FLASHBACK FRIDAY: The Golden Age of Retail, Restaurants in Glasgow
Before big-box stores and one-stop-shopping grew so popular, small towns including Glasgow were full of a variety of retail stores and restaurants for shopping and dining. The stores featured clothing, knick-knacks and home goods. Downtown stops like Kiddie Corner specialized in specific items, such as clothing for children. Wright’s Shoes along Main Street had shoes for the whole family. J.J. Newberry’s offered a little bit of something for everyone, but on a much smaller scale than K-Mart, Big K and Walmart, as did The National Store.
Most of the small retail stores were in the vicinity of downtown Glasgow. The eateries were scattered across the county.
Gibson’s was a very popular department store on the now empty lot near where Barren County’s new justice center will be built. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
This newspaper advertisement for Pizza Villa shows the eatery as it was in its heyday. The A-Frame style building along Happy Valley Road is now the home of Papa Johns. During the 1970s and ’80s, Pizza Villa was the community’s favorite pizza place, complete with a salad bar. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
This former bank building downtown housed the law office of Tim Gillenwater until his death last year and was once Kiddie Town and, later, Kiddie Corner. Children’s clothing, toys and fancies could be purchased there in the golden age of family owned retail stores. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
Jerry’s Restaurant sat at the corner of Happy Valley Road and L. Rogers Wells Boulevard, where a Dollar General Store is now. A Glasgow Daily Times article from 1963 announced the arrival of the restaurant and its owners, Wayne and Pat Gaunce. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
The Tastee Freez was more than a great place to get a burger and a shake, it was a hangout for teens in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
J.C. Penney was a very popular department store just off the northwest corner of the Glasgow Public Square until the 1990s. Beautifully dressed mannequins with painted-on lipstick filled the picture windows, adorned in the latest fashions. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
One Glasgow tradition started in the 1950s was Sidewalk Days. The annual event took place under the August sun and was a vibrant summer happening until the early 1990s. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY CULTURAL CENTER ARCHIVE
–Jennifer Moonsong for GlasgowNews1 in partnership with Glasgow-Barren County Tourism.