Click to enlarge, or don't Look, here's another Boatyard Shopping Village postcard I found online.
The Boatyard Shopping Village was a full of specialty shops and a few restaurants themed to look like an old timey fishing village. It sorta reminded me of Sweethaven from that live action Popeye movie. Well that is a less detailed Sweethaven, and one made out of rusting sheet metal.
Hey those Popeye sets are still standing! Imagine that!
Anywho, here's the back of the post card where you can read the official description for the Boatyard Shopping Village.
So now here's the mystery - what the heck happened to the Boatyard Shopping Village? As you can see from the Google satellite image below, it appears that all traces of the Boatyard Shopping Village have been thoroughly removed.
View Larger Map
Also except for the postcards I've found, I can't find any other evidence that this place ever existed. I thought the place was reasonably cool when I visited as a kid. Didn't anyone else? I thought for sure I'd find someone reminiscing about the Boatyard Shopping Village on some obscure message board.
This place is more mysterious than Brigadoon.
UPDATE: Be sure to read the comments if you'd like more info on what happened to the Boatyard Shopping Village. A big thank you to all the people who have left great comments so far!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI too remember visiting the Boatyard Shopping Village with my parents in May/June 1983. I have been in the area a couple of times more recently but never went to look for it again.
Because a colleague of mine is planning a trip to the St-Pete area I was doing some research and stumbled across your blog.
Have you learned more about this since posting your blog? I would love to hear about it.
I have a friend who lives nearby (in Tarpon Springs). I'll check with him as well.
I remember a bar in the village with a small Coca-Cola museum in it. And a live size bear in front of one of the shops. I was 10 years old at the time.
Regards,
Frederik (fre.geudensatgmail.com)
Thanks for the comment Frederik, but I don't know anything new about the "Boatyard." Maybe you and your Tarpon Springs friend will be able to uncover something. If you learn something about the history of this place please let me know.
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteMy name is Brandon. Years ago some friends and I had the theater open as a club. Our vision was to have the theater open during the day for the community to create and show artwork. We of course wanted to see play productions happen as well. When we were there....I think there was only two other shops open there. A restaurant and a rock/ precious stones shop was there.
We were there I think for about 9 months...we all became very close to the theater. The whole area had a charm that was truly magical. I can't even begin to tell you the stories we had from there...mostly how special and important the Boatyard was to us. Every one of us were affected in a deep personal way...we all loved that place so much.
i remember something about it being condemned because of a rat infestation.... they used to have an awesome haunted house which is why i was looking for it and stumbled across your blog
ReplyDeleteAfter several city code violations and numerous failed business attempts it was sold to the airport and demolished in 2000 to expand the airbase. The Turtle Club bar was also demolished, it was pretty run down and got some bad PR when 20 people were arrested for dealing drugs there. Both sites ran their course and closed.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, this subject came to mind, I googled it and came across this blog. I too went to this place as a kid and worked at the haunted house. Was a fun place back then; too bad it didnt last but you can always go to John's Pass village in Madiera Beach, FL and find a similar type of setup with an ol time fishing village look and feel. John's Pass is on the water with very nice views of the pass.
ReplyDeleteHey - glad that you created this webpage. I was also wondering whatever happened to Boatyard Village. I used to work on Roosevelt Blvd. in the early 1990's and we used to stop by there after work sometimes.By the way, your Google map location is incorrect I believe. Go up the side road off of Fairchild Dr. and you will see the remnants of Boatyard Village with the parking lot.
ReplyDeleteHello again,
DeleteThis is Brandon...I had a reply about having the theater open earlier. You know, I bet someone out there has the blueprints for the whole village. Wouldn't be cool to see....? Even more so have it built again? I think the problem was location. It just was in a weird spot.
I miss that place so much. There was a young beautiful woman Chiara that opened the theater. She used all her money to open up the theater...we all wanted it to work. We just couldn't get off the ground, other than having a night life scene there. Chiara to me was the most magically profound woman that affected my life even still...our time there at the Boatyard was epic. Much later I ended up finding people that knew Chiara and we are still in touch today. Matter of fact just a few days ago we were writing out our memories from the Boatyard. Our time there meant so much to us...it was a dream come true.
My husband and I went to the Boatyard Village in 1989 for a Rez Band concert. It was pretty cool, we weren't married back then. We are at thr Jannus Landing location tonight and was wondering what happened to the Boatyard Village. Being there was a great memory. Thanks for sharing your memory and info. Take care
DeleteTo me Chiara and the Boatyard Village will always have a special place in my "life story." You know those times in your life u wish u could relive or change? I can't express right now how much Chiara means to me and the memories I have from there. If I had the money...I would build it again and give the theater to her to open again.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone would know how to hunt down the blueprints of the whole village?
