Review:  Changes About Town 

This is a report we file every so often, a summary of the recent changes on Jamaica Avenue (see here and here for previous examples).  It's such a large avenue (as our recent report on the Shopping Guide from the 1980s showed) that it's a job and a half to keep track of the changes.  And through this recession that we've had, though we've experienced a lot of closures, we've also had our fair share of new businesses stepping in to the void.

First up is the Laundromat on 98th Street.  A while back, I was helping my wife out by giving her a hand with the laundry and this is where I like to go.  Boy she never forgave me for what I did with her sweater.  All I'll say is this -- don't put cashmere in the dryer.  Anyway, here is the laundromat before it washed up.

And here it is today -- a new laundromat.  Looks nice and clean inside, all new machines.  That might make for an interesting story, a tour of the laundromats.  Maybe once winter gets here and stories are hard to come by :-)  By the way, according to the Shopping Guide to the 80's this was "Sports City."

The following is a tale of two storefronts.  Back in September, Margarita's Outlet on 95th Street was destroyed by a fire.  At the same time, D-Jose Imports on 98th Street went out of business. 

Presto-chango!  Margarita's moved down a few blocks and reopened:

Next up is this storefront on 95th and Jamaica that's been sitting empty for years.  Now it's a Wells Fargo.  I grew up along that stretch -- when I was young this was Troici Plumbing. 

The corner of 80th and Jamaica is now home to a fruit stand / mini mart.  Until recently, it was Boom Boom Electronics. 

The intersection of Forest Parkway and Jamaica Avenue was recently the home to Royal Furniture.  Now it's home to Seamans Furniture.  Does that name sound familiar? 

 In recent years, this was an empty lot -- and a Deli. 

 Back in the 1940's, the right side of this double lot was a Fish Market.  The left side was a partially empty lot, and a small shack which advertised itself as "Property Management" aka a Rent Collector. 

A while back, we received an e-mail about this location:

"This is the location where my father's Action Auto Schools was at 80-38 ... just east of the current 80-36 Jamaica Ave occupying the most eastern part of the current Royal Furniture.  The office (narrow and long) had a peaked roof and looked just like Lot Numbers: 8919-12 and 8919-13.  Part of my father’s property included an empty lot to the right of the narrow building.  I remember my father having a problem with kids “hanging out” and drinking in the lot so he had a very tall wooden fence installed to keep them out! 

My father’s office was in the background in the movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom … of course filmed in Woodhaven … In the movie you can see a red neon sign, “Action Auto Schools.”  Just west of my father’s office was a fish store.  It was owned and operated by a husband and wife.  My best guess is that is remained open till about 1969 … a couple of years after we moved from Woodhaven in 1967.  I remember a green truck delivering ice to them so they could keep their fish in the display case."

This update has turned out a little longer than we expected.  With this many graphics it may be slow to load, so we'll split it up into two pages.

CLICK HERE FOR PART TWO OF THIS REPORT. 

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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