Picturing the Past 120: Another old grocery store

The first person that I remember at the store you have mentioned (parking lot of the rent-to-own firm) would be Donnie Thompson's Father. Sorry but his first name escapes me at the moment. Then later Johnnie Walker ran that store. As a side note, Bobby McGee (present Pastor at Edgemont Baptist Church) worked for him when he was first out of school.

leeiii You have a great memory.. I would have to use a cheat sheet :)

I remember United Super Market but don't remember the store being IGA.

There use to be a grocery store in Big Springs shopping center that I took my Grandmother to called Cooper and Martin.. I think it was beside a Big k store??

Dianatn and gina0922, I think you are right. I too remember Cooper & Martin being in the Big Springs shopping center, as well as Kroger being there at on time. Oh, by the way, I also remember there being a big box drug store by the name of Super X being there. That parking lot sure was a fun place to go late at night or early in the morning after a big snow.

I am in my thirties and I even remember the Super X being in the Big Springs shopping center, My dad and I use to go there when I was a kid to get his medication and then we would drive on down to Dairy Queen or Burger Chef (I think that is what it was called) to get some ice cream or a drink. Of course I also use to remember Video Corner where my friends and I use to go all the time to rent videos and look at comics where Goodwill is now.

I remember the store in the picture as being called Game World.... it was an arcade business in the early 1980's but I dont remember it before that for some reason. My mother-in-law rented the entire grass lot surrounding it which was all the way from the old Taco Bell building to the other end of Roses parking lot and she parked cars there during the horse show for several years. I remember Barbara Mandrell parking her tour bus there and so did her sister. It was pretty cool because it was when I was dating my husband and we got to park for free and go walk around the horse show. Across the street was Fun Land which was another arcade buisiness. During the time my husband and I were dating and a few years after we were married we would go there most every Friday and Saturday night and he would shoot pool for money. His paycheck at the time wasnt alot so the money he won shooting pool was the money we used to go out with on the weekends or buy something that we needed for the house. I remember one year my grandmother had made homeade fudge for Christmas and when I took it into Fun Land and offered some to my husbands pool shooting partners they were distracted by the delicious fudge and they started loosing. My husband really made some money that night...lol. By the way...I had the standing high score on the Pacman and Galaga video game machine for atleast 2 to 4 years...and was a very good pool shooter myself to be a female.

I remember saving the stamps that Cooper & Martin gave out when you bought groceries and I saved them up for a very long time to trade them in on a gift for my parents for Christmas one year when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My aunt worked there for a few years too. I remember Big K, Sullivans, Super X and Kroger being there like it was yesterday. I can visualize the layouts of each of the stores too. A lot has changed since then.

~American Woman,

I had TOTALLY forgotten about Game World and FunLand!!!

I also remember the Cooper & Martin and the whole Big Springs shopping center from the early 70's. I remember there being from left to right from Lane Pkwy: Cooper & Martin, Big K, Draper (sp?) & Darwin, and Pizza Villa. I can't remember what was in that very end beside Sullivan's. Then there was Kenwins, Super-X, and Kroger's in the other end. I just LOVED Big K, when I was a kid!

FlaDon, I am not sure if any of them are still alive or not. If I could get you to scan me a copy of that story about James Dennis, I would be willing to pay you for your trouble. Mr. Dennis (James) was a Chief Warrant Officer along with Hillard Gardner in the Tennessee Army National Guard (Shelbyville Unit) when I joined in August of 1956.

Floyd Dennis was known as "Junior" when he worked at United Super Market. He was named after his Dad, Halbert Floyd Dennis Sr.

Floyd Jr. is living in Hixson, Tennessee. He is a retired lawyer, State Senator and University Professor.

His sister, Lucille, was my Mother and also worked at the store. In addition to James, Floyd Jr. and Lucille there was another brother Victor who worked at AEDC.

I also have a copy of the Sept 7, 1943 Look Magazine. The article was focused on young army wives who followed their husbands to Army Camps. The article was titled "Don't follow your Husband to an Army Town". Most of the photos in the article were of James and his wife Dot including two full page shots.

Yes tsimmons please do get him involved. He will be a welcome addition to the blog. I have been trying to get a friend of mine in South Alabama actively involved. He would have a lot to add as well. Also welcome to Cattleman. I can tell that you are going to have a lot to add.

FlaDon, Thanks, I am looking forward to getting it.

The Dennis's were my great grandparents.

Also Pizza Villa was owned by my dad ,Leon Mcclaran when Kroger was there. My step dad, Gerald Harris, owned Andys Texaco across from the super market that belonged to my family.

Wow Tim Lokey, you have stirred some more memories for me. I had forgotten about the record store being at that location. I was working with the crew that did the wiring and plumbing on the Minnie Pearl building. As a matter of fact the idea of using milk cans in the building of lamp posts in front of the building was my idea that was accepted by the contractor.

Mr. Willard Baker bought the United Super Market

from the Dennises and I believe that's when it became IGA. He had purchased the Earnhart and Tucker Grocery, where Vance Clays office is, located across from the old High School and later relocated both stores to where the current Piggly-Wiggly store is located on Union Street. I believe that location is where the bowling alley was.

The eatery where the Chevron station is was a Pat Boone deal the best I recall not a KFC. The first KFC that I recall was where it is currently.

The old Rebel Maid was torn down and we constructed a new building for Mr. Pete Brent and others for the KFC and Mr. Brent operated it for quite some time until they sold it to a gentleman (can't think of his name right now)who bought the franchise and pulled the building down and built the current building.

The Milners sons were Joe and Alan. Joe was married to Naomi Brandon who is Boone Brandon's sister. All moved to Tracy City after the store burnt and opened a grocery there. Alan died several years ago and Joe and Naomi had a store in Monteagle, where they resided.