This photo shows a section of Franklin St. rarely photographed during this time period.  This block is now occupied by the 38-story One Tampa City Center building.

Mouseover photo to see a close up of the businesses on the left.

Quinby Electric
Tillman Cleaning
Cannon Music

Looking west between Cass and Polk Street. This photograph was taken from in front of the Kress Building.

Kinney Educator Shoes
Pollers
Walk-Over Bootery

Maas Brothers
Kress
Tampa Theater
Baker's
Haber's
National Shirt Shop
 

1941 Meeting at Duval Jewelry
1941 Employees and Family picnic
1955 Haber's Window Display

National chain stores advertised:
Publix Supermarkets
J.C. Penney
Britton Theatre
Neisner's Variety
Madison Drugs
Thom McAn
W.T. Grant Co.
Bellas Hess
Lerner Shops
Schiff Shoes
A.S. Beck
National Shirt Shops

Mouseover photo to see detail of Cinchett sign.

Britton Plaza history
1957 Publix clerk & store display
1959 courtyard stores
Present-day plaza archway sign
Britton Plaza New Look
 

In the mid 1960s, this building was occupied by Kash n' Karry.  Best Buy and Wal Mart now occupy this area between Spruce St. and I-275.  (See Montgomery Wards below.)

This structure was built to adjoin the above original Gulf Supermarket building on the south end, which was occupied by Kash n' Karry at the time.  Later, in 1976, Wards would move into the new Tampa Bay Center Mall.

This area is now occupied by Wal-Mart, between Best Buy and I-275 on Dale Mabry.

Pickford’s Sundries was started in 1949 by  Casimir Lesiak.  The building pictured was built in 1952 by Casimir, his son, also named Casimir, and his son-in-law Frank Greco.  The drugstore was one of Tampa’s most well-known for over forty years and was one of the last family-owned drugstores of that era.  Since Lesiak was difficult to pronounce, Casimir named it after silent film star Mary Pickford. “He admired her because she was an independent woman,” remembers Marie Lesiak-Haley, the younger Casimir's daughter and building owner.  It closed more than a 10 years ago and fell into disrepair and ruin. But its mystique never died. A local bluegrass band named themselves after it.  And now, Pickford's has been resurrected as Custom Creations Café & Bakery, owned by Michelle DiMicco.

Pickford's before & after restoration

Click to enlarge

In March of 1955, the Golden Brown Diner opened at Hillsborough Avenue and 20th Street across from Holsum Bakery.  The Rentz Family bought it from Mr. Brown and soon moved this diner a few blocks down Hillsborough Avenue to make room for the new Sears & Roebuck store that would open in 1958 on that block.   Bob and Lou Ella Rentz reopened the diner in 1956 as the Rentz Diner at the corner of 17th Street and Hillsborough Avenue.  The Rentz family also ran the popular Seminole Heights diner that became a third-generation family legacy when their grandchildren-Brenda, Randy, Bret and Mark Fowler all worked there in the 1970s. The Rentz Diner was a local favorite for 30 years and many long-time Seminole Heights residents fondly remember the friendly caring service of The Rentz family, most especially Doris Rentz-Fowler, who had a real passion for her Father’s diner.

Cinchett Neon Sign Company made the neon signs for Brown’s Diner in 1954 and Rentz Diner when it was moved in 1956. The diner closed in 1986.