February 23, 2013
When I worked with the Thomas Bouckley Collection of Historical Photographs, I was fascinated with the pictures of stores from a by-gone era. Much changed in Oshawa’s downtown core over the decades. The concentration of shops and boutiques shifted to the Oshawa Centre (OC).
Growing up in Oshawa during the eighties and early nineties meant you had a special place to hang out. Not only was the Centre a great place to shop, it was a social and recreational hub. It had many things that are no longer: bowling alleys, cinemas, a video arcade, concession stands, independent restaurants, department store cafeterias and (best of all) a pet store where you could cuddle kittens. Some other stores that came to mind:
Consumer’s Distributing, Bi-Way, L’il Bo Peep Restaurant, The Sabre Tavern, Marks & Spencer, Kmart Canada, Shops on Top, The Malt Shop, Classic Books…
Across town and now in our memories are:
Mother’s Pizza, Bargain Harold’s, Spanky’s Arcade, Circle in the Square Records, Knob Hill Farms Terminal…
Does anyone else recall any of the above? I’d love to hear your recollections… along the way to the comments section–a few vintage logos…
Bargain Harold’s
BiWay Bag
Fill out a Form
K-Mart logo
curator by day 
12 comments
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February 25, 2013 at 11:15 am
Donna
Thanks for a little trip down memory lane Olex.
I remember all of the above — but Shops Up Top really struck a chord, a little store called Pink Poodle and getting my 12 yr old ears pierced at Merle Norman. Those were the days when ear piercing was a spectator sport and throngs gathered in the mall to watch it happen. Hard to believe now…
February 25, 2013 at 11:36 am
curator by day
Thanks for sharing, D!
It’s interesting how piercing has become such a popular form of personal expression…
March 12, 2013 at 10:31 am
kt
I spent most of my childhood allowance in the Bargain Harolds in south Oshawa. I bought my first “Barbie” there – when I opened the package, the doll was so cheap that her head fell off. Mostly I remember that they had a whole aisle of variations on Lee Press On Nails: http://www.liketotally80s.com/press-on-nails.html
March 12, 2013 at 2:58 pm
curator by day
Fall-off doll heads, Press-on nails–Bargain Harold’s had it all. Thanks for sharing your memories of south Oshawa. I enjoyed loitering at Lakeview Square.
June 11, 2013 at 9:37 pm
RBG
I went to a Bargain Harold’s in Toronto in the late 80s. Very little online about this chain. I was a kid and remember cracking up at the drawing of Bargain Harold.
June 12, 2013 at 4:21 pm
curator by day
It’s true. There’s very little web-presence on Bargain Harold’s. Thanks for keeping the conversations going…
January 30, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Gerilyn Wilson
I grew up in Oshawa in the 60’s and 70’s. I have may fond memories of the OCC, before it was enclosed. My family visited Lil BoPeep restaurant on a regular basis. My parents bowled on a weekly in the bowling alley and us kids would go with them in our pjs. I walked from Waverley St to Westmount school from kindergarden to grade 3, with my friends. Your parents didn’t drive you to school back then. We would cross Stevenson Road and walk through the OCC (not enclosed at this time). Houses were bulit across the street from our house and waverly st school went up. We no longer lived on the city’s edge.
February 2, 2015 at 7:18 pm
curator by day
Thanks for sharing your memories, Gerilyn. Very evocative. Lil Bo Beep had the kind of jello that I still remember. Things continue to change in the OC area.
February 16, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Peter
My Grandfather ran the Centre Restaurant & Tavern right next to the old cinemas, and my Dad ran Tat’s Restaurant at the other end of the mall adjacent Sears.
I too have many fond memories of those times and miss the days when the mall was ‘brown’, but I guess things just have to change periodically.
February 16, 2015 at 9:19 pm
Peter
We used to have a three-book set showing some of that Thomas Bouckley collection. I’ve lost track of it now (I think they we’re appropriated by a sibling) and I’d love to know if these or other such historical photos are available to view somewhere.
Peter (Centre Restaurant – TAT’s)
Flyonthewall85@hotmail.com
December 30, 2016 at 2:55 am
Brent
I worked at eatons at the oc. Took the 10 olive and harmony bus home. Used to sneak into the Kmart at Albert and first around 1983 before it was fully build. Went to south simcoe public school. Played man hunt at the Oshawa “crick” creek. Spend a million quarters at spankys. Knob hill farms cafeteria was cheap! Storie park dances! Sports at simcoe Hall settlement house. The wooden bridge!! And it’s actually still there! Anyone remember that stuff!?!? Bswish13@yahoo.ca
February 25, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Williamjeffries
Sabre Restaurant…
Located in the Oshawa Centre, approximately in the middle, but more towards Sears. It had a ‘sabre’ type logo on the wall…
Spankys…
I remember this vividly… They used to have a sign warning against drug dealing on the premises. I recall 3 ‘main’ employees..
A girl, Eastern European or Russian with platinum blonde hair… One guy black short hair with a thick mustache… Around 5’7… Another guy, somewhat similar looking… Brown hair… I recall their white coin pouches, where you had to approach them to get change…. Most played games in the period of 1992-1997ish were Turok, MK, SF and Cruisin USA.