I lived right across Roosevelt from it. It was a cool place, although the shops were starting to empty out around the time we moved here in the late 80s early 90s. There was a really cool resturant back there as well, the 94th aero squadron? You could sit at the bar and put on old headphones to listen to the control tower at the airport.
ReplyDeleteHello all. My name is Blake and I worked for a couple of years at the main restaurant there, called the Dockside Broiler. I was the main lunch cook there for the last year. Nice place and clean (no rats either, in response to an earlier post). I was there... November of 83 until September of 85. Either the restaurant or the whole Boatyard Village were owned by David Tallichet, famous aircraft collector (among other things). There was also IIRC another restaurant nearby, but not part of the village called the 94th Aero Squadron, also owned by Tallichet. It was a very fun place, and I made many friends there. The theater group called their theater the Doumouchelle Theater, and I attended a number of their performances. Tucked on the far corner of St Pete Airport, I always thought its location was its worst enemy, because it was a cool place.
ReplyDeleteBoatyard Village is featured prominently in a Hulk Hogan film (for the life of me can't remember which one) but I watch it just to be able to revisit the village.
ReplyDeleteThunder in Paradise
DeleteParts 2 7 3 are on Netflix, but not part 1 lol
DeleteHey, I saw Black Uhuru there.
ReplyDeleteThey played "Hey Joe"
Whole show was awesome.
and the venue was great.
Walking around on the boardwalks
while the music played.
It was a ral place,
but it defied description
http://youtu.be/O0H7Gam1SCw
i saw Frank Marino there outside at a festivalaround 93 or 94. Great show, and iis was a cool place. Didn't know until today that it was now gone, but i did see some black helicopters hovering and landing over that area within the vlast couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteWorked security there at night in 1991. The place didn't get a lot of traffic, although there was a little restaurant on the dock itself that would get traffic from the water. The place was interesting and creepy as hell at night.
ReplyDeleteA couple of businesses used the office space there. I remember the theater but only saw it open on my watch twice. There were other shops but the place was mostly empty, and I was told it never really rented out full capacity.
I also remember one of the buildings housed a whole bunch of old aircraft parts -- I guess the owner was using it for storage space.
I miss that place.
I too was at the theatet in 1984. I played the teen who succumbed to the evils of demon rum inthe mellowdrama ten nights in a bar room. I worked on the lights for K2 did the lighting design for wizard of oz. I would love scans of the old playbills pictures of the shows reviews etc....if anyone has any...contact me on. Here ill get you my email...as with others I remember eating at all the restaurant mentioned my sr prom from gibbs was even out here...and I spent alot of time at the old fashioned soda fountain with hand mixed coke
ReplyDeleteThanks foer the memories....
Chris
I remember going to lunch at Whiskey Joe's II at Boatyard. And a restaurant that appeared to be on an old boat near the north end of the village.
ReplyDeleteWRT the post about the Google map location being off, it isn't. The 94th was just to the right of the pin, along the runway, and the village was to the left. The remnants you see with the cul de sac is the old Turtle Club site, which was Las Fantanas before that. -Kent M.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to a carnival there a couple times a year in the '90s (about '95-'96). At Christmas the entire place would be lit up with Christmas lights, Santa for the kids, carnival rides for all. It was a great time. Was there not also a military plane boneyard there in the '80s-90s?
ReplyDeleteBoat yard village!!!! My parents opened a restaurant near the pavilion, The Pelicans Nest. We had the dock right to the water... I remember running around that place until late night in the summer, it was the early 90s, We stayed open later, the crew from the other restaurant would come over and have drinks at our bar. There was a old drunk crabber named les, would bring his catch of blue crab, pay his tab off. we would have a huge crab boil. miss that place. there was a shop called the itsy bitsy teenie weenie bikini shop. I remember the the toy store, the theater. it was a cool place to be a kid!!!
ReplyDeleteAlso the Hulk Hogan movie that was filmed there, Thunder in paradise. Boat yard village is the first fight scene. You can find it on you tube...
ReplyDeleteWe started going there in the late 70's and it was a hopping place back then. I believe most of the places had unique retail shops or restaurants. The sand crabs were really fun to watch. We ate at the 94th Aero Squadron many times and not only did you have the headsets, but there was a "Sandbag Theatre" which played old silent films and provided popcorn at all times. The theatre was small with only about 5 rows but had sandbags around the sides as if it was a fallout shelter. There was an old plane boneyard, which was interesting and sort of sad. It would have been great to have some signs talking about each of the planes and parts sitting there.
