Ouellette & University – July, 1958

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• I do not think any city council in the last forty years wanted the downtown we have today. When did the city tell buisnes to move out? The end of major retail was economics, the people followed the retailers to Dorwin, then Devonshire, Tecumsh, and Ambasador malls.The death of retail is caused by the consumer not the city council.

• There was nothing nicer than going to Kresge's on a Saturday morning in the '60's when the cream puffs were fresh. The smell was heavenly and they were only 25 cents. I agree with the taste of the cherry cola, too. That could never be duplicated with today's standards.
  I also remember the hardwood floors always being fairly clean even in the winter.
  My favorite part of the store was the trinket section where you could always buy a nice affordable gift for mom or dad especially when your allowance wasn't more than a dollar.
  I have been away from Windsor for 15 years. When I went home a couple of years ago, it was so sad to see the downtown core in such sad shape.
  And when I do go home, I do not want to see a generic mall. And no matter how you design the stores, a mall is a mall everywhere you go.
  Carole Anne, BTW, I am St Mary's Alumni too,so I can visualize everything you said.
  It's a shame that there is nothing of the ecclectic businesses downtown to attract the people any more.

• Richard i understand what your saying but at the same time council has the power to say what business they would prefer to have in the core but if all you have is bar after bar and fast food after fast food joints people want to walk downtown on a friday or saturday night without feeling like their at a party alot of the problems windsor has with it's core these days are a result of their own doing i remember 30 years ago i could walk down ouellette ave and window shop with out having to witness a couple kids beating each others brains out or vomiting from drinking too much

• Kari i'm not familiar with either of the two diners you mentioned and although the idea of a 50's era diner is good the atmosphere Kresge's had would be very dificult to dupicate also back then people were different than they are now

• I loved Kresges and went there all the time in the late 70's &80's. Does anyone have any pics of Kresges in the 70's &80's and pics inside the building too?

• The Metropoliton storeat Ouellette and Wyandotte st had a lunch counter similar to the one at Kresges but it never had the charm of Kresges

• I recall when Ouellette went from all the lanes as in the picture, to being narrowed, major malls like Devonshire had opened. At the time they were trying to create a sort of 'mall like' feel making it easier for pedestrians to cross the street. They widened the sidewalks from the extra 'driving lanes'. But I agree, I remember going shopping downtown with my mom in the 50s on a Saturday, and downtown Windsor looked a lot better in these pictures than it does now. But I think a lot of cities experimented with this idea too.

• last year just before christmas my neighbour gave me a few boxs of old tree oranments from the 50's or 60's and the price sticker on each box says Kresges talk bout feeling nostalgic

• Downtown has lost it's special appeal since all of the good stores have been gone. It's so sad. I haven't gone there in years.