Walking With Memories
Part III

The photograph on a post card of Maurice Trahan captures
the same house on Second Street at least 75 years ago.

   (EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third article written by Malcolm "Mac" Millet in regards to business places and business people in Crowley since it was ushered in by the Dusons in the 1800s. The first two stories were from the businesses on Parkerson from the Courthouse to First Street. Now the businesses on the side streets will be covered.)

   I received a call from a friend who I had not seen in awhile. He asked me to come by and discuss the city’s older businesses with him. This man, A.P. Marx, reminded me that he was once my plumber. He’s 93 and still sharp as a tack. Since he has a few years on me, his memory goes back further than mine. He knew a great deal about businesses and people that have come and gone in the City of Crowley.
   Since we’ve been speaking about Mr. Marx, it will be good to start the article about his family. His father came to Crowley from New Orleans, where he was a plumber. After arriving here, he became the city’s first plumber. His two sons, B. Marx and A.P. Marx followed him into the business. Later, A.P.’s father persuaded his brother, Paul Marx, to come to Crowley. He opened a dry cleaning business and later added tailoring as part of his business.
As I stated earlier, I’m writing this article similar to the first two. We’ll try to cover as many places as we can, starting at 1st Street and Avenue G and working our way to the Court Circle. We will be bouncing around, so try and stay with me.
Going back to the corner of Avenue G and First, there used to stand the Elmer House. The Elmer House was a older wooden structure that would cater to the railroads whose section crews worked throughout the area. I think it was three stories high with a large front porch or gallery (that’s what we used to call them), with a bunch of large rocking chairs. Two ladies ran it. I’m not sure if they were sisters, but I understand they ran the Elmer House.
The crews would stay at the Elmer House and I understand they were well taken care of. If you would go by late in the afternoon, you could find the two ladies rocking on the gallery and carrying on a conversation with the people going by. I can remember seeing them a number of times driving around town in what I think was a Terraplane automobile. I think Pontiac made it. It was brown with taillights that stuck out to the rear about 12 inches from the rest of the car. If I’m not mistaken, Mr. George Lee Meaux, who ran the Pontiac Agency, later bought this car from them. I also think the Elmer House was sold to a local resident who used the lumber to help build his home. These old buildings usually used the best cypress lumber.
While talking about George Lee Meaux and Pontiac, it was right across the street on First Street and Avenue H that the Pontiac dealership was established. The first Pontiac dealer I recall was Lee Carver. George Lee later took over the business. I also remember that at one time, Bill Keigley also sold insurance at the Pontiac Agency. Mr. Keigley later started his own insurance agency. The Pontiac place is now closed.
Just north of the Pontiac building, was the National Food Store stood. It is now the SuperFood Store. The first manager of the National Food Store was Henry Dupre. The forerunner of National, was Capitol Grocery. The Lawrence Estate constructed the building and leased it to National.
Going back across Avenue G, the building on the corner is the old telephone office. It was there for a number of years until the new telephone office was built on the corner of 5th Street and Avenue H. At one time the old telephone office was owned by the Muller Estate.
A few steps further to the west on 2nd Street, you’ll find Crowley Laundry that was in operation for many years. They came up with a little ditty, "Send your dirty duds to Suds." That was their logo in the years they were in business.
Farther west and across Parkerson at Avenue F, is Southern Tire and Appliances, which is owned by Al Bercier. Al has been in business for many years, both in Crowley and Lafayette. Prior to Southern Tire, Goodyear had their store on this corner. Even before Goodyear, Jerry Ashley opened his Chevrolet dealership in this building when he came to Crowley. Mr. Ashley bought the Chevrolet dealership from a Mr. Meyers. The Meyers Family lived on the corner of 5th Street and Avenue H, catty-corner from the telephone office.
Across from U.S. 90, on the west side of Avenue F, you have Hanks Tire Service on the corner. A Cities Service garage was here for many years prior to Hanks Tire.
Go on a little further, one-half block on Avenue F, between 2nd and 3rd Streets, you come to Suire Front End Alignment. Bernice Suire has been in business a number of years at this particular garage. Before Suire's, the building was owned by A.F. Horn Sr., who was the Packard dealer for a number of years. He and his son, Clyde, ran Packard Automobile Agency for a number of years in the new and used car business and automotive repairs. Go on down to the corner just a little further, and the Crowley Creamery was on the corner.
After you leave the Crowley Creamery you come to Highway 90 and Avenue F . On the corner, across from Southern Tire you, could find Bill Cleveland Ford. That dealership started off in a small Pan Am gas station. An auto repair shop was attached to the back end of the service station.
I can remember one thing about the station and that was when Ford Motor Co. got the rights to display the car that Bonnie and Clyde were killed in. Cleveland Motors was one of the dealers that was chosen to display the shot-up car. It was in their repair shop for several days. The car was badly shot-up in north Louisiana with bullet holes the entire length of it. It was a light tan Ford that had a box on the back end where you could put a suitcase, like a touring automobile. Several years later Mr. Nappy Landry from Rayne opened up Landry’s Feed Store on that corner and it is presently still in operation.
After you leave that corner and go to 3rd and Avenue F, is the Rice Hotel. It was built and owned by Mr. Jimmy Lormand. Some years later, Fritz Muller bought the hotel. As of today I am not sure who owns the hotel or if it is still operated as a hotel.
After you leave the Rice Hotel and head back east toward Parkerson, some years ago you would have found the Acadia Café that was owned and operated by Albert Lopez. Next door to the Acadia, was Rice City Barber Shop owned by Bruce Broussard. The barbers were Bruce, Emar Guidry and several others.
If you step across 3rd Street on the east side today, you would walk into radio station KAJN. Prior to this becoming a radio station, it was operated for many years as the Welcome Bar. It was owned and operated by Mitch Mambolides. After World War II, when things were getting back to normal, the top floor of that building had two organized reserve units using it for their headquarters. Company I-156th Infantry Regiment, when they reorganized – I think it was in December of 1946 – utilized part of the upstairs for their National Guard Armory. You entered it off 3rd Street. The Naval Reserve was activated and they set up their headquarters on the second floor also. You had to enter their compound off of Parkerson Avenue.
After leaving the Welcome Bar building, there is a vacant lot there now, but at one time it housed the A&P Grocery Store. When the building was up, it played a big part in World War II as a USO Center for Crowley and the surrounding area. There were always people there to serve any uniformed servicemen who came in and wanted to relax, or needed help in some manner. Often they would have a dance for the servicemen at the center. When there was a big dance on special occasions, the dance was usually moved to the second floor of City Hall, in the big auditorium.
Just east of that building was the Rice Café owned and operated by Mr. And Mrs. George Mambouledes. George and Mitch were brothers. The Rice Café was in business for a great number of years and at one time was a premier restaurant in the City of Crowley.
Next to the Rice Café, a small Chinese Laundry was operated by Willie – I’m not sure of his last name. He had a small laundry in a little wooden building but he seemed to make a fairly good living there. It used to fascinate me how he added, subtracted and multiplied with this abacus. He could add and subtract faster on it than you could do it on a machine.
To be continued.

The corner of First Street and Avenue G

Crowley Post Signal • 602 North Parkerson Avenue • Crowley, LA
Ph: 337-783-3450 • Fax: 337-788-0949