White House Visit (Now Gainesville Nostalgia . . . LOL!)

This is true, to touch very briefly on Alachua County's political proclivity. My husband was a 21 year old student with a Broward County driver's license when he registered to vote (in Alachua County) for the first time in September or October, 1968. I was with him and recall he had to affirm he was a permanent resident of Alachua County and would not be returning to live in Fort Lauderdale. He had to show her a utility bill with his name on it. The registrar at the time told us it was intended to try and keep the decisions for local issues in the hands of local voters. I don't know when that registration requirement was dropped and this post is not intended to further that discussion, only as an explanation for why the Gainesville area was perceived as being Red or Blue at various times.

 

Shelley's was housed in an old rehabilitated shack next to Gator Groomer on NW 1st Ave. It faced a shopping strip that ran perpendicular connecting West University Ave. to NW 1st Ave. Alan's Cubana was the last store front in this strip where the parking lot connected with NW 1st Ave on the north side.

Google Maps

Alan's Cubana and Shelley's were owned by brothers Alan Lederman and Shelley Lederman. The brothers, for some reason unknown to me, despised each other. Alan opened his first sandwich shop in a small kiosk in the 500 block of West University before moving to his more campus centric location in the strip mall where it was immensely popular with students and prospered. For whatever reason Shelley opened his rival business immediately across the street from his brother's establishment. It was said it was intentional, as a taunt directed at Alan, and their competition was fierce.

Shelley was not a nice person. I worked there answering the constantly ringing phone taking lunch time telephone delivery orders the summer of 1968. He had a hair trigger temper and a very loud mouth. Employee turn over was frequent.

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Most of you familiar with Lillian's likely know the site originally was a music store. It opened in 1933 and the owner Lillian (I don't recall her last name) was a sweet short graying red headed former music teacher who recognized the need for a store carrying a variety of musical instruments and sheet music for musicians. Until Marvin Kay's then Lipham's and other stores carrying instruments opened she was the only game in town. The cavernous uncarpeted store was packed with a selection of pianos, from spinets to a baby grand or two. Strings, brass, and woodwinds hung from hooks on walls and racks of sheet music filled space across the un-carpeted wood planked floor. The store was not air-conditioned and Lillian would sit in the open door way with fans running full tilt. She ran the store by herself. The Lillian's Music Store sign hanging over the door to the pub is original to the music store. I think it closed in 1974. Within a very few months the Gainesville City Commission removed the city's prohibition against alcohol being sold within a restricted distance from a church.

 

In this thread of reminiscence it's surprising for a couple of reasons there is but a single(?) mention of James (Dub) Thomas, the burly bear of a man who owned Dub's, his iconic namesake nightclub. Dub moved from California to Gainesville in the 50's after he developed an asthmatic condition and his doctor advised he move from Los Angeles to a warm humid climate. He was a weightlifter and a body builder and managed 2 In-'N-Out restaurants for the owners of the franchise who were good friends. He was given verbal permission to use the name and sauce recipe when he opened his own In-N-Out on SW 2nd Ave. in Gainesville. He sold the restaurant to Ralph Dahlstrom and used his profit to expand the nightclub, update the sound equipment and lighting, and add a pool hall. Dahlstrom opened the 2nd location on Hawthorne Road after he acquired the business from Dub.

For those who may not know, Mudcrutch was the House band at Dub's for a time in the early 70's. He changed them out from time to time. Trucker, mentioned upthread in an earlier post, was a member of a long defunct Gainesville band called The Rare Breed that was house band for a while in 1967. That's when I met Dub, then briefly worked for him as a cocktail waitress the summer of 1969.

Two pertinent posts from:
Is there an In N Out in Gainesville, Florida?

Scott 1 year ago Reply

The In-N-Out Burger in California (and now in 8 states) was founded in 1948 by Harry & Esther Snyder. Apparently a man named Dub Thomas worked for Harry back then and later moved to Florida. Harry gave Dub verbal permission to use the name and recipes in Florida and I think these Gainesville restaurants must have been the result, but I’m not sure. As In-N-Out expanded they must have restricted the use of their copyright elsewhere. Does anyone know if these restaurants were owned by Dub Thomas?

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  Dale Dahlstrom 1 year ago Reply
  My mom worked for Dub Thomas in the late 60s or early twentieths . He had at the time one in-n-out, Dubs Lounge A drinking and dancing place.and a gym he was a bodybuilder. My mom was his accountant at the time.he told her that he needed to sale one of his business. So my Dad brought the in-n-out.in g.ville, and later built another on hawthorn Rd. The first one is on s.w. 2nd ave..

 

I missed the Whataburgers that closed in Gainesville about 15 years ago. They privately owned company (like the still privately held In-N-Out) contracted and closed their under performing locations, but later sold to the equity firm that owns Krispy Kreme and Weber grills. The firm is expanding in Florida.

 

Woody's sandwich shop their roast beef sandwich with mustard, ummm ugh.

 

https
NEWS
THE ONE AND ONLY DUB'S
Staff Writer
The Gainesville Sun




.... "Burly, bald and with the forearms of Popeye the Sailor, Dub Thomas had a built-in bull-meter, and he knew how to play hardball with musicians, with promoters, and with drunks. He sailed them all out the door of his club without so much as a wink or a nod.

"Still, he was known as a staunch supporter of live and local music - if you could get on his good side.


{{{In 1969, during the club's brief tenure as a topless establishment, Dub hired a bunch of local scruffs calling themselves Mudcrutch to provide the music.}}} ...
This is incorrect. Mudcrutch was the house band in 72 and 74. The Club had topless dancers in the summer and fall of 1967. Community pressure and local complaints ended the performances.


"Mudcrutch's singing bass player was none other than Tom Petty, and the band spent several months as Dub's "house act" before Dub angrily fired them for mouthing off once too often.

"And to this day, Gainesville's live music scene has yet to know as charismatic a clubmeister."

://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2004/05/26/the-one-only-dub-s/31461419007/

Dub encouraged and invested in talented, aspiring musicians. In their early years Bob Seger and the English band Foghat played Dub's.

Near the end of his life Dub overextended himself buying a number of local drinking establishments that played live music and subsequently had tax problems he could not resolve. His namesake bar closed and his 2 adult children could not obtain the loans necessary for it to reopen. The land was sold and a social security office was built on the site.

 

Next door to Lillian's was Mike's. It was a tobacconist, bookstore and hat shop. When I knew it it was run by Mike's son Alex that lived across the street from me with his wife Rebecca. I bought Mike's house (long story) and also bought the Alex and Rebecca house (another long story).

When my first child was born I went to Mike's to buy a box of cigars to give out as that was at the tail end of that tradition. Alex gave me a REALLY nice cigar in a metal tube and I told him that I was a former smoker and couldn't take it. He said to give it to a good friend and I did.