ABC Store on Park Rd

 The original location of the ABC Store on Park Rd. Current location of Lucky Lou’s. 

Great nighttime shot!

 

Ads from 1968

 Enjoy these ads from 1968!

Athen’s

 Bringing down the sign at Athen’s Diner. 

The Ratcliffe Florist sign

Picture is from November 2009 when the building housed the Ratcliffe on the Green restaurant. Building currently is the home for Bernardin’s Restaurant. 

Some cool history - The Ratcliffe's Florist Shop was established in 1917. The business moved here in 1929. This neon sign was built shortly after that. It's not clear when the flower shop closed but, in 1989, the building was adapted for use as the Carpe Diem restaurant. The sign was altered slightly at that time with "Carpe Diem" added in the small script at the bottom. The restaurant became Ratcliffe on the Green around 2007. At that time, the "Carpe Diem" part of the sign was removed. During development from 2010-2011, the entire building was moved about 75 feet further north. In 2012, the sign was installed on a pole at the original location. The sign is about eight feet long.

1962 ad for the Stork Restaurants

Bourbon Street Station - 1987 ad

White Horse on East Blvd - 1987 ad

Jonathan's

Nice early 80's picture of the Jonathan's sign that was painted on the 7th St side of the building.

Issie Pittle ***Hall of Fame Restauranteur***

Issie Pittle passed away on December 24, 1975. In a career that spanned 40 years, he owned or ran at least 16 Charlotte restaurants. The press clippings below detail his legacy. (Click on pics for a fuller view)

Delly Restaurant - 1974

Nice article on the Delly Restaurant which opened on February 4th, 1974 in the Northwestern Bank building at 230 South Tryon Street.

Click on the image for a fuller view

Ivey's Terrace

Review of Ivey's Terrace that was located in the downtown Charlotte location. Review is from April 1976. Click on the image for a larger view...

Cafe Eugene

Super write-up (and a pic of the sign!) of the legendary Cafe Eugene from around 1981. 

(Click on the review for a larger view)

Hardee's 1974

Nice ad from 1974 for the Charlotte-area Hardee's. Huskee Junior!

O'Neill's 1984

A few weeks late, but here's a super cool St Patrick's Day shirt from O'Neill's from 1984!

Click here for the original O'Neill's post. 

Burger Chef sign!

1973 press pic of the Park N Shop area of Wilkinson Blvd --- note the Burger Chef sign! The abandoned Park N Shop building still exists, but only trace of the Burger Chef building is long gone. 

Of note is that the Burger Chef building on Shamrock Dr (off of Eastway) is still alive and beautifully restored! The above two pictures were taken about a year ago -- the building is now home to a cell phone store.

All American Bar & Grill

Nice 1995 ad for All American Bar & Grill which was in Dilworth on Park Rd in the Martin Hardware building. The Wing Ranch's last location was there prior to All American. Ed's Tavern currently occupies this space.

Cafe Eugene

Nice ad from 1982 for the legendary Cafe Eugene. 

Ivey's Soda Shop and Harrill's Bar-B-Q

Some great late-50's pictures of Harrill's Bar-B-Q (top 2) and the Ivey's Soda Shop (bottom picture):

Click the pics for a larger view

Click here for the original Harrill's Bar-B-Q post and here for the original Ivey's Soda Shop post. 

The Dining Car

Most likely Charlotte's first food truck, "The Dining Car" was in operation in the early '80's and was owned by then-teenager Charles Denny. A one-man show, Charles was the owner, the driver, and the cook. Specializing solely in hot dogs, choices included the "Bo Derek" (practically nothing on it) to the "Gourmet Frank" (chili, slaw, and cheese).

***Click on the picture for a larger view***