Gratiot Conner Area Memories

[Maxine1958]

I'm a new member of this forum. Joined when the new site went up. But I've been 'lurking' for a long time. I really enjoy reading about everyone's warm - okay maybe some not so warm - memories of the eastside neighborhoods they grew up in.

I'd like to see if anyone shares my memories.

My parents owned the drugstore on the corner of Gratiot and Conner - Heyn Drug. I'd love to hear from anyone who remembers the store, my parents, or that part of the city.

[Bearinabox]

I was over there a couple weeks ago. I remember that.

[Maxine1958]

When they first took down that whole block, where there once were over a dozen different businesses and offices, and put up a single Rite-Aid store it took my breath away.

[eriedearie]

Maxine - how far back do your memories go in that area?

[Maxine1958]

My dad bought the business after WWII and we closed the store in 1972.

I went to St David's Elementary school from 1964 through 1972.

I can post some of the family names from the neighborhood, but I'd like to see if anyone remembers the store first. I know, I can be brat sometimes.

[lafontaine]

I'm not familiar with your store, but my dad was a cop at the 15th [[on Gratiot at Conner). We used to to to Haas Roast Beef a lot.

[Maxine1958]

I know Haas'. That was one of the first restaurants in the area to have carry-out. A staple when you own a business and work 12-hour days.

Many of the cops came in our store. Some of their sons worked there also. Can I ask what street you lived on?

[Olddetroiter]

I'm not familiar with your store, but my dad was a cop at the 15th [[on Gratiot at Conner). We used to to to Haas Roast Beef a lot.

I lived about 3 1/2 miles from there in the '50s. I went to the Conner station a couple times to check out the bikes at the bike auctions and to get my own bike registered. They used to pound a serial number into the frame to make it easy to identify if it was stolen.

[eriedearie]

I used to hang out and cruise through the A&W and Woods Drive-Inns. One of my friends was a car hop at A&W.

My family would order take out fish dinners from....I wanna say the restaurant was called "The Landing Strip"....but I really don't know for sure. I think they had part of a plane on their building or an orange wind sock flying? Maybe it was called "The Crash Landing"??? I can't remember!

For a while, another friend lived in an apartment building on Conner, just East of Gratiot. I seem to remember us going into that drug store for this or that. Memory is fuzzy on that though.

[Maxine1958]

Many of the residents of that apartment building were regular customers. A lot of them were immigrants, new to the US and didn't speak much English. I remember my parents helping them understand the simplest of things. Like how to read and pay their utility bills. The side street there was/is Promenade. It's hardly recognizable now. More than half the houses are gone.

[diver1369]

I lived on Sanford between Gunston and Elmo from Hallowe'en '76 until spring '82. The neighborhood was transitioning by then and I was part of it, from homeowners to rentals. The first murder in Detroit of one of the years I was there happened on Sanford near Gunston. A couple across the street from me was found murdered execution style, their dog too, as a result of their selling stolen property. A book titled Land Of Opportunity covered part of the continuing transition after I'd left. It's about the Chamber brothers and their crack cocaine drug trade. Many of the addresses in it are in this area.A Hmong family moved into the lower flat that I had rented.

[Detroitej72]

I remember back in the 80's a party store named Karmo's which might have been in the building that your parents used to own. A buddy of mine went to DeLasalle and we used to frequent the place. If I recall, they used to sell "pipes" of assorted varieties which was one of the reasons my buddy liked the place!

Also my father taught at St. David's the last year the middle school was open in 1989, if my memory serves me correctly.

My freind's sister used to be married to the owners of Quick Lock and Alarm that was next door to the apartment building you mentioned. The father was a retired Detroit Fire Fighter.

[Sludgedaddy]

Ms. Maxine, I grew up on the west side of City Airport, the Six Mile and Van Dyke area,which presently is now a wasteland and all but a memory. I attended DLS from 1965 to 1969 and do have some recollection of your 'hood.