ReplyDeleteThat rustic little "fishing village" was a great place to take our guests in the mid-80's. I miss it as well. Rob
Grew up in Seminole and would go down there from time to time as a little kid. Boatyard Village definitely had a more romantic feel than John's Pass. I think being off the beaten path made if feel more "Old Florida". Felt like an adventure going there. Remember an old fighter jet in the bone yard you could climb in the cockpit. Think I have a picture of me in it somewhere. Loved going to 94th as a well. They had a similar concept in Orlando when I moved there in the late 90's. Really cool places. Great concept if someone could ever bring them back.
ReplyDeleteSo many lost treasures in the Bay Area. Maybe nostalgia for home is tricking my view but they were fun memories none the less.
BTW if you go on Google Earth and back date to 1994 you can see the buildings and the 94th. The old plane bone yard is there as well.
ReplyDeleteI remember the old plane bone yard! The whole place was MAGICAL!!
DeleteJust FYI, President Bush had a campaign lunch at Las Fontanas in 1992. It was an excellent restaurant, but just too upscale for the location, which is completely out-of-sight from the main road. That was the big problem for the whole Boatyard Village complex, too. The only time they got the traffic they needed was when they had a car show, or other well-advertised community event. Unfortunately, the fact that the entire site is still vacant for 15+ years now shows how little interest developers have for it. :(
ReplyDeleteI worked at Las Fontanas from 84 to 86 bartending. Anyone who remembers this place please reply.
DeleteIt's a shame. A small piece of history gone. I am 45 years old now, but when my father first took me to the boatyard & the 94th aero squadron to eat lunch and watch the planes takeoff and land & the vintage airplane salvage yard for the first time of many times I was all of 8 years old. I also remember directly across the street from PIE in Smith's Industries parking lot, where my father used to work, watching the annual air show perform. Gone as well. A shame.
ReplyDeleteI was employed at Boatyard for a short time in 87/88 as maintenance. One of the most fun places i've ever worked. Bob.
ReplyDeleteMy parents used to own a jewelry store there. The "Pick a Pearl". I was around 4 I think, so 1984 or so. I think they only had it a year or two. Tourist ladies would be afraid to squish their pearls out of the oyster, so they would have me do it. Sometimes tourists would offer to buy me ice cream, I thought that was great! You can do the pick a pearl thing at Epcot at Disney World now. I should as my parents what year/s they had the shop. Heh.
ReplyDeleteBought a pearl for a girlfriend from your parents rhen :) would have been my sr year of HS.
DeleteIt Looks like everyone forgot to mention the RAVES that were thrown here just before it closed down. I had very fond memories as a kid of boat yard village. Now all I remember are Candy Ravers running around that place.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled across this and was just thinking is no one going to mention the rave club? Someone has to know that. And about then I scrolled to your comment. LOL
DeleteWow. I just did a Google search for the 94th Aero Squadron and found this. I have fond memories of the Boat Yard Village in the early 80s. Unfortunately it's gone, like so many of the fun places in Florida. It makes me think of the Sea Wolf restaurant on Busch Blvd and The Rough Riders restaurant in Ybor. Those places were part of an era that is gone forever.
ReplyDeleteFlorida is so different now, the good old days are gone.
Oh, fond memories of both those restaurants, the Sea Wolf and Rough Riders! Also the old Spaghetti Warehouse in Ybor. I remember the old Kapok Tree restaurant and going to eat on the old Bounty, too. Those were the days when dining was an experience!
DeleteI used to work at 94th Aero but somehow missed visiting Boatyard Village. Sounds like it was a blast.
ReplyDeleteI used to work at 94th Aero but somehow missed visiting Boatyard Village. Sounds like it was a blast.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a waiter at the 94th Aero Squadron in the early 80's. It was a fun place to work with some interesting people. The motif was a French farm house set during WWI. I can't count how many times I heard Pack Up Your Troubles In An Old Kit Bag. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe Boatyard came after I left.
There was also a dive bar at the corner of Roosevelt Blvd and Fairchild called The Flyin' Inn. We would all go there for a few beers after work.
