Upper Fayette Street Photo – Soap Box Derby and more

Upper Fayette Street Photo – Soap Box Derby and more

3/7/2020

by Brian Coll

We had an old friend in recently and we got tied up in a conversation about how Fayette Street looked between 8th and 9th before the current restaurants and businesses…. of course each generation will remember certain things. I delivered newspapers to this particular block and grew up on Forrest Street right behind it. I remember the silver door. The silver door was a bar, and its probably worth an entire story on it’s own… for me as a kid waling in there everyday, I remember the men, the smoke and the laughter, I also remember the beer nuts (prepacked very salty nuts) I know on days I had to go collect money there I walked out with a few bags of these beer nuts after having spent everything they owed me as well as a few bucks that other customers on my route owed me. Anyway… there was a bar on this block that was a little before my time, and it was DeMarco’s. Hopefully our old friend will see this and she can win the bet!

Apparently DeMarco’s had a separate door for women (I can’t confirm this) that was around the side…. If you check out the picture, you can make out where the StoneRose is, where Pasta Via is, where Neal Eye Group is. The block sure looks different today than it did when this photo was taken.

So, I can’t just post this photo without talking about the height of the Soap Box Derby ramps!!!! Also, notice how they are located mid block as opposed to closer to 8th Ave?

Anyone remember DeMarco’s, we’d love to hear your stories….