GUEST BOOK
Please share your memories of WesTown Shopping Center and other comments right here. Thanks!
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Wow, a ton of memories here! I can't believe the old place has its own web site. Well done and thank you. I went here as a kid just about every day.
Lived there in the late sixties. Went to Sahuaro and Moon Valley and shopped at Westown. sweet
This is such a fun site! I love all the great memories this brings back. Good job and I hope to see more like this in the future.
Westown Shopping Center was the place to be, back in the 60's. It was the only retail area for many miles, and served the community well with the essential services of the times. A.J. Bayless provided my very first employment, from the day I turned 16 years old until about eight months later. My mom loved it because my job entitled her to a discount at the Family Department Store there. It's a little scary to think how many of my childhood memories involve Westown somehow. Cecil Beaver
I went to Moon Valley 66 - 70 and played summer base ball at Westown Park. Dinos Pizza was my sponsor and they made a great pizza. I remember hanging around the Ryan Evans soda counter and drinking dime cokes. I think we did most of our school shopping at TGY. At least that was the only place to buy your MV PE uniform.
It was our family who orginaly started the Bent Cover. I will never forget the fireworks shows and the parade up 28th dr.So many memories. Westown was a special place to grow up.
What a cool website Pass the word around, I lived on Dahlia and 31st ave. Went shopping at AJ Bayless as a kid and worked at the DQ as a teen Chris Frye Leave your name with your comment it would be neat to see all that visit
Too bad the website wont let you leave your email address
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Im lived on 31st Ave and Dahlia also. My folks are passed away but we still own the house on the NE corner.
Grew up in Westown, and now go to Calvary community church. I have shared stories with the Pastors there, they have done a great job preserving and improving the westown star sign. If anyone gets a chance stop in and see Steve at westown barber he is still there and has a very cool arial photo of westown from back in the day. You could get a haircut while your there, Steve has a ton of stories. Anyone remember Sal's pizza, mmm the sicilianslices were the best!
Sals was great, Dinos came before that. They were my Little league sponsor. and there was a deli called bikoffs that was good also.
What was the name of that restaurant at Westown in the late 70s that served those great steak sandwiches?
My father Pat Patterson, owned the WesTown Watch Shop. He started in a small rental space in Revco, and then I believe he moved the shop into Bayless. Later he moved the shop into the mall in the corridor between Revco and Bayless. Eventually when they opened the shops on the north side of the mall he moved the shop over to the newer building. When I graduated from college he finally retired around 1975 or 76. I went to Sahuaro Elementary for 1st and 2nd grade then our community north of Thunderbird, Country Gables went to Cholla. I graduated from Cholla in 1969, and then attended Moon Valley and graduated in 1973. I attended NAU graduating in the fall of 76, and then finished my masters degree in the fall of 78. The only barbershop I can recall ever getting my hair cut is at the WesTown Barber Shop and it still to this day is the only place I will go. It actually was today while getting a haircut I heard about this website. Wow, thanks for putting this site together.
Love the sight, thanks for the memories. Dont forget Westown Chiropractic.
We moved to Phx in 1961 and things sure changed! Thanks for these pictures....great old memories. Judi Runyon
Moved to Phx and to a brand new 4 bedroom at 33rd and Shaw Butte. Graduated Cholla's 1st class in 64 and Moon Valley's 2nd in 68. Walking to Westown was a mile but Dino's was worth it. My Girl Scout had a camp out in the area behind the shopping center in 62 long before pavement was added!!! Oh what memories. Diane
I love this site
The cherry phosphates at Ryan-Evans were unforgettable. The best of times.
I just came across your website regarding photos of Westown Shopping Center.
Boy, it sure brings back memories. I am not sure if I have any photos of the
shopping area or not. Back in the early 80s (1980-1984) I used to live in the
Barcelona Apartments (Banyantree Apartments) right across the street. I lived
there when I was in kindergarten through 5th grade. After 1984, my parents and I
moved out of state. I haven't been back there since 1984. I can imagine how that
area has changed. I can remember going to AJ Bayless and walking around the
shopping center. I always looked forward to 4th of July for the fireworks
display. I always loved watching from the apartment complex as they shot them
from the parking lot. Also, I remember (can't remember the year) around
Christmas time, they had carriage rides for the kids. Greg
This is sooo cool to see! I grew up in this neighborhood in the 70s, and spent many a summer loitering in the stores as this was the only air conditioning around. The houses in the area only had evaporative cooling at the time. They used to have a fireworks display every July 4th.
