(Note to readers: The following post is directed mainly toward folks who live in or near Trussville, Alabama. Otherwise the references will not mean much to you. Please indulge me this bit of local nostalgia.)
It was finally happening. I saw it while driving through downtown Trussville recently. I had been reading for over a year that the old Braden’s Furniture store would be torn down. I wondered if it would ever actually come to pass. Now it has. On this day the familiar structure lay in pieces on the ground.
One day, I will tell my grandkids there used to be a big furniture store here, and they will give me that look that says “Wow Gramps, you are really old!”
Indeed I have only lived in Trussville for 30 years but I already feel like an old timer because of how much has already changed in our city since I arrived. When I moved my young family here in 1989 I would ask neighbors for directions to some local destination. Often, they would reply “You go to the light, and turn left”.
Yep, 30 years ago I remember just one stoplight in Trussville, at the corner of Highway 11 and Chalkville Mountain Road. Hey….if you’re feeling a little nostalgic, let’s play a little game of Do You Remember concerning Trussville’s recent history.
Do you remember Herb’s Hardware? Do you remember when what is now the Pinnacle shopping mall was a golf driving range? Do you remember the Dairy Cone? When Moe’s Barbecue was an Arby’s? When the YMCA was Sportsfirst? When your kids went to elementary school on top of the hill on Cherokee Drive? The little bowling alley on Linden Street? When the Huskies played football at Jack Wood Stadium? You may know that the property which is now Edgar’s Bakery used to be Sticks ‘N Stuff, but do you recall prior to that when it was briefly an indoor carpet golf and recreation area?
I could go on and on and I know some of you could reflect on much more. It’s not hard to remember when Trussville had no Walmart, no movie theater, no skating rink, no sports park, no shopping mall, very few restaurants and no Deerfoot Parkway…..also no traffic jams. The progress has been swift and a bit mind boggling. Back in ’89 I would have never dreamed our town would become the shopping hub of the Northeast Birmingham region, and now it looks like it may become the family fun hub as well as the entertainment district begins to take form along Highway 11. It’s an exciting time to be a Trussvillian.
So farewell to the Braden’s Furniture building. I will remember you fondly. As for you, if you are able to recall some of the things I recounted here, or even more, you too are worthy of the title “Old Timer”.
It’s not so bad. You’ll get used to it.
Ken, I grew up in Trussville. I know a lot of the places you described as well as a lot more that were there and are gone. I worked at Braden’s when I was a senior in High School at Hewitt. I went to grammer school when it was across from the First Methodist Church! This is probably telling my age, but Trussville was a great place to live. We lived on the Mall and it was wonderful. Never locked the doors, walked everywhere we went and always felt safe. Now???
Anyway, thanks for bring up all those memories. I love your Blog and look forward to reading it everytime you post. PS: Loved working with you all those years too.
Janice, thanks so much for reading the blog. I really enjoyed working with you as well. It sure is a different world now isn’t it?