What you referred to as the Parma parks and rec dept., and was once the library was once Royal Ridge elementary school. I went there from kindergarten to sixth grade. 1967 to 74… The parking lot in the back was a playground for recess…Lived on Westminster Dr. about a block and a half from the mall …Fond memories…
Thanks for this video! I grew up there in the 80’s and 90’s. Great memories, and I kinda miss it out there. Ive been gone 25, 26 years and the holidays still dont feel right to me where im at or where ive been. Christmas lights on cacti is cool looking, but hurts like hell putting them up and taking them down 😂
Oooo, very neat to hear about! I still have the look of the library etched into my brain, so even now, it's hard for me to envision how the hallways and classrooms would've been structured; I'm sure plenty of walls were reconfigured.
Wow, how different this area looks today. We lived in Seven Hills from 1970-2005. Parmatown was my mall in the 70’s-90’s. Loved spending the day at Higbees, Mays, Penneys and many small stores like Winkelmans. Always got a big slice of pizza from Antonio’s in the food court. What a great place to shop. Trivia….I was shopping in Higbees basement when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.
Very different today indeed; but it does still seem to be thriving in its modern form, similar to Westgate. North Olmsted and Strongsville are the West Side malls that survived.
The theater was awsome they had a.. magic with in ...store next to theater wen i went to st charles we used to walk home my buddies and i would stop at north coast then magic with in ...goodtimes 🍻
That CVS was the old Parma Theatre . Gone. I lived on Farnsworth and St. Charles. Went to pre school at that church that had Taste of Italy . 😂 Also you missed a few key spots. Polish Village and used to be an old general store called J&Ms; turned into insurance or something years ago.
I wasn't from Parma, so I only knew some of the spots, so I like when someone like you can help point them out! I did catch that the CVS was the Parma Theater a few minutes after passing it, lol
This is the type of time where I'd love to find time to develop a Poko Traveler blog. My vision in the past was not only to shoot these videos, but also write some articles where I could compare the before-and-after through various pictures.
Nice, always fun hearing about more NE Ohio roots! I don't think I've ever been to the Parma-Snow location, it didn't look familiar when I just checked on Google Maps. The one I showed in the video, I felt like we'd go there at least a handful of times every year. For the Cuyahoga Branches, it would either be Brooklyn or that Parma one.
I live in Parma in the late 90’s early 00’s before moving to Florida. I miss it so much. Such a great place to live. I’d love to move back someday. This feels like home to me.
Antonio's at 30:45 has closed recently and unexpectedly. No word on why but it was family owned, so something may have happened to one of the family owners. They had good pizza and Italian food.
There are some details here, including a possible reopening with an altered look: www.cleveland.com/community/2024/08/parma-pizza-lovers-rejoice-cherished-institution-planning-new-original-antonios-pizzeria-restaurant.html?outputType=amp
Looks like Parma Theatre was demolished, and that CVS is there now. I think you subconsciously remembered the location, since you were talking about it, while riding past.
I'm not sure. I looked at Google Maps, and on Ridge Road, I see a Bethany Lutheran School (preschool through eighth grade) that is on Ridge Road. If you know your old address, look it up on Google Maps (street view), and check across the street to see if a school is still there.
I grew up in Parma in the 60's and 70's. Looks nothing like the town I grew up in. I miss all the things living in Parma brought. Big Chuck and Hoolihan, The Ghoul and froggy. The Polish Falcons and seven hills lanes where I spent a lot of my free time. Wish I could time travel back to that time. I miss it.
I grew up there. I miss it.we would go there before a football game. The neighborhood was a great place to grow up in. It was a like a big family that you could trust and not have a worry in the world. 🎉
it's definitely nice to go down memory lane on the good times. I was wondering though, after you ran for the plates and napkins as your brother stood there 😆, did you catch anything & did y'all use them?
Haha, in my head, I feel like I caught/pinned down a couple napkins or plates. But I doubt we ended up using them since they'd been on the ground where all the birds regularly walk/poop, lol.
I never realized how beautiful Cleveland's surrounding suburbs are. Unfortunately, I rarely had an opportunity of having a ride to see the Fall colors.
