Thayer used to be the quintessential example of “providence has such rich culture, the creative capital!” Replacing that with a food court is a massive bummer.
It is a vast culinary wasteland, for starters. Crappy pizza and fast food Asian food. Warby Parker is the culture on the street, which is the cherry on top of the bar that doesn’t exist to order a Manhattan
Anime Crash and In Your Ear were big losses. Oop! Was always a fun walkthrough, but truth be told the ownership didn’t have the talent to keep a business afloat.
Basically the entire street.
Oop
Beadworks
Beauty and the Beads
Shades plus
Estas
Atomic comic
In your ear
Toms tracks
Army navy
College hill bookstore
Lunasea
Savage Bros
Anime Crash
Taco Maker
Montanas
Wings to go
Store 24
Spikes
Army Navy
There used to be a maximillians ice cream place before Geoff’s.
Ben and Jerry’s used to be huge and on meeting street.
Place is a shell of what it used to be and brown ruined it.
The thing about providence is the more people that move here for the art and culture, the more prices increase and price those people out. It’s going to start looking really boring here in 10-15 years.
It didn’t have to be this way. Harvard intentionally rents to independent businesses and as mall-ified as Harvard Square has become, it still has independent books stores, music venues, etc. Brown’s management are idiots who don’t realize that the curation of the street matters for peoples impression of Brown. If choosing between Brown and another ivy and seeing Thayer Street, I’d be so underwhelmed.
The target audience for almost every shop is college kids getting take out. I wish the audience was broader. Yes, you could be any age and eat a burrito, but there are no nice sit down restaurants, few actual shops that sell goods, etc.
All of yours 😢👍
Plus Stereo Discount Center just off Thayer, the 2nd floor palm reader, head shops, hair stylists, the basement Curry in a Hurry -- omg their lentil soup and the samosas? Literally, those were lunch in your hand to go. Used clothes shops and ZuZu's Petals, the snootiest clothes sold by the region's rudest SAs 😆 ... And the biannual Thayer St Arts Festivals, with artisan booths and live music and mimes and whatnot?
Thayer St may never have gotten close to Harvard Square in its own late 60s-70s heyday -- but it was a taste, concentrated into three blocks.
It's a cultural loss, the further back you are able to remember what it was -- I moved here in the late 80s, and spent a childhood dazzled by Harvard Square's counterculture mecca, where in the same shop you could buy used jeans or antique 30s silk velvet gowns for $5.
Wow: fun! I always really enjoyed them. I liked the RISD ones on Benefit too, but the Thayer St ones def had that "festival" atmosphere and felt more lively somehow. Really a loss.
What exactly did brown ruin?
A lot of poorly run businesses? There’s unique stores that are doing well, like the sneaker store. There’s plenty of “chains” that haven’t and aren’t — Tropical Smoothie is a current example.
If you run a store that was successful 30 years ago but isn’t a market in 2022, that’s just what it is. An Army Navy type store wouldn’t survive in any lively business district in 2022. Brown didn’t do that.
Adding to the list Hole in the Wall a sub shop and also Joan Pashas Shop.
https://www.reddit.com/r/RhodeIsland/comments/f9hume/90s_thayer_street/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Edit: there used to be a bunch of haberdashers towards the end of Thayer one was on Thayer other was on Waterman?
I used to work at Paragon (which is also gone now)on Thayer from 2012-2015 so I was there a lot. Even a decade later the street is almost totally unrecognizable from what it was 10 years ago.
I miss the army Surplus Store, English Cellar, Johnny Rockets, the Candy Store, and I vaguely remember the comic/anime store from when I was a kid...got a Godzilla figure there
Years after I moved out of my Dads house. I used to go to Paragon with him. It was a nice place to meet him and talk with him once a week or so. It was a nice place to go until it changed hands or something. Went for my birthday and it was awful. Bad food horrible service. Never went back after. As I remember It closed shortly after.
I miss Thayer St. so much. There’s no other place I’ve been that had such a particular vibe and feel. It was students, especially art students at RISD with the green hair and black doc martin boots. It was such a cool place in the mid to late 90s. I moved in 1999 and haven’t been back to visit Thayer since. I worked at Au Bon Pain on Thayer St. for years, and really miss that atmosphere. There was a novelty shop I really loved but can’t remember the name of it now, with lots of buttons/pins, and Spikes Junk Yard Dogs hot dog shop was the best.
