Five Points West Shopping City

1951 advertisement for Five Points West

The Five Points West Shopping City is a large shopping center developed in 1941 by A. Page Sloss of Shepherd-Sloss Realty at Five Points West. At the time, the 24-acre project was announced as the largest private development in the region since 1925.

The Thomas Drive-In restaurant was the first new building, constructed on the extreme west corner of the site. The main retail strips were designed by James Gatling, who also designed Shepherd-Sloss' Plaza Stores on Highland Avenue. Construction of the first 400-foot x 800-foot building was begun by the Marbury-Moriss Construction Company on April 15, with the first stores opening on September 1. A 400-space parking lot was laid out to serve the development and a second building, 175 feet by 140 feet, was planned to break ground that summer.

Tenants

original tenants

• Lane Drugs
• beauty parlor
• Utopia Cleaners
• Scott-Burr Stores
• A & P Supermarket
• Helen's Candies
• barber shop
• florist

later tenants

• Britling Cafeteria
• The Camera Shop
• Coffee Cup Restaurant
• Cosart's Fashion Center
• Five Points West Library
• Food Fair
• Hill's Food Store
• Justice Appliance
• Little Hardware
• New Williams
• Peggy Ann Dress Shop
• Stout Jewelry
• Stand N' Snack
• Zayre

References

• "Huge new shopping center to be built near fairgrounds" (April 1941) Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound