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As in many cities across the USA in the 1960s, Tullahoma’s business climate was changing. There began to be a shift from locally owned businesses to local branches of national or regional companies. Additionally, cramped downtown locations were being abandoned in favor of new shopping centers somewhat removed from the central city core. Those factors combined in late 1964 and early 1965 with the opening of the Tullahoma Plaza shopping center on West Lincoln Street.

The Wednesday, March 3, 1965, edition of The Tullahoma News and Guardian carried the story and advertisements for the Grand Opening of the Plaza, though a few of the stores were already open. Opening for the first time that weekend of March 5, 1965, was the W.T. Grant & Co. store. Three others – Sterling Stores, Campbell Electronics, and Economy Auto – had already been open for a couple of weeks, while Plaza Rexall Drugs, Country Casuals, Cooper & Martin Supermarket, and La Tanes Salon, had been open a little longer. Mayor Floyd Mitchell cut the ribbon for the whole plaza as well as at a couple of individual stores. National and regional managers from the various store companies were on hand for the celebration.

A scan of a 1967 Tullahoma City Directory reveals that six of the seven businesses from the grand opening week were still around. Only Country Casuals seems to have closed. La Tane’s Salon was owned by La Tane Shorter. Campbell’s Electronics was the property of J.B. and Myrtle Campbell, while C.E. Mathews owned the Rexall store.

The mentioned edition of The Tullahoma News and Guardian can be accessed via the Coffee County Lannom Library website (https://tullahomahistoryarchives.online/home). It’s interesting to look at some of the grand opening advertisements and see what things were selling for almost exactly 60 years ago. Grants had ladies’ dresses for as low as $10.99 (or $1.25 a week on credit), men’s jac-shirts (remember those?) were two for $5, and flat or fitted twin or full-size sheets were $1.47. At Plaza Rexall Drugs, customers could buy a Teflon-coated 10” fry pan for $2.59 or a bottle of 300 Bayer Aspirin for $1.59.

Economy Auto Store had a 23” console TV (black & white) for $199 and depending on the size, blackwall nylon tires for $10.88 to $17.88. Campbell’s Electronics had specials as well, like toasters or electric skillets for $8.88 and GE alarm clocks for $2.98. Meanwhile, Cooper & Martin was offering T-bone steaks for $.99 per pound and eggs for $.37 a dozen.

Larry Nee, Sr. was a photographer for the newspaper at the time and these accompanying photos are his. They are provided courtesy of Sharon Nee Goodman. When she posted a few of them on Facebook, other Tullahoma natives helped identify people.

Do you have sharp pictures and interesting stories from Tullahoma’s or Coffee County’s past? If so, reach out to me at alanmayes@lighttube.net.