Mack Truck
I did some temp work at the Boatyard Village for several months back in 1983 (when Reagonomics was running rampant and nobody could find a decent-paying job). Among our many tasks at the Boatyard was to carefully (and in accordance with state laws on preventing erosion) prune back the dead mangroves surrounding the covered open-air banquet and shindig area at the southwest end so that patrons would not have their vision of the brackish water (and occasional dolphins) obscured. The idea was to wade into a thicket of mangrove bushes with pruners and chainsaws and cut ONLY the dead ones, and ONLY prune the main stalk to waist height. We were told that there'd be hefty fines imposed on our employers if we accidentally cut or killed any live mangroves and The Authorities caught wind of it. Therefore, when we inevitably did accidentally cut back a green branch or two, we made sure to strip the leaves off and then bury it in the big brush pile we were creating on the extreme northern end of the property behind the "north lake". As you can imagine, working in a Tampa Bay swamp inlet in the dead of summer can be favorably compared to working on the surface of the planet Mercury, but the periodic breaks to swig ice water and run a load of branches down to the pile in a golfcart at high speed did serve to cool us down somewhat. Then there was that Coke-themed restaurant which served Genuine Old-Timey-Style Coca Cola in a tall fountain glass which was first filled with seltzer and then a couple of squirts of Coke syrup and then hand-mixed with a spoon by a dude wearing arm garters. It was nice. Especially once he got to know you and you could ask for one with extry syrup, please, sir. There were several misc. nautical and oceanic-themed knick-knack and shell stores scattered about, and I still have a set of framed metallic faux-intaglio renaissance maps which I purchased in one of those stores after work one day.
ReplyDeleteA few months later I managed to gain employment nearby in a light industrial area manufacturing and selling security & alarm components, and it quickly became my daily habit for the next two years to drive the mile or three up 49th street and cross over to Fairchild Drive and then choose from any of several places near the Boatyard Village and the 94th Aero Squadron to park the car, furtively hit the pipe, unwrap my bologna and cheese sammich, and eat it while reading science fiction novels. Imagine - you younglings - of a time before NINE-ELEVEN!!!! when I could do this: Most of the time I parked my old faithful '72 Chevelle station wagon in a field about 200 feet away and facing the airport runway just north of the 94th Aero Squadron parking lot. I sat there watching planes take off and land as well the Coast Guard C-130s practicing their touch and go bounce landings - always accompanied soon thereafter by the stench of burning rubber. Meanwhile, the 94th Aero Squadron parking lot had an exterior speaker which played a loop of WWI-era songs. Sitting there getting stoned and having lunch every weekday for years, I cannot recall how many times I heard "Over There", but I still recall the lyrics.
Years later I moved back into the area and went exploring only to find Fairchild come to a dead end and a Serious Fence and Signage saying GO AWAY.
Alas, t'was all gone. No more Boatyard, no more 94th Aero Squadron, no field, no access, no WWI songs, no nuthin' no more. Naught but dead images, memories, and a Hulk Hogan movie remains (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKsqDx9VrLs)
Well, and this here page.
If you have Google Earth, you can view Boatyard Village from 1994 until now. It is amazing but sad at the same time.
ReplyDeleteOur water ski team used to put on shows in the little pond. It would draw quite a crowd. We had a car on one end with a rope wraped around a wheel rim. A little boat would bring the rope to use and radio to the guy in the car when we were ready. He would step on the gas and away we went across the pond. Those were the good old days. I really miss 94th Aero Squadron and the haunted houses too.
ReplyDeleteI was in my late teens and don't remember much from that time, but I do remember seeing Hootie and the Blowfish perform at The Village. Early to mid 90's I quess.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be really good early proto raves back there. I went to a few in early 90's. Great times. Rave on everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteI used to run around there a LOT from September 1983 until early 1986, when I was in my late teens and early 20's. I met my wife there at the lingerie shop next door to the toy shop my aunt owned. I miss Art and the ice cream shop. I helped him out many weekends there. I also miss Barry & Shirley and their candle shop. They were such nice people. I was sorry to hear of the Boatyard's closure, but was not surprised. Just in the time I spent there I saw it go from weekends with a full parking lot to very little traffic.
ReplyDeleteseeing PHISH at the pavillion in the early 90s also drinking at the crab cooker
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone, my name is Mark. I bussed tables at 94th Aero Squadron in 1979. It was really one of the most unique places I ever worked in the many years I was in the business (the old La Cave Restaurant on Indian Rocks Beach being the other).
ReplyDeleteThe floor crew at 94th at that time was pretty crazy. That was the first time I ever worked with anyone who was openly gay, so it was sort of an eye-opener for me, even though there was one openly gay kid at Largo High when I went to school there. One of the waiters there was a Vietnam vet, and he was just one of a number of misfits, free spirits and lost souls working there, a type that populated the industry back then.