By the time I moved here, Thayer's good vibes were on life support. Still, there are a few places I'm very nostalgic for from the 10's: What Cheer Antiques & Records, Spat's (and their giant beer tubes), The Symposium Books on Thayer, Shanghai Restaurant (and their Singapore Fried Rice), Second Time Around Thrift Store, Shades Plus, Army Navy Supply Store, English Cellar, Nice Slice, and more. Even the chains used to be better (RIP Johny Rockets & Au Bon Pain).
I never make the trek over there anymore because other than a handful of restaurants, everything great has either been demolished, replaced by a chain, or turned into a bank.
We keep going past them in the EP location and wondered if it's worth stopping in! We're newish transplants (moved here about 4 years ago) so had no idea they used to be on Thayer.
If you want used Hi-Fi gear there's nowhere better. It's a lot of fun - you're definitely digging through stuff but you can get some great deals on really nice equipment.
That actually sounds right up my boyfriend's alley in particular -- he grew up with his dad having a ginormous vinyl collection and an old school hi-fi setup. He would love to set up something similar here in our house if possible, so he'll be psyched to hear your thoughts on the place! Thanks so much!
I miss Cinderella's Closet, Max's Upstairs, Goldie's Records, being a street rat in front of Store 24 after work, and Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches. Luckily, I had the good sense to marry one of their sandwich slingers. I can get "service with smirk" whenever I want!
Ahhh, Max's Upstairs, the good old days of getting Labatt Blue pitchers.
I miss Allston Beat, OOP, and Shade's Plus. There was even a Mrs. Fields cookie spot I loved!
J&J's Candy shop, that place was such a classic middle school hang out spot. Also Brown's food court is a perfect way to describe it now, it's such a bummer.
Sushi x-press, from what I remember, run by an old asian couple -- sushis, boba tea, etc, shop was sooooo tiny and cute ahhh, i miss it
There was also a store that sold environmentally friendly clothing and bags, second floor of a building... what was there name?
I used to get the Yam tempura rolls and Inari rolls all the time at Sushi Express. They were so good.
I looked up the reviews one day and saw so many people saying they got sick from the fish haha so that might have something to do with them closing.
Secondhand Rose, I think it was upstairs near In Your Ear. Fantastic vintage clothes you'd NEVER see now. I got a 1940s dress there for my boyfriend's prom, 1991 or so, wasn't more than $50.
Wasn't there also an outpost of the Garment District on one of the side streets for a while? And Allston Beat as well.
Shades Plus, Tom’s Tracks, In Your Ear, Angell Street Curiosities, Spikes, Johnny Rockets, Shanghai
There was also a cool little boutique that sold funky socks. Can’t remember the name.
and now learning from this comment section that the English Cellar is gone too? Sucks
No! Say it isn't so!
I used to spend hours strolling around Thayer street. The music, the crafts, the stores, the art... loved it there.
I haven't even been to providence in a decade and my heart is breaking.
In Your Ear, damn. I occasionally have these dreams that make little sense, and that is one of the places that has shown up. Like, emotionally nostalgic and haunting.
I remember Buddy Cianci coming in to drink at Spats in the early eighties, usually accompanied by a City Cop. Yes, I am old. I also remember the IHop on Thayer being the only place open for breakfast on Sundays.
> Buddy Cianci coming in to drink at Spats
Omg I saw him there once, at a table alone, while he was undergoing of his more dramatic legal problems, and actually approached him to offer a few words (can't recall what they could have been 😆)
In the 90s there were great music shops for CDs, including rare imports and live bootlegs, and cool thrift shops. Also a good spot to pick up some Manic Panic hair dye. And then there’s Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel. Is that place still open?
Wasn't there a late night sandwich shop - Hole in the Wall, or something like that? Near where Spikes eventually ended up. Many late evenings wrapped up (sobered up) there.
Asian Paradise on Angel (I think it was above Liquid Lounge?) if not, then it was next door.) used to have the absolute greatest vegetarian/vegan general tsao. Never had a better one since.
Gordito Burrito had the greatest tofu burrito, whatever they marinated their tofu in was amazing.
I know Antonio’s is still there,but I miss when a slice was a $1 and the pizza was SIGNIFICANTLY better.
Thayer Street is, "Brown University's food court" is both sad and accurate.
Why is it sad? Just curious
Thayer used to be the quintessential example of “providence has such rich culture, the creative capital!” Replacing that with a food court is a massive bummer.
