How about that arcade next door to Waldo’s, it was called Games R Fun. Spent many hours there…I remember a pretty serious fight between two older high school kids and they almost knocked over the Defender game. You remember that era….when kids who fought did it face to face with things called fists. Nowadays, you never see the sucker punch coming…..if they don’t pop a cap in you first.

And thank you for bringing up the old Broadway Pizza/The Station on Bass lake Rd and Broadway. I haven’t thought about that place since they tore it down and put up yet another Walgreens. FYI- it was actually two separate places in one- Broadway Pizza for the family and The Station for the adults (it was a bar and also an off-sale liquor store). that corner looks nothing like it did just 10-15 years ago. About the only place that hasn’t changed in that area is that old Eagle Dry Cleaners next to the Wells fargo bank. That place has been there forever.

And you also brought up Beek’s Pizza. The logo was- Beek’s…The “King” of Pizza. We always went here when I was kid, we almost never went to the Broadway Pizza. Beeks had the greatest “greasy” pizza ever made. There’s still one down in St Louis Park, I think. The kind of place that had a jukebox and you got water in those red plastic glasses on your wobbly table. Also, they had shutters on the INSIDE of the windows for privacy from passersby on the sidewalk. There was also a big window with steps in front of it so kids could watch the pizza being made by hand, the cook would smile or make a funny face at us, great fun! If you want to see a crappy strip mall, drive by the strip mall that Beek’s used to be in, located right on Bass Lake Rd across from the park. Now, as you’re driving by, try to count the number of African-American oriented salons and barbershops. As of 2010, there are at least 5 or 6 (maybe more) just in this tiny strip mall! Why do I get the idea there’s more than haircutting going on? Is it the fact they’re open until 9:00 or 10:00pm? Or maybe I’m just a racist and they were just going in for a late-night trim around the ears. And there’s also a place called “African Movie World”. I guess that’s where you can go to find a VHS copy of Shaka Zulu. I’m guessing they won’t have “On Golden Pond” in stock. Caucasians not welcome!

Geez, I just realized this thread is about the Brooklyn Center K-mart! Once I start rambling, I don’t stop!

Here’s another one: Do you remember a pizza place called “Little Brooklyn?” It was tucked away in a very tiny strip mall on Brooklyn Blvd. between the Chrysler dealership and 63rd Ave. I remember a kid at school who always brought leftovers from that place for lunch and would constantly brag about it, so I finally finagled my parents into taking me there. Can’t really say I remember much about the pizza, however.

We lived across the street from Kelly’s On Boone and they had decent pizza. There was a short-lived pizza delivery joint up the road from us called “Pizza Shuttle,” which had a picture of , you guessed it, the space shuttle in its logo. Again, not too memorable except for the name. Then there was a bar on W. Broadway and Bass Lake Road that served Broadway Pizza (I think it was called either “The Palace” or “The Station.”) There was a place next to that called “Beeks Pizza.”

Geez I could go on all day at this rate!!!

1.) Their delivery drivers drove full-size Ford Vans with their logo emblazoned down the sides. I remember that vividly, as we used to order Waldo’s several times a month!

2.) The pizza was “Godfather’s” style with the thick, doughy crust (not quite deep-dish, but not exactly thin crust either.) Their pizza always tasted better than Godfather’s, at least I thought so.

3.) The restaurant itself had a counter in the front where you’d place your order, then they’d send your order back to the kitchen via an air-tube system like banks have at their drive-up tellers. Looking back, I think that was the main attraction for all the kiddies (that and they did have an arcade room.) I’m sure it didn’t hurt our parents the fact that the pizza was better than Chuck-E-Cheese’s! I seem to remember they always blared WLOL throughout the restaurant (we were eating there the first time I heard “Ghostbusters.”)

So now here comes the obvious pun, “Where’s Waldo(‘s Pizza)?” Uh huh huh huh…

1.) Their delivery drivers drove full-size Ford Vans with their logo emblazoned down the sides. I remember that vividly, as we used to order Waldo’s several times a month!

2.) The pizza was “Godfather’s” style with the thick, doughy crust (not quite deep-dish, but not exactly thin crust either.) Their pizza always tasted better than Godfather’s, at least I thought so.

3.) The restaurant itself had a counter in the front where you’d place your order, then they’d send your order back to the kitchen via an air-tube system like banks have at their drive-up tellers. Looking back, I think that was the main attraction for all the kiddies (that and they did have an arcade room.) I’m sure it didn’t hurt our parents the fact that the pizza was better than Chuck-E-Cheese’s! I seem to remember they always blared WLOL throughout the restaurant (we were eating there the first time I heard “Ghostbusters.”)

So now here comes the obvious pun, “Where’s Waldo(‘s Pizza)?” Uh huh huh huh…

Zubaz…lol, I always picture a dude wearing Vikings Zubaz, matching Vikings t-shirt (with a few holes and stains), big beer gut, and a MULLET. The men were so fashionable back in 1990! *swoon*

I didn’t like those even back in the day. I didn’t own a pair, but Zubaz were more of a “guy” thing. I don’t know if they even made them for girls. My brother and my dad had matching Vikings Zubaz that they’d wear on game day. Back then, my dad had season tickets to the Vikings, and when he’d take my brother, they’d wear the matching Zubaz. Luckily my dad and my brother never fell victim to THE MULLET.

I keep hearing about a Zubaz comeback (heaven help us!), with teens these days thinking they’re “retro”. Hope it doesn’t catch on!

I shouldn’t talk though, I have a pair of pajama pants from Old Navy with parrots plastered all over them

Shakey’s Pizza!!! There’s a whole other “dumpy” franchise that left Minnesota! I don’t quite remember the pizza, but I do remember all of the adults unabashedly calling it “Shitty’s” in front of us kids back in the day. I remember passing by the old Shakey’s in No Hope not too long ago, and the building now houses a friggin’ wedding chapel!

And speaking of Zubaz, I just tossed my vintage leopard-print Zubaz I bought in 1990 a couple of years ago after they finally wore out. I think I might’ve actually wore them in public once during the 15 minutes they were in style (with a black “Body Glove” shirt,) but after that they made for one comfortable pair of bed pants.

The Twin Cities were a few years ahead of the rest of the country on the whole Zubaz trend. I remember watching “I Love The 90′s” and they brought up Zubaz in the episode chronicling 1996. They were in and out of style here within a span of 2-3 months over the summer of ’90! We can certainly thank the Road Warriors and Jesse Ventura shilling the hell out of them for the trend to come in and out so fast.