One of the gay waiters' name was Rick, but he went by the now-politically incorrect nickname of Dago. I have no idea whether that was a nickname he chose for himself, but no one was bothered by it. One of the waitresses (if you'll pardon the term) was named Judy, and everyone called her Judy Buns or Judybuns for some reason. I remember like it was yesterday that I was walking past one of her tables and Judy was bending down over some guy sitting at that table, and she was telling him, "you are the rudest person I ever met." She got away with it!
The parties we had were epic in terms of alcohol abuse. Classic hard-working, hard-partying restaurant scenario, and I never worked at another place to match it in terms of the variety of characters. Hard to believe that was 38 years ago. I left after working there for about a year, and went back for a short stint about two years later. Alas, everyone I knew from before was gone, and it wasn't the same at all. I have no idea what became of any of them, but I know I'll always remember and cherish that one amazing year at 94th Aero Squadron. Crazy, chaotic, and beautifully nuts.
Correction on the date: Instead of 1979, it was late 1977 when I started working there.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could go back in time and see Phish when they performed there in 1994.
ReplyDeleteWhy this leapt into my head at 3:00AM I don't know, but I looked up BOATYARD VILLAGE and found this great page. Thanks for this post. I worked for an advertising agency for a little over a year at this curious place, let's see, it would have been '88-'89. They were just beginning to have occupancy problems but there were still a great collection of odd art and curio shops. I remember the theatre and the lunch spot. We were in a fairly spacious multilevel room in one of the long buildings at the NE corner of the lake? inlet? that the Village curved around. It does look like it's entirely gone. But it's been 27 years. And yes, they were having some 'resident' problems. More field mice than rats, but all the buildings were built up on timbers, and it was a fairly 'wild' setting, being on the water, so some encroachment was inevitable. I think the whole problem with the place was that it was just a little 'too' authentic. It really was timbers and rusting tin everywhere. And that didn't end up appealing to people used to going to comfy air conditioned malls, especially in the height of Florida's 90% humidity high 90º summers... I really enjoyed the shops. But eventually, the agency moved to more affordable quarters some time late in '89 and I never went back to the Village. The big '90 recession was the one time I lost a job - another agency after I left the one that had been in the Village. And in '96 I'd had enough of Florida in general and moved out to the NW. The nostalgia bug bit recently, and I was amazed how much has not survived in even 21 years. No reason to go back! Because weird and iconic places like this have disappeared in favor of even larger malls and more parking lots and eight lane roads to the next mall and parking lot. Sad. I'd visit if I had a time machine. Anyway, thanks for the memories... I never thought to take pictures and now at least I have a small record of what I remembered. Really regret I did not get into photography sooner. Now I document everything. It all changes so fast...
ReplyDeleteI loved this place as a child! I have tried to find it over the years and could not find one single person in st Pete who could remember.
ReplyDeleteI first visited aged nine, my dads 3 spinster aunties settled in st Pete after serving during the Second World War, our first trip was 1989 when the first flights went direct from prestwick airport Scotland to tampa airport. They loved to show us around the area and took us to the boatyard, they loved to eat at 94th squadron and in true eighties style duck a l’orange was a firm favourite washed down with margaritas! And that was just for me, the 9year old. I have been travelling to st Pete ever since and it’s my dream to live there some day. The happiest of memories; when Dipper Dans the ice cream parlour and the weird wax museum with fudge factory attached were practically the only things on gulf boulevard, Take me back to the beach ��
Whoops actually 1981
ReplyDeleteMy son just asked about the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant, we used to go and eat there often. I worked 98 ROCK and 95YNF and hosted some of those aforementioned Bands. Also did a white tux mc job for some wrestling events that took place there too. Some great memories!! My son wanted to see if the 94th was still open...sadly all is broken tarmac and weeds now. Sad how some of the Good places did not last!
ReplyDeleteIt's col that it left many good memories though!!! Too Much Fun!
I worked there as overnight security both the Dockside Broiler and the 94th aero squadron. I generally try to look at things in a funny light and that place was a funny place. When I worked at the Dockside Broiler I was locked in by the last employee of the evening shift to oversee the cleaning people didn't help themselves to stuff. Time went slowly so I often would help them and sit around shooting the breeze until the first opened up. One guy was interesting as we talked he mentioned his probation officer. I inquired a little further and he told me he's on work release. then goes back to jail each morning. I asked what he did to end up in jail he replied held up a 7/11 with a double barrel shotgun. Good grief It would have been nice if someone told me where these people were coming from. I didn't need coffee to keep awake after that.
