R.I.P. Gangsta/Ghetto Spur

Gangsta_Spur

Well, that was the word that I heard From my brother in a fur hanging out at the Gangsta Spur He said, “it always begins behind The Twins they trade a bottle a gin for night full of sin.” -Giljunko

Tonight is your last chance to patronize the infamous Gangsta/Ghetto Spur. It will soon be razed and a new SA will be built farther back toward the alley.

The GS joins its fallen brethren Johnny Ray’s Pizza, House of Donuts, Members Cooperative Credit Union and others I’m probably forgetting. Share your memories in the comments.

15 Comments

  1. TimK on August 12, 2013 at 12:30 am

    Back when it was an independent franchise, a regular vendor had offered to replace a big shelf display. The only problem was what to do with the old shelving unit (it was huge). It sat outside the store unmolested for a few days until the owner put a cardboard sign on it that said simply “Please Save.” It was gone by the next morning.

  2. De man on August 12, 2013 at 12:37 am

    To be fair, it is coming back with a fried chicken place inside, so it will be more like HoD than it was…

    And it will be back (supposedly) Nov/Dec.

    Muffin lady video please?

  3. Starfire on August 12, 2013 at 12:41 am

  4. Paul Lundgren on August 12, 2013 at 7:56 am

    Don’t forget the Casa de Roma / Mr. Lucky’s / CW Chips.

  5. JP Rennquist on August 12, 2013 at 8:10 am

    The pawn shop on the next corner, upper side, has been closed for some time, too.

  6. lhertzel on August 12, 2013 at 8:24 am

    Oh, man, that was my gas station when I lived on Seventh Avenue East and Seventh Street. The National grocery store is long gone, too. I’m probably the only person alive who remembers it.

  7. martin on August 12, 2013 at 8:32 am

    Two chocolate butter bars, please.

  8. BadCat! on August 12, 2013 at 10:24 am

    No need to pour your 40 just yet – it’s being rebuilt.

  9. Barrett Chase on August 12, 2013 at 10:27 am

    “We are trying to relieve congestion,” architects from Krech Ojard wrote to city planners when presenting a “statement of need” for the variance on behalf of Curtis.

    By aligning the building to property edges, it eliminates pockets where criminal activity can occur, the statement read.

    “I do not want to leave space behind the store that could be used by drug traffickers and drug users,” the statement read. “I need to keep all activity in front of the store and in view of the police.”

  10. Starfire on August 12, 2013 at 10:40 am

    It’s being rebuilt but it will never be the same.

  11. Jake on August 12, 2013 at 10:52 am

    I am so damn excited for the fried chicken.

  12. Hot Shot on August 12, 2013 at 11:09 am

    Thank you for the Giljunko line. I always correct people who call it the “Ghetto Spur.”

  13. Karasu on August 12, 2013 at 7:43 pm

    All Spurs are ghetto.

  14. Bob L on August 12, 2013 at 8:39 pm

    How could you forget the “BEST” hardware store in the city… Daugherty Hardware. I go way back and remember places like. Bridgemans, H.C. Dorf Grocery, Five & Dime Store European Bakery, Fox Hardware, just to name a few.

  15. JP Rennquist on August 13, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    I remember going to the National grocery store, Laurie. This would have been a much smaller version of me.

    I can’t decide if I’d rather comment on the feeling of abandonment in the neighborhood with MCCU pulling out, or the collective chip on our shoulders about having the architect make a special statement about crime mitigation in their variance request.

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