You are correct when you say the Shoppers World is the original JC Penny location, I think it's the last remaining part of the old mall still intact, except some walls and beams retained on the east part of the new plaza (adjacent to Fast Eddie's). There was a Higbee's (later Dillard's) where Wal-Mart stands now but that was demolished a while before the mall - back around 2003-4. There was also a May Company/Macy's that was demoed along with the rest of the mall, it went out of business around 2012 and stood empty the last few years. The fire department used it for some training toward the end. th-cam.com/video/0xwCGRhqacw/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for all the other context of the department stores! I had a stray Parma mall memory this morning too; it was about Franco America Sonic the Hedgehog pasta cans. The labels on the cans used to have something you could redeem for free tokens at the arcade that was at the mall (and probably at other malls too; but Parma is where my memory of it was at).
That old part of the mall... I remember riding my bike through it when it was being built. There was a bank on the left when you walked in, a pet shop down a couple stores. There was a place to get custom t shirts with iron on logo's, etc. Chess King was in that area. You had to walk through that common area to get to Penny's.
Where that Sheets is on Day and Ridge... That used to be a home with a large back yard. The old man had horses. We used to stop with veggies and feed them. And who remembers Parmatown Lanes; where Planet Fitness currently sits? Where Starbucks is; that used to be a Marathon gas station. Where you talk about Michael's craft store, that used to be a grocery store called Fazio's. Next to it was Revco drug store. Where Target is; that used to be a church. We would go back past their parking lot in the back, into the woods. There was a large pond there where we would fish. You could go through the paths in the woods and end up in McDonald's parking lot. With respect to your Dunkin Donuts comment; Yes! It was a big issue. There was a house there and the owners did not want to move. There was also on across the street from Dunkin Donuts. At one point, Regency was blocked off with concrete barriers to prevent people from using Regency as a cut through to Ridgewood drive. When that barrier came down, so did those two homes. (I only know this because I grew up on Regency). Stearns Homestead... (We called it Gibbs Farm). Old man Stearns (or his son?) was still alive when I was a kid. We used to sneak onto the fields in the back, where the apple trees were and grab a bag or two for apple pies. We would also cut through the field to get to Fay Jr. High as that is where we went to school. What you are calling the Parma Library was Royal Ridge Elementary back in the day. Where the library is on Powers Blvd; that is about where Powers Blvd ended and it was just wooded land all the way to Regency. Lots of tree forts and exporing going on there back in the day. Anyway, thanks for this video! You biked the same areas I did as a kid and it was great to watch you take those same routes. Appreciate your work!
Yeah, at least with a place like Crocker Park in Ohio, or Station Park in Utah, the area was specifically designed for those shops and a walkability factor. With Parma, I agree, they basically just flipped the mall inside out, lol. Would it have been worth it to tear down all of Parmatown and rebuild from scratch? Probably not from a $ persepctive. Westgate sort of rebuilt from scratch a long time ago, but isn't so walkable.
I grew up everywhere you rode lol! Good ol Valley Forge High School. This video is nostalgic. Good stuff
What you referred to as the Parma parks and rec dept., and was once the library was once Royal Ridge elementary school. I went there from kindergarten to sixth grade. 1967 to 74… The parking lot in the back was a playground for recess…Lived on Westminster Dr. about a block and a half from the mall …Fond memories…
The Parma theater that they tore down was that snow in Ridge where that CVS is built
Thanks for this video! I grew up there in the 80’s and 90’s. Great memories, and I kinda miss it out there. Ive been gone 25, 26 years and the holidays still dont feel right to me where im at or where ive been. Christmas lights on cacti is cool looking, but hurts like hell putting them up and taking them down 😂
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you're able to come back and see the area some time in person 😊
What used to be the Parma Library on Ridge Road, was originally Royal Ridge Elementary . . . grades 1-6.
Oooo, very neat to hear about! I still have the look of the library etched into my brain, so even now, it's hard for me to envision how the hallways and classrooms would've been structured; I'm sure plenty of walls were reconfigured.
I Lived on Ridge Road a few blocks from Parma town mall!! oh my gosh!!!
Me too 🤪
Wow, how different this area looks today. We lived in Seven Hills from 1970-2005. Parmatown was my mall in the 70’s-90’s. Loved spending the day at Higbees, Mays, Penneys and many small stores like Winkelmans. Always got a big slice of pizza from Antonio’s in the food court. What a great place to shop. Trivia….I was shopping in Higbees basement when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.
