The legendary neon Wad's sign
Wad's was located in Dilworth at 1608 East Blvd. The legendary soda, sundries, and small grocery shop opened in early 1954 and was owned by Samuel Wadsworth Smith. Originally located at the corner of East Blvd and Cumberland Ave, Wad's moved two blocks west to 1608 East Blvd on April 17, 1957 and stayed there for 38 years before closing in the Fall of 1995. Wad's was famous for everything from its chili hot dogs, fresh squeezed lemonade and orangeade, toasted pimento cheese sandwiches, and a wide array of milk shakes and other ice cream concoctions. It would always stay in the Smith family as daughter Carolyn Smith Cullingford and husband Harold took over the reins in 1974. Samuel also owned the famed Drum Restaurant up the street, which his son Larry would take over before also closing in 1995.
Wad's was a Charlotte institution and with its closing, signaled the changing of most of the classic eateries on East Blvd that had opened in the 1950's.
(Received an email from Matt Jamison - he and his dad, Phil, now own the sign and after a minor restoration, it now hangs in Phil's garage)
I remember going to Wad's in the 60's, and more times than not, I got a chili dog and fries. Also stopped there for shakes. If I remember right, the lunch counter ran down the right side of the store. I always liked sitting on the bar stools as a kid.
ReplyDeleteMike S.
We used to eat at Wad’s in the mid-80s when I was about 6 years old. One of the things that stood out to me was how quickly they made and served our food. Whenever we went to any other restaurant and the wait seemed too long to me, I would say, “If we were at Wad’s we would already have our food.”
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