I was scrolling through old newspapers, as I do, in search of nostalgia. As happens, the ice water bucket of harsh history gets splashed across my face. It’s February 1964 and Marguerite Oswald, mother of Lee Harvey, is testifying to the Warren Commission about her son’s life. She maintained that he was an innocent scapegoat in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Elsewhere on the same page was news of a change of venue proceeding in Dallas, Texas, for the trial of Jack Ruby, the man who killed Oswald. What a time ….
The page featured a near quarter page ad for a book, The World Almanac and Book of Facts: 1964. How quaint. Even more quaint was the list of everywhere in Knoxville and East Tennessee where they could be purchased. In Knoxville alone, there were over 100. They were regularly stocked in grocery and drug stores. One of those was listed as Long Henderson.
Long Henderson was originally a second location of Long’s Drug Store in Bearden Center. It was Long’s, then Long Henderson and eventually just Henderson. I never darkened the door of the place. Growing up, we didn’t do much shopping west of downtown Knoxville. Pretty much anything we needed could be found in Fountain City. There were a couple of annual trips downtown to Miller’s or J.C. Penney or over to Sears on Central Avenue.
But on a few occasions, we did venture out to Bearden Center, usually because the Coffin Shoe Store there had the size that was missing from our neighborhood store across from the duck pond. I remember the lights they strung around the parking lot at Christmas. To me, they looked like red juniper berries.
The shopping center opened in 1958. Like many across Knox County, it was anchored by a White Stores, a Whiteway and an S&H Green Stamps store. Those who grew up watching Margie Ison (first on WATE, then WBIR) may recall that our favorite weather lady’s on-air outfits were provided by Nancy Lynn Fashions. Wynell’s Dress and Specialty Shop was also a Bearden favorite.
You will find posts online with people waxing poetic about the thumbprint cookies from Wade’s Bakery. July 1964 saw the grand opening of Dipper Dan Ice Cream Shoppe (there was one in Fountain City, too), where you could pay one to 39 cents for a banana split that first weekend.
Dipper Dan ad from The Knoxville Journal – July 1964.
Dipper Dan was gone by 1969. An ad for Bearden Center boasted of the 17 reasons to shop there, In addition to the afore-mentioned businesses, the list included Merle Norman Cosmetics, Music Land, Your Shoe Service, Joseph’s Beauty Shop, Bowen’s Jewelry and Gifts, C&S Laundry and Crenshaw’s Children Shop. The Center touted its abundance of FREE parking (ahem, city of Knoxville) and that it was west Knoxville’s largest shopping center. West Town Mall was lurking just around the corner, opening in 1972.
Food City (which bought out White Stores) dominates the space today. There’s still a dry cleaner (King’s), along with a KARM store, UPS Store and seven other businesses. Coffin Shoe Company is the last one standing from when the center first opened 67 years ago.
Beth Kinnane writes a history feature for KnoxTNToday.com. It’s published each Tuesday and is one of our best-read features.
Sources: The Knoxville Journal digital archives
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I’m a little confused the topography. The stores on the left clearly step down in two levels. Yet today Food City is all one level of course. Does anyone remember when the floors were raised? Guess one can go around back and see if the roofs are still stepped down.
I remember there may have been a gradual descent walking from White Stores to Long-Henderson but not very pronounced. Of course Food City occupies this entire space at present.
Good stuff, as always, Beth. Thanks!
I love reading about the Knoxville history pieces by Beth Kinnane. Our family history originally revolved around the Mabry-Hazen House. My mom Bobbie Mabry and aunt Helen Connor worked for Crenshaw’s but in its future iteration farther west. While life goes on, the nostalgic fever persists.
I spent more youthful hours in that shopping center than you can imagine! Henderson’s was the place to meet our carpools after school. Absolutely true on anything tasty from Wades. Miss those days! Thanks for the trip down the lane!
Mr. Henderson was great to let kids use the black wall phone behind the counter to call parents. Maybe he knew we were future customers, or maybe he just wanted us out of there.