FIRST OF ALL: Please revisit last week’s post about the State Theater and Urban Outfitters. I have updated it to include Russ Collins’ assertion that UO is negotiating a new lease and not necessarily leaving.
READERS WRITE: Jeremy recently asked what I know about the history of the current Pretzel Bell, on Liberty and Main. You may have realized by now that I pretty much only do research for this thing to find old photos, so hopefully you won’t be too disappointed if I just recall this for a moment.
Prior to the current, less-divey Pretzel Bell, this space was Lena and Habana, a Cuban restaurant upstairs and a bar downstairs. Cafe Habana was originally on Washington Street below the Blue Tractor and proved so popular it was spun out into its own space. I never dined at Lena, but Habana had good chips and salsa and a couple of their own-label beers that were drinkable and I suppose I’m sorry to see them gone.
Before it was Lena and Habana, it was the Parthenon, a Greek restaurant. I took a little ribbing last week for saying UO was open for “zillions” of years on State Street, so I’m going to be more conservative this time and note that Parthenon was open for at least five but not more than one hundred years.
Before that it was a Cunningham Drugs, a Detroit-based chain which, long after this location became the Parthenon, would eventually become part of another Detroit chain, Arbor Drugs. Arbor Drugs would eventually be acquired by CVS Health.
I’m Of A Certain Age and, though I’m largely used to it now, I still can’t quite describe the je-ne-sais-quoi of CVS as a legit drugstore. CVS was originally introduced to the Detroit area as a drugstore substitute in all the local malls. They had the general-merchandise, health-and-beauty, and snack stuff you find in a CVS of today, though they did not have a pharmacy. They are open later than the mall now, and actually fill prescriptions! You kids don’t even know how “okay, I guess” you have it!