Very different today indeed; but it does still seem to be thriving in its modern form, similar to Westgate. North Olmsted and Strongsville are the West Side malls that survived.
The theater was awsome they had a.. magic with in ...store next to theater wen i went to st charles we used to walk home my buddies and i would stop at north coast then magic with in ...goodtimes 🍻
That CVS was the old Parma Theatre . Gone. I lived on Farnsworth and St. Charles. Went to pre school at that church that had Taste of Italy . 😂 Also you missed a few key spots. Polish Village and used to be an old general store called J&Ms; turned into insurance or something years ago.
I wasn't from Parma, so I only knew some of the spots, so I like when someone like you can help point them out! I did catch that the CVS was the Parma Theater a few minutes after passing it, lol
Flower Rama was there as well
Thank you for sharing. I grew up near Parmatown in the 70s and 80s. This brought so many great memories.
i think Fast Eddies was the TGI Fridays, and that was the entrance with the food court area.
This is the type of time where I'd love to find time to develop a Poko Traveler blog. My vision in the past was not only to shoot these videos, but also write some articles where I could compare the before-and-after through various pictures.
oh my Gosh, I’ve gotten strudel at Rudy’s!! still there wow
Rudy's is one of those places that just stands out, lol, even the signage outside as a little kid left an impression on me.
Interesting video. My mother was the branch manager at Parma Snow library in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Nice, always fun hearing about more NE Ohio roots! I don't think I've ever been to the Parma-Snow location, it didn't look familiar when I just checked on Google Maps. The one I showed in the video, I felt like we'd go there at least a handful of times every year. For the Cuyahoga Branches, it would either be Brooklyn or that Parma one.
My mother worked at the library during that time. Remember writing out the slips of paper when you took out a book? Bless you and yours. Bobby Z.
I live in Parma in the late 90’s early 00’s before moving to Florida. I miss it so much. Such a great place to live. I’d love to move back someday. This feels like home to me.
The small Polish diner just prior to Snow Road. I work there at the age of 15 as a dish washer. The name of the diner was Elgins.
Antonio's at 30:45 has closed recently and unexpectedly. No word on why but it was family owned, so something may have happened to one of the family owners. They had good pizza and Italian food.
Yes. The owner sadly passed. There's been talking of reopening though, although it's said to be just a little different.
There are some details here, including a possible reopening with an altered look: www.cleveland.com/community/2024/08/parma-pizza-lovers-rejoice-cherished-institution-planning-new-original-antonios-pizzeria-restaurant.html?outputType=amp
@@PokoTraveler Wow, finally some solid information and potential good news for the restaurant and for Parma, thanks!
Oh, they tore the Parma show down here on the right hand side where that CVS is
Lots of car dealers in that neighborhood. Mufflers for less are the best around ! Very nice people
I haven't visited there in a bit, but I love that dog!!! So friendly. Used to be there every time
Looks like Parma Theatre was demolished, and that CVS is there now. I think you subconsciously remembered the location, since you were talking about it, while riding past.
Oops, you looked it up minute later, haha
Haha, indeed.
Used to live on Ridge Rd across from what was Parma elem is the building still there,?
I'm not sure. I looked at Google Maps, and on Ridge Road, I see a Bethany Lutheran School (preschool through eighth grade) that is on Ridge Road. If you know your old address, look it up on Google Maps (street view), and check across the street to see if a school is still there.
I grew up in Parma in the 60's and 70's. Looks nothing like the town I grew up in. I miss all the things living in Parma brought. Big Chuck and Hoolihan, The Ghoul and froggy. The Polish Falcons and seven hills lanes where I spent a lot of my free time. Wish I could time travel back to that time. I miss it.
I was a '70s grade-school kid, moving away by the end of the '80s. Yeah, lots has changed but...time waits for no man...
I grew up there. I miss it.we would go there before a football game. The neighborhood was a great place to grow up in. It was a like a big family that you could trust and not have a worry in the world. 🎉
St Charles on the left-hand side
Great video, very beautiful ＋👍🔔
the water is still there. i grew up on york near there. many many many memories. are you familiar with church in the woods?