ReplyDeleteThen the 94th aero squadron was very close in authenticity as they can get. On the first night there the manager locked up and let the geese out. We were on time he must have had an urgent reason to leave. Anyway as we walked to the back door we were met by several angry geese that chased us to my car. The slowest guy got nipped a couple times. Well, that's my experience there.
I worked in the little dockside restaurant back in early 80's. Two German brothers owned the place. I honestly cant remember the name of it or the brothers' names. it was so long ago. I loved working there as a lunch waitress. Met alot of nice people.I left when I married.Too bad about the place...
ReplyDeleteMy husband's band played there. Theater Earth was the name of it. Great place, I miss it!
ReplyDeleteI was a waiter at the 94th in the late 70's.
ReplyDeleteIt was my BEST JOB EVER!
Once you made it onto the A team where you were working the busiest nights, best stations, best shifts, you made a boatload of cash and had a BLAST with the crew.
A previous post mentioned the Fly'n Inn and "Dago Rick". I spent many, many hours at the Inn - we'd get baked on the short ride there, then cheap beer, competitive foosball and pool until 2am, then on to someone's apartment for more partying! "Dago Rick" had that nickname to differentiate himself from "Fat Rick" and other Ricks.
This was pre-AIDS, and the staff was hit hard some years later when one of our favorite people "Topher" died from that hideous disease.
But back in the day, the vibe was party, party, party, and we did.
Judy Buns, Fat Rick, Black Belt Mark, Fat Charlie, Barb H, the other Barb H, BIG Barb, Terry Large, Cheryl Lesbano, Cindy Sweet Cheeks, "Barbie" a/k/a Charlene, all coworkers in that time and all beloved in my memories.
As for the Boatyard Village - it was a great idea about 30 years premature.
The entire area was always owned by the airport authority and leased to Specialty Restaurant Corp (Tallichet). It is now redeveloped and being utilized for airport-related revenue producing purposes.
What memories! My father kept his Catamaran in the lagoon. I remember the shrimp boat named Little Bear that was docked at the Boat yard also I remember 25¢ wings at the Fly'n inn and also the mosquitoes as big as airplanes lol
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents lived in the mobile home park named Shady Lane Oaks off Bolesta Rd. My younger brother and I would come from NY to visit them and the first thing we would do is get on my grandparent's 3 wheel bikes and go explore the Boatyard Village and the airplane graveyard. My family would eat at the 94th Aero Squadron dozens of times over the years. I still have many shells and trinkets from the shops at Boatyard Village. We would also sit in my grandparent's Florida room and we could here the live music from the theater. This was throughout the 80s. When we moved here in 1993 I remember it being almost a real ghost town. Except for a few concerts and festivals its glory days were fading. The last time I was there my high school friends and I went to a renaissance themed festival there. They had a dunking booth there that night I remember vividly and one of those guys in a booth that heckled you as you walked by, lol. I remember getting bags of salt water Taffy when I was little and mesmerized by the Taffy pulling machine. True Florida nostalgia. We moved to Countryside area of Clearwater and the Boatyard Village became a wonderful memory. Las Fantanas turned into the Turtle Club, was raided and closed. All of it is gone now except for those of us who have those wonderful memories. Now, when I drive over the Bayside Bridge from time to time I still look to my left driving south thinking all of it will magically reappear. Of course it won't but I cherish the memories of me with my grandparents and family enjoying a leisurely, fun-filled day at the old Boatyard Village.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome you came down from NY and we're at shady lane village on Bolesta! I was 9 years old in 1984 and lived right across the street in a little house on Bolesta. Maybe I saw you lol Then in August of 84 I wound up moving to NY but I always missed Clearwater and boatyard village!
DeleteI also dearly miss Orange Blossom Groves on the corner of US 19 and Bellaire Rd. I used to get orange flavored gum in the shape of oranges that came in a little metal bucket with a handle. Inevitably, I would shove all the gum in my mouth and chew it...lol, my mom would get so mad and I'd get sick from all that gum, lol
ReplyDeleteI saw the band Phish there in 1994
ReplyDeleteA note to JohnSki; yeah, getting baked on the short drive to the Fly'n Inn was big. What a crazy place that was! I'd worked at 94th from late 1977 to sometime in 1978, not sure exactly when I left.
ReplyDeleteI sort of always assumed AIDS got some of the crowd there, but have no idea anymore of what became of anyone who worked there. One of the hostesses was the younger sister of a classmate of mine from grade school, but I have no clue where any of them are anymore, either.
