Five Points West Shopping City
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.
The strip was given a face lift in 1961. A trolley service to carry shoppers around the center was instituted the same year. In 1964 a Britling West cafeteria opened on Avenue V near the shopping center's entrance.
Tenants
original tenants
- Lane Drugs
- beauty parlor
- Utopia Cleaners
- Scott-Burr Stores
- A & P Supermarket
- Helen's Candies
- barber shop
- florist
later tenants
- 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
- Parisian-West
- 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
- "Five Points West Marks 21st Birthday" (October 1961) Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound
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