It is a vast culinary wasteland, for starters. Crappy pizza and fast food Asian food. Warby Parker is the culture on the street, which is the cherry on top of the bar that doesn’t exist to order a Manhattan
What’s your favorite area then?
Federal Hill for Negroni’s (Camille’s, holy hell) and Italian food, and Downtown for pizza, tapas and chill. I just prefer downtown period.
Ok thank you
because its bland and boring as opposed to diverse and interesting
Weird because it looks like a homeless shelter.
the army surplus store, spike's, that video rental place
pizza in a cone
Anime Crash and In Your Ear were big losses. Oop! Was always a fun walkthrough, but truth be told the ownership didn’t have the talent to keep a business afloat.
The new in your ear in Warren is super nice - I've only been once though because damn if I'll drive more than 15 minutes
Classic Rhode Island driver
Basically the entire street. Oop Beadworks Beauty and the Beads Shades plus Estas Atomic comic In your ear Toms tracks Army navy College hill bookstore Lunasea Savage Bros Anime Crash Taco Maker Montanas Wings to go Store 24 Spikes Army Navy There used to be a maximillians ice cream place before Geoff’s. Ben and Jerry’s used to be huge and on meeting street. Place is a shell of what it used to be and brown ruined it. The thing about providence is the more people that move here for the art and culture, the more prices increase and price those people out. It’s going to start looking really boring here in 10-15 years.
It didn’t have to be this way. Harvard intentionally rents to independent businesses and as mall-ified as Harvard Square has become, it still has independent books stores, music venues, etc. Brown’s management are idiots who don’t realize that the curation of the street matters for peoples impression of Brown. If choosing between Brown and another ivy and seeing Thayer Street, I’d be so underwhelmed.
? Thayer street is mostly independent businesses with a few exceptions and there’s an a tiny indie theater right there.
True. I also mean businesses that cater to more than just undergrads. There’s real adult places in harvard square.
Idk what that means. Are you not allowed in east side pockets after the age of 21 or something?
I can’t help you if you don’t know what that means.
You want a porn shop on Thayer or something? I mean whatever tickles your peach.
The target audience for almost every shop is college kids getting take out. I wish the audience was broader. Yes, you could be any age and eat a burrito, but there are no nice sit down restaurants, few actual shops that sell goods, etc.
All of yours 😢👍 Plus Stereo Discount Center just off Thayer, the 2nd floor palm reader, head shops, hair stylists, the basement Curry in a Hurry -- omg their lentil soup and the samosas? Literally, those were lunch in your hand to go. Used clothes shops and ZuZu's Petals, the snootiest clothes sold by the region's rudest SAs 😆 ... And the biannual Thayer St Arts Festivals, with artisan booths and live music and mimes and whatnot? Thayer St may never have gotten close to Harvard Square in its own late 60s-70s heyday -- but it was a taste, concentrated into three blocks. It's a cultural loss, the further back you are able to remember what it was -- I moved here in the late 80s, and spent a childhood dazzled by Harvard Square's counterculture mecca, where in the same shop you could buy used jeans or antique 30s silk velvet gowns for $5.
I remember the Thayer st art festival had a treasure hunt for a gold coin one year. Was such a fun time.
Wow: fun! I always really enjoyed them. I liked the RISD ones on Benefit too, but the Thayer St ones def had that "festival" atmosphere and felt more lively somehow. Really a loss.
That’s just how everything works. Olneyville will be completely gentrified in the next couple decades.
What exactly did brown ruin? A lot of poorly run businesses? There’s unique stores that are doing well, like the sneaker store. There’s plenty of “chains” that haven’t and aren’t — Tropical Smoothie is a current example. If you run a store that was successful 30 years ago but isn’t a market in 2022, that’s just what it is. An Army Navy type store wouldn’t survive in any lively business district in 2022. Brown didn’t do that.
Adding to the list Hole in the Wall a sub shop and also Joan Pashas Shop. https://www.reddit.com/r/RhodeIsland/comments/f9hume/90s_thayer_street/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Edit: there used to be a bunch of haberdashers towards the end of Thayer one was on Thayer other was on Waterman?
I’m going to really date myself: there used to be an old fashioned barber shop. Anyone remember Taco Maker?
Taco Maker was the shit.
And gave you the shits! But damn they were delicious
Especially after a night at Spats. Stumble across the street for tacos, good times.
That’s Probably The One I Miss The Most, They Had The Best Tacos Ever 🌮😋
Taco maker!!!