No, I haven't heard of church in the woods; what is it?
it's definitely nice to go down memory lane on the good times. I was wondering though, after you ran for the plates and napkins as your brother stood there 😆, did you catch anything & did y'all use them?
Haha, in my head, I feel like I caught/pinned down a couple napkins or plates. But I doubt we ended up using them since they'd been on the ground where all the birds regularly walk/poop, lol.
@@PokoTraveler 😆 Ikr, and as child and even other children might have ran for them too. But yeah, I agree.
Going to Parma soon.
I never realized how beautiful Cleveland's surrounding suburbs are. Unfortunately, I rarely had an opportunity of having a ride to see the Fall colors.
You are correct when you say the Shoppers World is the original JC Penny location, I think it's the last remaining part of the old mall still intact, except some walls and beams retained on the east part of the new plaza (adjacent to Fast Eddie's). There was a Higbee's (later Dillard's) where Wal-Mart stands now but that was demolished a while before the mall - back around 2003-4. There was also a May Company/Macy's that was demoed along with the rest of the mall, it went out of business around 2012 and stood empty the last few years. The fire department used it for some training toward the end. th-cam.com/video/0xwCGRhqacw/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for all the other context of the department stores! I had a stray Parma mall memory this morning too; it was about Franco America Sonic the Hedgehog pasta cans. The labels on the cans used to have something you could redeem for free tokens at the arcade that was at the mall (and probably at other malls too; but Parma is where my memory of it was at).
😆
That old part of the mall... I remember riding my bike through it when it was being built. There was a bank on the left when you walked in, a pet shop down a couple stores. There was a place to get custom t shirts with iron on logo's, etc. Chess King was in that area. You had to walk through that common area to get to Penny's.
I remember when Franklin ice cream was in Parmatown it was where the is
Where that Sheets is on Day and Ridge... That used to be a home with a large back yard. The old man had horses. We used to stop with veggies and feed them. And who remembers Parmatown Lanes; where Planet Fitness currently sits? Where Starbucks is; that used to be a Marathon gas station. Where you talk about Michael's craft store, that used to be a grocery store called Fazio's. Next to it was Revco drug store. Where Target is; that used to be a church. We would go back past their parking lot in the back, into the woods. There was a large pond there where we would fish. You could go through the paths in the woods and end up in McDonald's parking lot. With respect to your Dunkin Donuts comment; Yes! It was a big issue. There was a house there and the owners did not want to move. There was also on across the street from Dunkin Donuts. At one point, Regency was blocked off with concrete barriers to prevent people from using Regency as a cut through to Ridgewood drive. When that barrier came down, so did those two homes. (I only know this because I grew up on Regency). Stearns Homestead... (We called it Gibbs Farm). Old man Stearns (or his son?) was still alive when I was a kid. We used to sneak onto the fields in the back, where the apple trees were and grab a bag or two for apple pies. We would also cut through the field to get to Fay Jr. High as that is where we went to school. What you are calling the Parma Library was Royal Ridge Elementary back in the day. Where the library is on Powers Blvd; that is about where Powers Blvd ended and it was just wooded land all the way to Regency. Lots of tree forts and exporing going on there back in the day. Anyway, thanks for this video! You biked the same areas I did as a kid and it was great to watch you take those same routes. Appreciate your work!
I grew up in the house where they put the Dunkin’ donuts sad to see it gone
before it was a library it was royal ridge elementary school
Chuckie cheese still there from when I went In 2000.
PARMA: White socks, pink flamingos and a mayor that passed up a White House dinner invitation because it was his bowling night.😂
Hey I'm there
saw dumb and dumber when it came out at parma theatre
These ”sodosopas” are so stupid. It’s essentially the mall, only flipped inside out and higher rates of parking lot accidents.
Yeah, at least with a place like Crocker Park in Ohio, or Station Park in Utah, the area was specifically designed for those shops and a walkability factor. With Parma, I agree, they basically just flipped the mall inside out, lol. Would it have been worth it to tear down all of Parmatown and rebuild from scratch? Probably not from a $ persepctive. Westgate sort of rebuilt from scratch a long time ago, but isn't so walkable.