Since I sometimes get inspired, and plan out posts weeks in advance, occasionally things happen, and I miss out… Like this for example. The fire last month on Ouellette Avenue.
The store front that was once home to Valerie’s Ladies Fashions was among my favourite places along Ouellette. It was once of the few unaltered store fronts along Ouellette where you could get a feel for the boom years of the 1920’s.
The window displays retained their art deco lines…
And the floor!
Great art deco geometric patterns. The terrazzo floor was laid by a true craftsman.
When the rub & tug moved in, I was initially worried about a renovation… However…
It looked better once they got in. The ceiling was painted, and all the loose bits removed, and a new fixture added.
It’s all gone now, and another link to the past is wiped away.
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Man, that's too bad. I guess after a while you just start overlooking those details when you're just walking by. I bet that floor looked fantastic mopped and missing the dried streams of pee.
I'm happy the post office building wasn't destroyed along with it. Would've been nice if all the stucco burnt off though.
Hopefully, the site won't remain a hole in the streetscape for too long.
Thanks Andrew!
I remember it as the nut house.....when it was all filled up in popcorn as you walked in..........lol haaaa i have a pic of the inside....I was hoping you would post it but this is ok too xo
I like that one too Andrew. Too bad it is gone due to suspected arson at the whore...I mean "massage" parlour.
Perhaps if and when it is rebuilt they may put back some retail once again. I guess I can only hope for that.
I don't think this was the Nut House. I remember it as a dress shop from many years back, although it was very similar in design to the Nut House.
Going into this store was like stepping back in time.
Yeah the nut house, my sister worked there for years , I rememeber always getting these candy coated popcorn rabbits at easter. The front window use to have a display of product with layer of popcorn. One time someone came in to point out that there were mice in front window munching down. Anyhow I digress, Isn't it ironic that it was once called the nut house and then went on to become an adult massage parlor LOL
I like your sequence of shots, just like camilo josé vergara.
I guess I'm surprised you don't have a shot of what it looked like after the fire though.
Thanks for a great web site, I've been enjoying it for several months now.
David in CA
David, by the time I got down there, it was boarded up. There's not much to see sadly.
i remember shopping at valerie's for my prom dress. hopefully something similar gets built in place and it doesn't just end up being a hole for years and years.
Can't some older pics of downtown be shown, such as 70's & 80's pics?
The saddest thing is, the fire was so bad, the roof collapsed into the little block of buildings there. So no matter what, it couldn't have been saved.
There isn't too many hidden gems left downtown. awful city policies.