there being a Hallmark card shop up the hill, in the Southwest Plaza strip mall on Trail Lake, right next to the old Colonial Cafeteria.

[bailey]

The Pancho's actually opened in 1968. I worked there as a busboy when it opened along with several of my friends. I don't recall there ever being a fire there. The crowds were wild in the first years and often the line would back up because there weren't any tables. I washed lots of dishes there.

A few other stores in what was actually called Southcliff Center. The Wedgwood Shopping Center was actually and still is just up Granbury Road.

Ashburn's Ice Cream. I always thought it was the best around.

Just next door to Ashburn's was the Heinrich's Bakery. It had been in the Trail Lake Center before Southcliff opened way back in the early 60's. They had the absolute best pastry's.

Prior to O'Reilly's Auto Parts there was a smaller parts store and a barber shop next door to it.

The drug store wasn't a Skillern's but to the life of me I can't remember the name. It opened when the shopping center did and I won a Polaroid Swinger in a drawing at the grand opening. It later became a King's Liquor Store.

Aw, the old Wolfe Nursery. In 1972 I had the pleasure of working for a construction company that was hired to tear off the metal roof over the outside plants and install a clear fiberglass roof to let the sun get to the plants. That was in the middle of a hot summer and at lunch went over to Pancho's to eat and cool down.

The sporting goods store where I bought my first pair of ice skates. I believe Bolen's Toy Palace later moved in that space.

The old Pizza Inn. Ate lots of pizza and drank a lot of beer there.

[360texas]

I guess we are talking about Wedgewood Shopping center on 820/Old Grandbury Rd. I have to take another look at the sign.

Ogles Hair til 2009/ early 2010.. relocated to shopping center south of 820/ bryant Irving

Ace or Arblasters hardware (or similar name/size) was replaced by Jo-Ann's fabric store

Clock store (near Bicycle shop) - relocated else where

Fort Worth Police had a sub station near clock store/ bicyle shop. Story goes.. 2009 Shopping center owner upped the rent.. police didn't like it.. relocated to another center (Harbor Freight Tools) just South on Old Granbury Road.

Another Story goes... whole shopping center was scheduled to be sold to barnett shale oil company... alot of store fronts moved out. Sale fell through with the price of natural gas.

[bailey]

The hardware store was Ambrister's which was previously located in Wedgwood Village. There was also a Richardson's Health food store located by Wolfe Nursery. The center's names in the area were Southcliff Center which is the one we are talking about, Wedgwood Village which was where the Wedgwood Theater was located, and at Trail Lake and 820 was Trail Lake Plaza. Bolen's Card shop was located next door to the Colonial Cafeteria.

[John T Roberts]

I probably should change the title of this thread to "Southcliff Center -- History". I will try to do that later today.

[JBB]

The barber shop in the O'Reilly's strip was Gary's Barber Shop. I went there for hair cuts for a few years in the mid-90s. They were supposed to relocate to another part of the shopping center to make way for the auto parts store, but the shop went out of business when the owner passed away suddenly.

[unknowntbone]

Yeah. Heinrich's Pastries. I believe he learned the trade working for Kleinschmidt's Bakery over on 7th Street.
Heinrich's was known for always employing cute girls to work the counter. What I'd give now to be able to buy a bearclaw from Gale! Oh yeah.

[bailey]

Yeah. Heinrich's Pastries. I believe he learned the trade working for Kleinschmidt's Bakery over on 7th Street.
Heinrich's was known for always employing cute girls to work the counter. What I'd give now to be able to buy a bearclaw from Gale! Oh yeah.

All their breakfast rolls were awesome and so cheap. I would go in their 2 or 3 times a week for a bag of bear claws, honey buns, and all the other variety they had. Their cream puffs were pretty awesome if you didn't mind the calories. I don't know why they went out of business after all those years.

[Ghost Writer in Disguise]

This sounds like where B-Square Guns was located. They survive today as Firearms Unlimited off Westcreek.

[Doohickie]

Another Story goes... whole shopping center was scheduled to be sold to barnett shale oil company... alot of store fronts moved out. Sale fell through with the price of natural gas.

According to this article, the sale was completed. I think they canceled the plans for the drilling for the time being, but they do own the shopping center according to that.

My current bike commute route takes me there that area. I guess the recently demolished Wedgwood Bowl was not part of Southcliff, but it was right next to it. Across the street and behind the old Wedgwood Theater (at Wedgeway and Wonder) are what look to be an old Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen. The Dairy Queen is empty but the Pizza Hut building now holds Yupp's bar.

[bailey]

Another Story goes... whole shopping center was scheduled to be sold to barnett shale oil company... alot of store fronts moved out. Sale fell through with the price of natural gas.

According to this article, the sale was completed. I think they canceled the plans for the drilling for the time being, but they do own the shopping center according to that.

My current bike commute route takes me there that area. I guess the recently demolished Wedgwood Bowl was not part of Southcliff, but it was right next to it. Across the street and behind the old Wedgwood Theater (at Wedgeway and Wonder) are what look to be an old Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen. The Dairy Queen is empty but the Pizza Hut building now holds Yupp's bar.

Wedgwood Bowl was there many years prior to the building of Soutcliff Center but was just behind it. Hard to believe but the Wedgwood Animal Hospital is one of the oldest buildings in the area and was built somewhere about 1959. You are correct about the old Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut. The apartments across the street are to be demolished.