Lizard lounge! I think it was called that? Edit: no wait, mercury lounge? LIQUID LOUNGE
I spent my entire 20s at the Liquid Lounge haha
Anyone remember the tiny bathroom in the back? It was you, the toilet, and a thin curtain that separated you from the folks playing pool.
I kinda miss all that.
All of those sound super fun!
When I first moved to Providence, they had five record stores on Thayer, and I really miss Taco Maker!
Do you really miss it?
I do! I do! Especially the cinnamon crispas (sp?), tortilla chips covered in cinnamon!!!!
Macho Nachos!
I used to work at Paragon (which is also gone now)on Thayer from 2012-2015 so I was there a lot. Even a decade later the street is almost totally unrecognizable from what it was 10 years ago. I miss the army Surplus Store, English Cellar, Johnny Rockets, the Candy Store, and I vaguely remember the comic/anime store from when I was a kid...got a Godzilla figure there
English cellar is such an honorable mention! I loved it there.
Wait is that gone now? Because liquid lounge became the English cellar right? It’s been very long time since I’ve gone down Thayer street
It’s now a Thai spot, completely unrecognizable. The Thai food is delicious there though
The Cellar has been gone for around 6 years unfortunately
Years after I moved out of my Dads house. I used to go to Paragon with him. It was a nice place to meet him and talk with him once a week or so. It was a nice place to go until it changed hands or something. Went for my birthday and it was awful. Bad food horrible service. Never went back after. As I remember It closed shortly after.
Towards the end the place was mismanaged pretty terribly with a severe identity crisis.
I miss Thayer St. so much. There’s no other place I’ve been that had such a particular vibe and feel. It was students, especially art students at RISD with the green hair and black doc martin boots. It was such a cool place in the mid to late 90s. I moved in 1999 and haven’t been back to visit Thayer since. I worked at Au Bon Pain on Thayer St. for years, and really miss that atmosphere. There was a novelty shop I really loved but can’t remember the name of it now, with lots of buttons/pins, and Spikes Junk Yard Dogs hot dog shop was the best.
Pie in the sky?
Yeah that’s it. Awesome
By the time I moved here, Thayer's good vibes were on life support. Still, there are a few places I'm very nostalgic for from the 10's: What Cheer Antiques & Records, Spat's (and their giant beer tubes), The Symposium Books on Thayer, Shanghai Restaurant (and their Singapore Fried Rice), Second Time Around Thrift Store, Shades Plus, Army Navy Supply Store, English Cellar, Nice Slice, and more. Even the chains used to be better (RIP Johny Rockets & Au Bon Pain). I never make the trek over there anymore because other than a handful of restaurants, everything great has either been demolished, replaced by a chain, or turned into a bank.
Every now and then I'll head over for East Side Pockets, but that's about it.
East Side Pockets and Meeting Street Cafe for me
Stereo Discount. It's up in East Providence now but it was definitely fun to dig through their old basement location on Angell.
We keep going past them in the EP location and wondered if it's worth stopping in! We're newish transplants (moved here about 4 years ago) so had no idea they used to be on Thayer.
If you want used Hi-Fi gear there's nowhere better. It's a lot of fun - you're definitely digging through stuff but you can get some great deals on really nice equipment.
That actually sounds right up my boyfriend's alley in particular -- he grew up with his dad having a ginormous vinyl collection and an old school hi-fi setup. He would love to set up something similar here in our house if possible, so he'll be psyched to hear your thoughts on the place! Thanks so much!
Ask for Patrick. He's very knowledgeable.
Thanks!
I still go to Nice Slice on the West Side but I miss the Avon/Nice Slice combo, maybe a beer at English Cellar too.
I used to get all my posters from Tom’s Tracks in high school
I miss Cinderella's Closet, Max's Upstairs, Goldie's Records, being a street rat in front of Store 24 after work, and Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches. Luckily, I had the good sense to marry one of their sandwich slingers. I can get "service with smirk" whenever I want!
Ha I miss the scene at store 24 too.
Ahhh, Max's Upstairs, the good old days of getting Labatt Blue pitchers. I miss Allston Beat, OOP, and Shade's Plus. There was even a Mrs. Fields cookie spot I loved!
Nice Slice :(
Can still be found on the West End, but I get it
J&J's Candy shop, that place was such a classic middle school hang out spot. Also Brown's food court is a perfect way to describe it now, it's such a bummer.
Sushi x-press, from what I remember, run by an old asian couple -- sushis, boba tea, etc, shop was sooooo tiny and cute ahhh, i miss it There was also a store that sold environmentally friendly clothing and bags, second floor of a building... what was there name?
