I hope everyone had a good weekend, and now it’s time to try and work off the extra pounds lumped on this weekend. Something nice and light for today. 
This photo was taken in October, 2001 and shows the Sofo’s Restaurant at the corner of University and Victoria. The restaurant was closed around the time this photo was taken, and was bulldozed for more parking.
I can’t remember but I don’t think this was Phog yet at this time. Does anyone remember what was there in between the Eclectic Cafe and Phog?
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SOFO’s used to be called OLLIE’S TROLLEY many years before this photo was taken…. not sure what that red building was before PHOG… It was a bar/restaurant for certain though.
NICE! I alomst forgot about SOFO’s!
The Eclectic used to take up the whole building if I’m not mistaken….and I think it was blue.
Thanks Andrew!
Almost time to use my calander!!!
That blue sticker on the window of the left hand door looks like “phog” to me. At one point one of the tenants in that building did extensive renovations and accepted Canadian Tire money at par while doing so since they were doing the work themselves. Maybe that was when the red went to blue. I used to stop at The Eclectic quite a bit around ’98. I believe the place was closed for a bit between that and “phog” or after phog opened but before they hit their stride. May even have sold one more time but kept the name.
(Many, many years ago, that was “The Christian Science Reading Room”!)
It was The Lift, The Eclectic and before that – a hair salon?
Trolly burgers was an operation by Bob McGuire, formerly of the Windsor Family Forum. He can be found acting in a few local films these days (most notably, mine).
It was Lift…
They painted it red/orange from the light (ghastly) blue that was The Eclectic.
We (Phog) weren’t around until 2004.
Tim & Tom, thanks Lift. For the life of me I couldn’t remember what it was,,,
man i miss that gyro place used to love it!
The now PHOG location was also a Unisex clothing store in the early-mid 1980’s
I wish I could see the old acapulco in behind the Phog. Anyone have any pics of the “delight”?
Ahhh yeas. The old Acapulco…Was a great place!
I used to like going to that Sofos as well. Torn down for yet “more” parking. It is sad that the parking lot is not even a quarter full on any given day.
I wonder how long the old TD bank will be around? I suspect, not long because we need more surface lots because there just isn’t enough parking(sarcasm).
Our band The Tomcats used to play at the old Acapulco Delight on Victoria – it was called something different, if I recall… what a place, the regulars were wild in there….
Acapulco is a few blocks away, closer to the AGW than Phog. Behind Phog is a parking lot and an alley way filled with hipster puke and piss, all in super unique colourful retro pastel shades. Also – some garbage.
The Walkerville Times has an overhead shot of the downtown in the 30’s that shows a much larger brick structure where Phog is today sitting beside the Capital, although I haven’t seen anything about on here and no mention of it in the WT archives either.
The Eclectic was nice as it doubled as a cafe / bar, so I could drink coffee with my 16 year old pals back in the mid-90’s in there and get to hang out with all the beautiful people. Back in the old 90’s day when you couldn’t walk a block in the heart of downtown without coming across some cafe or nice place to grab a non-booze drink.
phog building remember it as a dry cleaner outlet.. hair salon.. then came THE BLUE LAGOON hence horrible blue colour,,eclectic cafe ,lift,buzzards and bandits, finally phog. ollie,s trolley was sofa’s gyro outlet then a burger fry joint..the stores behind olley,s long gone was the windsor news dealler an outlet for magazines and newspapers..it became acapolca for a few years before they moved close to temp. casino behind that was the norton palmer hotel and carnagey library….ron
Did this come down for interim Casino parking?
On another note, St. Anthony of Padua Church on Parent is rubble. They were cleaning it up this morning when I drove past.
Oh the Eclectic Cafe! Many nights of hummas, pita bread and beer! What an interesting place … it was “eclectic” for sure. This comment has nothing whatsoever to do with these pics but, I heard that Windsor once had a morgue on Marentette Ave, anyone know information about this?
yes, before the eclectic and other cafe/bars, the building inside was divided down the middle, the west side being a clothing store, and the east side being a hair salon. i think ‘act one’ but i may be mistaken. two sisters owned the businesses.
the west side of the buliding was a hair salloncalled ACT 1 …use to get my hair cut there in the mid 80’s …as was stated above next door was a clothing store …the owner of the hair sallon and the owner of the clothing store were sisters and u clould walk back and forth from both stores without goin outside …great idea from women who were stuck in there whlie they waited for the colour to set
this has nothing to do with the corner of victoria and university but at pelisier and chatham street where that strip bar is they still have the original sign fromm EPPS sporting goods that had the big giant painted on it and above the sign is what remains of a radio antenna i guess epps sold two way radios as well as sporting goods army surplus gear
Looks like Ollie’s Trolly was a chain and I remember going there once when I was very young. If you are ever in Washington D.C. you can still get an Ollie Burger. http://www.olliestrolleydc.com/