Used to hang out after school at the A & W, which was run by a big Black woman who treated us punks fairly , but wouldn't take no shit. Then there was the American-Italo Club where matters of fisticuffs were taken care of by saying, "Meet me Behind the Italo Club".

I have fond memories of Woods Drive-In. Used to go there before class for coffee and a smoke. They never let more than two students in there at a time, so used to hang in their vestibule with Tim Kiska when he attended DLS for two years and puffed on Kool cigarettes.

One time, across from Woods, a Lear Jet was parked along Conners. It was the personally private jet of James Brown. Along it's fuselage were painted his gold records [[ala an air ace) like "Try Me" and "Please, Please. Please". I hopped the fence and looked inside the aircraft, since it's door was open, and saw stacks of Playboy magazines as well as a beauty parlor style hair dryer for the maintenance of his "conk". I Personally met James when I went into Wood's after school and he was sitting there having coffee. I was amazed at how short he was, even in Beatle boots, but his process was "Outta Sight", One of the highlights of my youth, since most of the greasers and budding hippies were really into Mr. Brown's music.

I'm not familiar with your dad's drug store, but used to hitch-hike home from school at Conner and Gratiot, since there was a traffic signal that cars had to stop for east of the cop shop.

[jcole]

I'm not familiar with your store, but my dad was a cop at the 15th [[on Gratiot at Conner). We used to to to Haas Roast Beef a lot.

So was my dad. What years was your dad there?

[14509glenfield]

I'm a new member of this forum. Joined when the new site went up. But I've been 'lurking' for a long time. I really enjoy reading about everyone's warm - okay maybe some not so warm - memories of the eastside neighborhoods they grew up in.

I'd like to see if anyone shares my memories.

My parents owned the drugstore on the corner of Gratiot and Conner - Heyn Drug. I'd love to hear from anyone who remembers the store, my parents, or that part of the city.

As a paper boy for the night Free Press, our pick up was at the Police Station. Yes I do remember "A Drugstore" and Heyn does ring a bell on that corner of Promenade/Conners and Gratiot. DLS was the home field for the Servite High football team. Quick Locksmiths was a block South on Conners. Loved cruising A&W and The Woods after getting a license

[eriedearie]

Oh Diver - you mentioned Gunston! The little baptist church that was there on Gunston just off Gratiot is where me and Mr. Erie were married in 1972. Back then the church was actually just a basement. Last time we did a drive-by the church was all built up.

[Buy American]

I remember eating ribs at the Happy Landing Restaurant on Conner across from the City Airport....best in town. The slabs were huge, cole slaw, french fries, the sauce was great!

[IrishSpartan]

I used to hang out and cruise through the A&W and Woods Drive-Inns. One of my friends was a car hop at A&W.

My family would order take out fish dinners from....I wanna say the restaurant was called "The Landing Strip"....but I really don't know for sure. I think they had part of a plane on their building or an orange wind sock flying? Maybe it was called "The Crash Landing"??? I can't remember!

For a while, another friend lived in an apartment building on Conner, just East of Gratiot. I seem to remember us going into that drug store for this or that. Memory is fuzzy on that though.

The place you are referring to is Happy Landings which was often referred to in the neighborhood as "Crash Landings". It was on Conner between Whithorn and Sanford. The A&W became the Big Boy's later on.

[IrishSpartan]

I believe Heyn was the place in the neighborhood to buy Stroh's Ice Cream. Closing the store in 1972 was probably a good move looking back even though the neighborhood was still okay. A good number of businesses stayed too long into the 1980's and paid for it. However, a few of the "old guard" still remain. Conner Park Florist is still around at Conner & Longview.

I'm a new member of this forum. Joined when the new site went up. But I've been 'lurking' for a long time. I really enjoy reading about everyone's warm - okay maybe some not so warm - memories of the eastside neighborhoods they grew up in.

