This picture should be from about 1976.
On the left is the Campus Club (upstairs) and the Downtowner Deli (downstairs).
To the right is The Music Shop at 217 N. Main Street, currently the home to Hokie Hair.
The Downtowner Deli was started by Ray Johnson (of Mr. Fooz fame) just after the amusement center called Flipper McCoy went out. I actually helped Ray get this diner off the ground and made the cheesecakes in the kitchen of our Draper's Meadow West apartment to carry back to the restaurant.
The Music Shop sold good name brand musical instruments, did service and repairs, and also had guitar instruction.
I think that is Ray's BMW motorcycle parked in the alley. Click on the photo to get a better view.
The Campus Club was known for reasonably priced pitchers of decent beer (decent for that time, Miller or the like, not Crudwiser) and a good sound system for the album/recorded music they played. The downside was the outdoor steps that one had to negotiate after an evening of pitchers (even worse when they were slick with rain).
ReplyDeleteThe Downtowner morphed into The Fat Rabbit deli at some point. Both of them served good sandwiches and it was a sad day when the Rabbit died :-)
This is going to sound so weird, but that looks like my mom's station wagon in front of the deli.
ReplyDeleteAll of us in BHS Warrior Band knew The Music Shop well. I got all my saxophone reeds there.
ReplyDelete-Sandy
I think Ray just died recently of a heart attack.
ReplyDeleteRay, aka "Ray C", is still very much alive .... unless it's a different Ray you're speaking of
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