SOUTH AVENUE: Richard Peroginelli, who used to live at 23 Moorehouse Place, recalls what some of the stores along South Avenue were in the early 1960s.
First in the row on South Avenue was the bus terminal, the state liquor store then “one of the first pizzerias in Bradford.” Richard tells us, “I worked there after my paper route,” making about 50 cents a night. Frankie Fair was the owner.
Next in the row was The Spot Cafe, owned by a man named Sonny. Richard explained that as you walked into the cafe, there were booths on either side, then to the right there was a staircase leading downstairs to an after hours club called the Parisian Room.
The sidewalk outside the Parisian Room had glass blocks, and blue lights would shine out from the club. “It was a sight,” he said, especially in the winter.
To the left of the next entryway by The Spot Cafe was “a little boutique” owned by Rose Turney, he said. “She had a hat shop for women, and I would deliver hats for her on my bike.” This was around 1962-63, according to Richard.
In the same entryway was Henry Orris’ Jewelry Shop. If the name sounds familiar, that may be because Henry’s son is Grant Orris, owner of Orris Jewelers along with his wife, Carol.
Next was the bus terminal. Richard said his mother used to take him and his sister, Rose, to Erie to see the eye doctor, which was a three-hour trip one way. There was a rest stop in Warren.
In 1967-68, Richard would take a bus to school in Pittsburgh, a six-hour ride that would begin Sunday night in Bradford and arrive Monday morning in time for class. This time, there was a stop in DuBois.
“As you turn the corner from West Corydon to South Avenue, the first building was the state tax store or welfare office,” he said. Next to that was Ott McHenry Pharmacy, and next to that in what is now an empty lot was a grocery store owned by Frank Deluca.
There was another building, an alleyway, then the bus terminal.
Across the street from the terminal building was a Sherwin Williams Paint Store.
GONE FISHIN’: If you haven’t finished your taxes yet, you’re in luck: you have until Monday to file without an extension.
For those who didn’t wait until the last minute, go ahead and grab a fishing pole, worms and lures and head for water, as it’s warm, it’s sunny and it’s the first day of trout season in Pennsylvania!
