Friday, December 8, 2017

Time Capsule Diner Hiding Out ...

 As always at Enchanted Revelries, to examine a photo more closely to see
details and minutiae, just click photo to get a larger file image.

 I‘m having a very ‘Americana nostalgia’ day here at Enchanted Revelries HQ for some reason, which segues into today’s second time traveling discovery. I first spotted this retired mid-century diner in the archives of the Instagram account American Squares. “A junk store built around an old Woolworth’s diner on Magazine Street in New Orleans,” read the photo caption. But after a little digging, I’ve learned that it’s a junk shop no more, but something even better– a record store! And not just any record store…
Peaches Records first opened in 1975 at a location across town and quickly became a favourite local music hub in the city as well as a supportive home for the local hip hop community, helping launch the careers of Nola musicians.
Still a family-run business, run by the warm and eccentric Ms. Shirani Rea, Peaches Records’ secret to longevity is that it has always stuck with the local clientele, changing retail locations if they become too gentrified and moving to the neighbourhoods where tourism hasn’t pushed out the real community.
Four decades later, that place is 4318 Magazine Street, a former Uptown Woolworth’s store, which after all these years, still kept its authentic 1940s luncheonette counter in tact.
These things belong in museums. In fact, one Woolworth’s counter is actually preserved in the National Museum of American History, because it was at a counter exactly like this one that set the scene for the famous Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 (pictured), protests against racial segregation caused by Jim Crow laws, which led to the Woolworth department store chain removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States.
Many of Peaches Records’ customers remember growing up going to Woolworth’s for lunch with their parents. Today, where they might have once eaten a lemon meringue pie, a local DJ is now spinning a rare 70s vinyl.

 If you’ve ever watch one of my favourite 90s movies, Empire Records, you start to get the feeling that Peaches Records might just be the real deal.
 It’s the indie record store every neighbourhood should have. Always welcoming touring musicians as well as nurturing and showcasing local talent, in 2014, Miss Rea (the Mama bear of Peaches, pictured above), was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the NOLA Hip-Hop Awards.
 Some customers love this place so much they even decided to get married at Peaches.
 And of course there’s the store’s resident bulldog Sir Winston Pepperbottoms, who can be found lurking in the classical music section.
As for the old Woolworth’s self-service diner, Miss Rea’s dream is not just to preserve it but to make it fully operational again.
“Food is at the heart of our city right there along with the incredible music it produces. We want to support the community and bring people together with music, food, and culture.”
 With increasing demand from community members for Peaches “to do something about the counter situation”, they launched a crowd-funding campaign to ensure the former owner allows them to keep the counter and pay for it to become a real luncheonette once again. The campaign still has a ways to go to see that happen, but thankfully for now, it doesn’t look like this historic counter is going anywhere.
If you feel so inclined, you can help support this local business with their time capsule diner project here. Right on.

Be sure to check out the other participants of Beverly's Pink Saturday blog hop! Lots of great ideas and eye candy! Just click here.

Now, go make something beautiful! 
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)(¸.•´
(¸.•´♥ Tristan ♥

Does anything make decorating for the holidays 
more enjoyable than a romantic moment? 

9 comments:

Jackie PN said...

What a fabulous post Tristan!
Peaches dinette is now on my list of places to visit- how cool is that luncheonette?
Funny that you have been feeling nostalgic, I went through Pinterest last evening for about 3 hours pinning retro Christmas, the ones reminding me of my youth! Must be the approaching holidays and the memories of our youth. In my mind, things were so much nicer then...

I digress...Your post was as always a pleasure to read and I just love the photos you share! Thank you for taking the time to find these treasures!
Have a wonderfully beautiful Sunday!
Jackie xo

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I am old enough to remember both browsing at a records store and dining at a Woolworth's counter! One of my fondest memories is having a banana split with my Dad at Woolworths. Such sweet memories your post awakened! I'd love to visit this location one day.

Jeanie said...

These are good memories for me, too. The grilled cheese at the downtown Woolworth counter was the best. And yes, add to that a visit to Marshall Music's record department. Oh, you can get nostalgic anytime you want and I'll be happy! Right there with you!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Goodness!! What a wonderful post!! Showcasing such a great place!! Loved it!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Beverly said...

I love this post. We used to have Peaches in Fort Lauderdale. We even stored our records in their "peach" crates.

Happy Pink Saturday, Tristan. Thanks for sharing. This post is being featured on my Pink Saturday post this week as "the one that caught my eye".

Curtains in My Tree said...


I remember going in the old Woolworth 5 and dime when I was a teenager and also playing records in the old record shop in my home town Mt Vernon Illinois

Createology said...

I actually worked at Woolworth’s Santa Barbara CA and ate at their luncheon counter. Such great memories. And...the Woolworth’s in Bakersfield CA is now an antiques store and the luncheon counter is still in fine form delivering excellent foods and root beer floats. I love the old nostalgic places. Also just visited Waltons Soda Fountain and museum in Bentonville Arkansas. Such Happy Memories Tristan Thank You!

Barbara Windle said...

This was very interesting, Tristen. I just love the history and that these old counters are still being used today.

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