One of the women who worked in the office was dating one of the cooks. He rode a motorcycle and she was just drop-dead gorgeous. Stunning eyes. Some years later, I worked at a place in Atlanta, 57th Fighter Group, probably the same chain, but it wasn't anything like the 94th back in the day. Never was, never will be. Just an incomparable thing.
My name is Mark and I bussed tables there, but started in the pantry. Darlene, Sarah, wow. Just so many memories. Thanks for responding!
I worked for a start-up that officed in Boatyard Shopping Village (aka Boatyard Village) in 1994-1995. There were a hand full of shops and a cafe there in those days. Lots of vacant space and a couple people using some as warehouse space. One tenant was an alarm company. Another was a small telecom mfg. The cafe was a tiny French bistro deal that was pretty good. Yet another tenant was a 2-person marketing firm. And there were a couple of retail shops. It was a great place for an office gig. Cordless phones and fishing poles on the deck. Only the computer work required you to be indoors. We wore shorts and t-shirts to work most days. 94th Aero Squadron was still open and we went over there for lunch a few times. That was a cool joint, but never seemed very busy. Today, that's all property of USCG Air Station Clearwater. Not much sign of the old Boatyard Village. I always felt the place was way under-appreciated and under-utilized. I was fresh out of the Navy in the those days and lived down in Gulfport with my new wife. Simpler times.
ReplyDeleteHi all, my name is Graham. In 1992 I was the Airshow Director for Yesterdays Airforce. One long weekend we did a show at the Clearwater airport. We displayed the B-17 Memphis Belle along with several other vintage warbird planes. The gentleman who owned the planes, and many more, was David Tallichet. He flew the B-17. He owned Specialty Restaurants, the 94th Aero squadron was one of his restaurants. We flew shows and static displays at all of the places he had squadron themed restaurants. One day while we were in Clearwater, he and I drove over to what I thought was the most amazing little, over the water shopping village. He owned it also, it was called The Boatyard Village. It reminded me of the village in the Robin Williams, Popeye movie, amazing! While there, Tallichet and I met with a woman who was the property manager at the time. For the next 20 minutes, he proceeded to yell and scream at the poor women because business was so slow at the village. It was awful, I felt so bad for the lady. As if that wasnt bad enough, he had just done the same thing to the banquet/wedding venue manager just a few blocks away near the main road the airport is on. (It's still there according to Google maps) He owned that place as well. We then went to Whiskey Joe's, where he proceeded to cuss out the manager there as well, yep, he owned that place as also. His company still does, but he passed away several years ago. Anyway, it was an amazing little place. I live here now and have never been able to find it. I looked for this little village for years and until today never knew what it was called. It was amazing, and its so sad that it's no longer there. Thanks for sharing so many memories guys. I guess I should thank David Tallichet as well, despite his gruff demeanor, he did come up with the idea to build the village in the first place. He was a visionary, albeit a grumpy one :)
ReplyDeleteResponding to Graham B: I never met Tallichet personally, but saw him once or twice from a distance. He did indeed have a reputation for being abrasive as he**, but I can't personally vouch for that. The managers didn't stick around very long as I recall, though. Whether that says something I don't know, but it does seem suggestive.
ReplyDeleteI saw Richard Elliott there in 1990 I think. My son was 4 and sleeping in my arms. He came right over to me and played When A Man Loves A Woman with that awesome Alto sax. Saw him many times around different places in St.Pete. BOATYARD was awesome and I think of it with fond memories often!!!
ReplyDeleteMy Family had a shop at the Boatyard Village in the mid to late 80tys called the Brass Crab, I believe I was 10 years old. I used to get Italian ice from Art and fish the docks there all the time. Lots of cat fish and some big sail cats! I remember the boat shows they had and water ski shows. I remember one water ski show someone hit a dock and was injured badly. One year we had water balloon slingshot and we lunched water balloons unto unsuspecting Boat show participants. So many memories here. The old airplane museum was unbelievably fun for a kid that loved everything about aviation. I was all over those old airplanes.
ReplyDeleteMan I miss the old Boatyard Village!
My Family had a shop at the Boatyard Village in the mid to late 80tys called the Brass Crab, I believe I was 10 years old. I used to get Italian ice from Art and fish the docks there all the time. Lots of cat fish and some big sail cats! I remember the boat shows they had and water ski shows. I remember one water ski show someone hit a dock and was injured badly. One year we had water balloon slingshot and we lunched water balloons unto unsuspecting Boat show participants. So many memories here. The old airplane museum was unbelievably fun for a kid that loved everything about aviation. I was all over those old airplanes.