Bitter Creek was the name of that great steak sandwich place! They are still in the valley, on Central... not sure if they're still as good.
Nice site and great memories.
Nice site and great memories. Went to the Bitter Creek on Central a few yrs ago did not seem to be the same. This was and is still today a great nieghborhood. Charlie V
Awesome site! Do you have any info on Joe's Bakery. My family always got B-Day cakes from there.
This is sooo cool. We lived at 3113 W. Surrey Ave. in the 70's-80's. I used to ride my bike up to the Westtown stores on the weekends, spend my allowance at Tg y for a treat of cylindrical ice cream, 2 scoops please. Thanx for the flashback...the place is a church now! Tiffany Marshall
Hey Tiffany..Chris, Jeff Grachus here. Westown was an awesome place to grow up. Good to see you guys on here. Bitter creek..I forgot all about that place. BTW, Steve who owned westown barber shop retired...drag. Teri's got it now though. Westown soccer club...we should start that up again???
This is so cool thank you for bringing back memories of my childhood. I remember shopping at AJ Bayless and going to the Circle K that came along later. I lived there from 1965-1984 and went to Saguaro Elementary and then Moon Valley High School. I still live in Arizona, but moved to the East Valley in 1984.
Wow, 50 years. Hard to believe. Happy birthday Westown.
I heard that Sahuaro Elementary is having a anniversary, open house this fall, might be cool to check out the old school! Chris Frye
I worked at A.J. Bayless for 19 years. That is where I started, at WesTown. My Boss was Leon Lewis he was also my Mom's boss. She went on to run the Family Department Store also in WesTown next door to A. J. Bayless. Later she would become a grocery store manager for them, later still a supervisor and then a buyer.
OH HOW I MISS LIVING IN THIS AREA IT WAS WHERE I CALLED HOME FOR 10 PLUS YEARS WHILE I WAS MARRIED....
Went through my late 'tween and teen years living there from 1978 to 1985. AJ Bayless was where I worked my first job as a carry-out. I recall shopping at all the stores with my parents or by myself... there was a hobby shop on the north side my brother and I spent a lot of time and money at, and I bought my first SciFi novel at the Bent Cover in 78 or 79 and have been reading them ever since! Nice site, keep up the good work! Dean Cote
does anyone remember the pop shop I worked there carry cases of soda out to the customers car, the cases had 12- 32oz glass bottles of multi-flavored sodas, I made a whopping 2.00 per hr. The pop shop was located in the same strip mall as sal's pizza, and halles T V service. Does anyone remember minnie pearls fried chicken, next to circle K
Just loved your site! Searching thru the Internet for extinct grocery stores, in this case AJ Bayless. You had a real visual history of what an old time shopping area was like. I would so like to see another page with old clippings and pictures of other shopping centers in Phoenix area since I heard there was a whole bunch of them. thanks for the great webpage!
I attended dance at Spisak dance academy, worked for Suntown dry cleaners and my son's first day care was Four Seasons. Loved this place. There was a little store that sold overstock toys. Then the craft place - The American store or something like that. Even bought a stroller at Deseret Industries Thrift.
I remember that the cobbler wore a huge gun in a holster.
I went to Moon Valley from 82 though 85. I was searching google for Bittercreek Sandwiches which is how I found this website. Although a bit later than most of the comments here, I too have fond memories of Westown. Especially the Library, the bar. Now if someone could just bring back Bittercreek and Pizza D Amore I would be a happy man. Larry M.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful memories. Love this site.
Thanks for the great site, I love it.
What a hoot this is. We moved to 31st ave and Corrine in the early 70's, went to Sahuaro and Moon Valley. Played ball at Westown LL and the park next to Sahuaro. Sals Pizza was the first Sicilian pizza we ever had and is still the best! R.I.P Frank How about Double Wheel bike shop, Halles T.V. Repair, and Angels? Dang, we got old.. The Bucklins
Revco had a lunch counter in the early 70's
I can remember getting my first big box of crayons at the T,G and Y that use to be there. I remember getting ice cream at the Baskin Robbins and I can remember shopping at the grocery store.
