1970s-1990s Woodward Ave photos

[Bham1982]

Also, to put a date on it, I remember walking up Woodward with my Dad as a child in the summer of 1992, and there was still shopping. I think we then headed over to Washington Boulevard [[he had his office downtown back then).

I remember being fascinated at the fairly busy [[and to me, frankly exotic) scene. Almost entirely African American, and lots of music being blasted from the stores. Wig stores, shoe stores, I think a "record world" or something, blasting hip-hop. I found it fascinating. We had lunch at some grubby Coney Island on one of the side streets.

I think by about 1997 or so, this was almost entirely gone. So I think 1992-1997 would be the rough era for ending of downtown retail.

[erikd]

Also, to put a date on it, I remember walking up Woodward with my Dad as a child in the summer of 1992, and there was still shopping. I think we then headed over to Washington Boulevard [[he had his office downtown back then).

I remember being fascinated at the fairly busy [[and to me, frankly exotic) scene. Almost entirely African American, and lots of music being blasted from the stores. Wig stores, shoe stores, I think a "record world" or something, blasting hip-hop. I found it fascinating. We had lunch at some grubby Coney Island on one of the side streets.

I think by about 1997 or so, this was almost entirely gone. So I think 1992-1997 would be the rough era for ending of downtown retail.

I would agree with this time frame. When I moved downtown in the summer of 97, there wasn't much retail left on lower Woodward. Sibley's was still in the Fyfe, Tall-Eez and H&H were still open, but there wasn't much else on lower Woodward as far as shopping goes.

The period from 97/98 to 03/04 was really the bottom for downtown, and especially lower Woodward. After all of the new downtown investment that has happened in recent years, it is kind of strange to remember how bleak things were just 10-15 years ago.