ReplyDeleteMan I miss the old Boatyard Village!
To Mark Mac
ReplyDeleteI believe I worked there the same time you did. And your right, what a cast of Character's.... Let's not forget Johnny Fox..as well as many other's. Great times.
Hey David, I remember John Fox, the magician! Dark-haired guy with a beard, right? Wow. To judge by your comments, you were there longer than I was. I started out in the pantry, loading up the coffee and bread and so on. I finally got on the floor bussing tables and ended up getting canned a couple of weeks later. Missed out on the real money, obviously. I was there from late 1977 to sometime in mid-1978. I'm really not at all clear on the exact dates, though.
ReplyDeleteA note to the commenter of March 17, 2018, I remember 98 Rock and WYNF. There was a DJ at one of those stations, Russ Albums, who did this Sunday morning show about rock history. Russ had a GREAT show. Thanks for reminding me of that.
I talk about boatyard village often, though most of my friends either didn't grow up here or didn't have the pleasure of discovering it's existence. What I remember most is the cats! Perhaps it was a cat infestation that made the news (and not rats, as mentioned above!)
ReplyDeleteMy family used to wander the village on Sunday's after church.
Watching these new bridges go up seems to make me miss the good ol days. Before long, I fear all of my childhood memories will be erased. Is nothing worth keeping anymore?
Thanks to all for reminiscing with me!
Hi Mysticallisa, could it be that the cat infestation took care of the rats?
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside, I know what you mean about how quickly the landmarks of our youth are erased. There was this Cuban restaurant on Route 60, Tio Pepe, that was a real landmark, too. Long gone, predictably.
In addition to 94th Aerosquadron, I worked at a French-Caribbean restaurant on Indian Rocks Beach called La Cave. Also long gone. Sunshine Mall on Missouri Ave. Ditto.
I still have about half a dozen siblings who live in Florida, most in the Tampa Bay area, but things just never look the same when I come down for a visit. I remember driving past Boot Ranch on McMullen-Booth Rd. back in the early 1980s on an autumn day. It looked like a harvest scene from the rural Midwest. Now its all condos, but those condos are someone's home now. The house I live in now? Built in 1997. No doubt this ground was someone's memory of a time before these houses. So what can I say without contradicting myself?
Thanks for sharing. Hope all your memories of that place and time are sweet and warm and full of vitality.
Worked construction for some of the investors out there. I did OK but the people that ran the place were a bunch shady types, quick buck artists and didn't have the money to market it properly. A real shame, if some deep
ReplyDeletepockets had been involved it would still be there.
Wow! What a great "blast from the past". Like most of you, I have very fond memories of the Boat Yard Village. Being a German Folk Dancer in my younger days (don't laugh too hard), I remember quite fondly putting on many Oktoberfest shows there every year. Between shows, I'd wonder around the village, hang out in the hammock shop and go the the little arcade near the front.
ReplyDeleteSorry I can't go back and walk the same haunts in person but being able to relive my memories here was also enjoyable.
Thanks for the blog and to all who have shared their memories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ8B0CSWlLo&t=39s
ReplyDeleteI was looking back at some Savatage history and remember seeing the Criss Oliva memorial concert. I couldn't remember where it was held until Google led me here. Sad night. Great tribute though.
ReplyDeleteErnie B from Largo here. Going to put an ad in the paper for some sort of reunion availability for any "mature" citizens who remember Pinellas County as it was 60-70 years ago with all of the pleasant memories of the plethora of tourist sites, restaurants, events and places that gave so much joy to so many people back then. I'll be posting on web sites before advertising to get feedback from all who wish to contribute thoughts and ideas as well as being able to bring artifacts, articles and things of interest to a day event that will bring not only warm memories but most likely tears to the eyes of those of us who lived there in those earlier years. I've started a list last year of places, events and menus just from my experiences and years as a resident from 1963-1965 and then again since 1975, and I'm up to over 200 things on the list. I expect contributions from those interested will double or triple that. Anyone interested in helping put this together can contact me at Largoca@aol.com My handle is Ernie B
ReplyDeleteI grew up in St Petersburg in the 60s, graduated high school in 1970. So many wonderful places gone now. Sadly downtown St Pete is turning into a highrise concrete jungle.
ReplyDeleteWe had the jewelry and collectibles store in the village. It was a great spot and had many friends there. Our kids loved coming to the store with us. I think business just wasn’t enough to sustain many of the stores. Many fond memories.
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