[unknowntbone]

Another Story goes... whole shopping center was scheduled to be sold to barnett shale oil company... alot of store fronts moved out. Sale fell through with the price of natural gas.

According to this article, the sale was completed. I think they canceled the plans for the drilling for the time being, but they do own the shopping center according to that.

My current bike commute route takes me there that area. I guess the recently demolished Wedgwood Bowl was not part of Southcliff, but it was right next to it. Across the street and behind the old Wedgwood Theater (at Wedgeway and Wonder) are what look to be an old Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen. The Dairy Queen is empty but the Pizza Hut building now holds Yupp's bar.

Wedgwood Bowl was there many years prior to the building of Soutcliff Center but was just behind it. Hard to believe but the Wedgwood Animal Hospital is one of the oldest buildings in the area and was built somewhere about 1959. You are correct about the old Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut. The apartments across the street are to be demolished.

That's right. In fact, if you wanted to go from Southcliff Center to the Wedgwood Bowl, you actually had to enter Granbury Rd. and drive around to Wonder Dr. to get to it---or just hop the curb.

[KerbyH]

The drug store was Ward's Cut-Rate Drugs. That local chain was bought by Eckerd's drugs.

King's Liquors moved in when Eckerd's moved on.

I spent hours in Bolen's Toy Palace.

Ashburn's did have the best ice cream.

A&P was on the corner where the fabric store is now. Funny how small grocery stores used to be. They seemed big when I wasn't...

[Art Cooler]

Nice to read about some history of this (and Wedgwood) shopping center, as I live in Wedgwood.

I didn't know Ashburn's had more than one location. I grew up on the city limit of Richardson and there was an Ashburn's there. As a kid all ice cream is good, but I remember Ashburn's being especially good.

I just found this thread today...went through the Pancho's drive-through yesterday evening. Their fajitas aren't bad at all. I was inside that restaurant a few weeks ago and it still looks like the one I grew up by in Richardson. It is the Richardson location, on North Central Expressway, that had a bad fire...I think more than one. That location is now closed, last I saw.

The Wedgwood Bowl and Theater were designed by the same architectural firm that did my Wedgwood house...Kneer & Hamm. The Bowl was demolished recently. Sad that the building sat and rotted so long that it could no longer be revived and reused.

So they won't be drilling for gas anytime soon? Suits me just fine. Guess I can still make a Pancho's run now and then for some time to come.

[bailey]

Nice to read about some history of this (and Wedgwood) shopping center, as I live in Wedgwood.

I didn't know Ashburn's had more than one location. I grew up on the city limit of Richardson and there was an Ashburn's there. As a kid all ice cream is good, but I remember Ashburn's being especially good.

I just found this thread today...went through the Pancho's drive-through yesterday evening. Their fajitas aren't bad at all. I was inside that restaurant a few weeks ago and it still looks like the one I grew up by in Richardson. It is the Richardson location, on North Central Expressway, that had a bad fire...I think more than one. That location is now closed, last I saw.

The Wedgwood Bowl and Theater were designed by the same architectural firm that did my Wedgwood house...Kneer & Hamm. The Bowl was demolished recently. Sad that the building sat and rotted so long that it could no longer be revived and reused.

So they won't be drilling for gas anytime soon? Suits me just fine. Guess I can still make a Pancho's run now and then for some time to come.

The first Ashburn's was on Berry Street just down from Paschal High School. They later opened other locations and their were several in Fort Worth including the one in Wedgwood. They have been gone a long time and I can still taste their chocolate milk shakes which were out of this world.

Pancho's in Richardson has been closed for sometime now.

[John T Roberts]

I can remember going to the Ashburn's on Berry Street as a kid. I also remember the one in Wedgwood and a few of the other locations.

[801hme]

Nice to read about some history of this (and Wedgwood) shopping center, as I live in Wedgwood.

I didn't know Ashburn's had more than one location. I grew up on the city limit of Richardson and there was an Ashburn's there. As a kid all ice cream is good, but I remember Ashburn's being especially good.

I just found this thread today...went through the Pancho's drive-through yesterday evening. Their fajitas aren't bad at all. I was inside that restaurant a few weeks ago and it still looks like the one I grew up by in Richardson. It is the Richardson location, on North Central Expressway, that had a bad fire...I think more than one. That location is now closed, last I saw.

The Wedgwood Bowl and Theater were designed by the same architectural firm that did my Wedgwood house...Kneer & Hamm. The Bowl was demolished recently. Sad that the building sat and rotted so long that it could no longer be revived and reused.

So they won't be drilling for gas anytime soon? Suits me just fine. Guess I can still make a Pancho's run now and then for some time to come.

The first Ashburn's was on Berry Street just down from Paschal High School. They later opened other locations and their were several in Fort Worth including the one in Wedgwood. They have been gone a long time and I can still taste their chocolate milk shakes which were out of this world.

Pancho's in Richardson has been closed for sometime now.

There was an Ashburns on East Lancaster in the Monnigs East Shopping center and an older one on East Rosedale across the street from Texas Wesleyan. Subway has the building now but the old neon sign is still there (see below)...

http://www.flickr.co...hub/4783102561/

[John T Roberts]

I read in the paper the other day that Pancho's is moving over on Hulen Street at Granbury Road and I was going down I-20 earlier this week and I noticed that Pancho's signs have been removed.