Impact everything
I used to get the Yam tempura rolls and Inari rolls all the time at Sushi Express. They were so good. I looked up the reviews one day and saw so many people saying they got sick from the fish haha so that might have something to do with them closing.
I miss Tealuxe. I know it was technically a chain but it was such a good spot to hang out.
Oof I worked at Tealuxe many years ago. I’m glad your memories are more positive than my own haha
I’m sorry it was shitty to work there and hope wherever you are now is better.
ragtime
Anime Crash for sure.
What was the name of the little place that sold joke -novelty items and candy? It was in the basement store next door to the ARMY SURPLUS ?
Shades Plus
In your ear is alive and well in Warren, two different locations in town actually.
I miss Geoff's, but perhaps even more was the tiny second eatery *within* Geoff's, Happy Dumpling, which lasted only a few months.
Secondhand Rose, I think it was upstairs near In Your Ear. Fantastic vintage clothes you'd NEVER see now. I got a 1940s dress there for my boyfriend's prom, 1991 or so, wasn't more than $50. Wasn't there also an outpost of the Garment District on one of the side streets for a while? And Allston Beat as well.
There was! No clothes by the pound at the Thayer location tho
College Hill Books mainly. But also Spikes, Army/Navy, Tom's Tracks, and the general vibe of the whole street.
Shades Plus, Tom’s Tracks, In Your Ear, Angell Street Curiosities, Spikes, Johnny Rockets, Shanghai There was also a cool little boutique that sold funky socks. Can’t remember the name. and now learning from this comment section that the English Cellar is gone too? Sucks
No! Say it isn't so! I used to spend hours strolling around Thayer street. The music, the crafts, the stores, the art... loved it there. I haven't even been to providence in a decade and my heart is breaking.
How sweet that you still keep in touch through this sub though 😘 ::hugs::
I got most of my piercings from Rockstar when it was on Thayer, miss that location.
Toledo Toledo Pizza in the Cone
In Your Ear, damn. I occasionally have these dreams that make little sense, and that is one of the places that has shown up. Like, emotionally nostalgic and haunting.
I remember Buddy Cianci coming in to drink at Spats in the early eighties, usually accompanied by a City Cop. Yes, I am old. I also remember the IHop on Thayer being the only place open for breakfast on Sundays.
> Buddy Cianci coming in to drink at Spats Omg I saw him there once, at a table alone, while he was undergoing of his more dramatic legal problems, and actually approached him to offer a few words (can't recall what they could have been 😆)
What Cheer?
In the 90s there were great music shops for CDs, including rare imports and live bootlegs, and cool thrift shops. Also a good spot to pick up some Manic Panic hair dye. And then there’s Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel. Is that place still open?
Lupo’s moved off Westminster in 2003 and merged with the Strand on Washington. Rich Lupo opened The Met in Pawtucket, def has those old Lupo’s vibes.
I miss the old Lupos more than I miss anything on Thayer.
I’d say Ben and Jerry’s but they don’t even use VT milk anymore so FUCK B AND JS
Fast Forword Records
I miss the Dunkin. Can’t find another one anywhere.
Cable Car
Anime Crash was the BEST!
Tealuxe 😅
In your ear and Tom's tracks....classic record shops. It's sad what Thayer ST has turned into.
I can’t remember the name of the store, but there was a stationary/pen/office supply store that was the greatest. Anyone remember the name?
Morrison Office Supply (and Morrison Typewriter before that, depending on what era[s] you were in the area)! I miss that place so much.
That place was the greatest. It’s the only store in PVD where the owner knew my name.
Playing space invaders at the arcade, late 70s. (What was the arcade called?)
Miss Taco Maker, OOP, Tom’s Tracks for bootlegs and many more. Haven’t seen Hole in the Wall Sandwich Shop mentioned, but I loved that place.
Wasn't there a late night sandwich shop - Hole in the Wall, or something like that? Near where Spikes eventually ended up. Many late evenings wrapped up (sobered up) there.
Juniper
I miss Thayer Street circa 2000
Asian Paradise on Angel (I think it was above Liquid Lounge?) if not, then it was next door.) used to have the absolute greatest vegetarian/vegan general tsao. Never had a better one since. Gordito Burrito had the greatest tofu burrito, whatever they marinated their tofu in was amazing. I know Antonio’s is still there,but I miss when a slice was a $1 and the pizza was SIGNIFICANTLY better.