I'd like to see if anyone shares my memories.

My parents owned the drugstore on the corner of Gratiot and Conner - Heyn Drug. I'd love to hear from anyone who remembers the store, my parents, or that part of the city.

[hockey_player]

Does anybody know what that huge factory used to be, off Gratiot just south/west of Conner [[between Conner and French)?

[Maof]

Bud Wheel?

[Frankg]

Dear Maxine,

We used to live on Wilshire near Roseberry, but we moved away when I was 10 in 1972. I also went to St. David's Elementary for grades 1-4. My parents are both from large families in the neighborhood and all my uncles and aunts married others from the neighborhood.

I was too young to see the changes going on at the time. But I just find it strange that every person who used to live there, to a T, says that was the greatest neighborhood to live and raise kids. Yet within 10 years, everyone was gone. As part of my fascination with this topic, I started a blog about the old neighborhood, although I must admit to being a slacker and not making any recent posts. I do, however, have a list of a dozen topics to write about when I get off my butt.

http://www.theoldneighborhoodindetroit.blogspot.com/

Frank

[eriedearie]

Thanks IrishSpartan and BuyAmerican! Yeah Happy Landing!

Oh and another memory I have of the area...parking next to the fence at the airport and "watching the planes land"

[Frankg]

Maxine, I see your screen name is 1958, I am assuming you have an older sister? My Aunt Debbie [[maiden name Bieke) used to pal around with a red-headed Heyns girl back in the day. My aunt was born in 1955. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1988.

[Maxine1958]

Gosh, I'm torn between making a lot of 'quote' replies, or one huge one to reference all of your posts.

Maybe one huge one will be easier to manage grammitcally.

My grandparents lived on Sanford just off Conner. I fondly remember the Happy Landing restaurant, one of the first 'family' restaurants in the area.

Karmos was the name of the store in the building after we closed. I have to say after all the years of my parents keeping that corner 'neat and tidy' that store was a mess. In a lot of ways. I was only inside it once, and I'm not surprised they sold 'pipes'. <sigh>

How long did your dad teach at St. David's Detroitej72? Would he have been there in '72?

I know the locksmith you're talking about. Can't remember the family name right now though.

Sludgedaddy, my mother was raised in the area of VanDyke & 6 Mile. Before they moved to Sanford, they attended Holy Name Catholic church. All my deceased relatives are buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetary.

The A&W on the corner of Rosemary and Conner, down the street from where one of my aunts lived. Oh those root beer floats!

Many summer nights were spent watching the planes take off and land at the airport. I even worked at a few of the air shows in the late 70's.

14509glenfield & eriedearie, we lived on Glenfield between Gunston and Gratiot. Houses only on one side of the street. I remember that little church. We watched it 'change' over the years. Not always for the better. Saw quite a few fights take place there. Later we bought a house on Wilfred, right across the alley from where we used to rent.

Yes, Irishspartan, we carried Stroh's ice cream. For many years, we had a soda fountain in the store. I believe we closed that sometime in the 60's.

Hockey_player that was orginally a Packard plant on Conner. Can't remember what it was last though. I want to say Cadillac finishing, but I'm really not sure.

Frankg I will be checking out your blog. And no, I don't have an older sister. I was born in 1958, which means I am officially and 'old lady' like Maxine now. LOL Our [[my) last name isn't Heyn. That was the name of the former owner. My father didn't want to change the name and risk loosing customers way back then.

We were one of the last 'corner stores'. Our demise was sparked by Councilman Killean's rampage to cancel liquor licenses within so many yards of schools. We couldn't afford the legal fees to fight him.

I cannot tell you how much this has touched me. Such warm, fond memories. One last 'odd' comment for this post. Even though they tore the complete block of businesses down, they left the one tree, on Promenade, with was right at our back door. Sort of a lankmark for me.


Thank you all so much for sharing your memories with me. I so appreciate it.