True Kalamazooians remember record shops, malls and the zoo at Milham Park- kids today just have no idea.

Recently we got misty-eyed and a little tipsy talking about the old bars that we used to hang out at but are now long gone. We asked you on Facebook to tell us, without revealing your age, something about Kalamazoo that someone younger wouldn't understand.

We got a wide range of answers going back to the days of 5-digit phone numbers and actually talking at the dinner table without a phone, to cruising Westnedge and the days when Sprinkle was a 2-lane dead end. Here is the complete list (so far) of things someone younger wouldn't understand about Kalamazoo.

  • Checker Cabs
  • Boogie Records
  • Sagebrush on Westnedge
  • Gantos
  • The tornado, May 13, 1980
  • West Main Mall
  • An indoor Maple Hill Mall
  • Douglas Auto Theater
  • The oasis at Meijer on Westnedge
  • Carlos Murphy's
  • Chi-Chi's
  • Mountain Jack's
  • Damon's
  • Schensul’s Cafeteria
  • Gilmore's Department Store
  • Woolworths
  • Jacobsen's
  • Zayre
  • Steketee's
  • Cub Foods
  • Live bears at the zoo at Milham Park
  • Rollerworld on Kilgore
  • The Fun Factory
  • Sprinkle Road was a two lane road that was a dead end at the business loop
  • The museum used to be upstairs at the library

Thanks for playing along and bringing back some great memories. A lot has changed in Kalamazoo over the last couple of generations and more progress is coming to our city. We will have to explain the Fountain of the Pioneers to the next generation.

Bonus Video: The History of Checker Motors in Kalamazoo

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