This was a wonderful time and place for a kid to grow up back in the 1960s-70s
There was a bakery on the very end I believe on the south end and it was called Joe's Bakery. When my mom was pregnant with me she would go get fresh glazed donuts and Joe would let her in early before they opened to get the freshest batch fresh and hot.
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say excellent blog!
Grew up around 31st and Cactus in the late '70's through early 90's. I'm fortunate to remember a lot of these stores. My aunt also used to work at the Amber Inn. I seem to remember there being an antiques store where TGY used to be in the early '90's. It wasn't the Brass Armadillo though. The 4th of July fireworks will forever be one of my fondest memories of childhood. You just can't beat homemade ice-cream and watching the show from your backyard! Great site. Thank you!
Hi there! Quick question that's completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I'm trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to correct this issue. If you have any suggestions, please share. With thanks!
thanks for the memories ! My parents built on Corrine Drive, in 1960, we lived there until selling in '71, and moving to Indiana. It was a great place to grow up !
Came here because you were talking about SALS PIZZA. Anybody know whatever happened to the owner? I'm sure that I am part Sals Pizza, living in the Barcelona apartments in 1973 and within walking distance of some of THE BEST NY style pizza. I shopped at WesTown a LOT, but moved away in 1979. Still trying to find CARLA BAUER who went to Moon Vally HS. I graduated in 1972, so if you know, please tell! Best wishes from Atlanta. - Mark Strelecki
Loved Westown, shopped there way back in the 1960s thank you for the web site
Anybody remember the family department store?
Thank you for hosting this site! Great memories!
Grew up in Surrey Heights, went here ALL the time. Great site! Thank you for this!!
I loved shopping at the TG &Y, AJ Bayless and 31 flavors ice cream was a treat afterwards. I watched Fireworks from my roof This was my childhood. I loved Sals pizza, Bitter Creek steak sandwiches and Fortune Cookie and Lazy Lous fish and chiips. This was my teen years - years snd years of memories.
My step brother owned the liquor store for a few years. I remember a lot of different shops during the 70s. A few Halloween costume competitions too. Lot of great memories at WesTown! Went to Sahuaro Elementary too.
Thank you for the history of my old shopping center. My family bought a house on 31st Avenue and Wethersfield in 1961, WesTown was a very big part of my childhood and my 4 other siblings. We lived there until 1985, which my older brother bought a home in the area. Many memories, wonderful and not so. Many nights us kids and others in the neighborhood would go up to the Amber Inn to drag our parents out. AJ Bayless was a meeting place in front of the butcher, getting meats cut and all the adults smoking...Oh the memories. Everyone had a passbook savings at VNB...Such simpler times...Thanks again for the history...Made me smile, made me sad, but made me glad I grew up in a small community...Deb Seay Marshall
I just came across this link and I literally have tears in my eyes. It brought back so many wonderful memories. My parents owned G&E TV, which was next to the Barber Shop. I spent my entire childhood in WesTown. I lived at 35th Ave and Cactus and attended Sahuaro and Moon Valley. I was a patient at the Medical Center, an account holder at Valley National Bank, an employee at TG&Y, a frequent customer at the Liquor store (for soda and candy) and the book mobile . . . I could go on and on. Thanks for sharing these photos!
I lived at W Cactus Rd. from 1965 to 1978 and graduated from MVHS 1979. Much of our families and friends lives revolved around Westown. Thanks@
Westown memories are the best. I cant find many people that remember the dive bar GJ's. It was in the NW strip of the center. Close to the photobooth/snowcone place. Anybody??
Thank you for this great site. Moon Valley 1980. I also spent many nights at the library in the early 90s. :)
Went many times as a kid. Special place.
Very nicely done website for this little historic place we lived Greenway Road area 65 to 78... went to West Town countless times. Interesting didn't understand the history with Skaggs homes.. and the photo with Black Canyon Highway basically ending
Wow, how fun was this....thanks for the memories. EJ Pickup
I, to this day have soooo many fond memories of WesTown. A great place, sad it's gone.
My sister and I attended Sahuaro and Moon Valley. I remember driving to AJ Bayless as a 16 year old. With one dollar I could purchase a loaf of bread and a half gallon of milk and go home with a few Pennies! We loved the book mobile. Dad worked at GE and then later for Honeywell. We lived at 3302 W Corrine Drive from 1964 and then sold the home around 2012. Renita (Williams) Steinmann Rockets 1975