I was then hooked and spent many lunch hours over the next 4 years at the history center researching over 60 years of Sarasota avenue directories and phone books. After using an Excel spreadsheet to maintain track of what was at each handle by year , I thought of posting a blog so that the research could be utilized by others for reference. Then after nearly two years of starting it and not getting very far, it finally started to come collectively in June 2017 and was first posted with one hundred fifty entries. It is now up to over 1195 entries with more updates on the way. Hertz Rent-A-Car (since the early 2010’s) used to be a Midas Muffler Shop from the early-to-mid eighty’s till the early 00’s after being Cars Muffler Shops starting in the late 70’s.
The Koryo Hotel
After a quick time as Van Gogh’s Restaurant, it would turn into Chez Med Restaurant from 1983 to about the mid-to-late ninety’s. This used to be Bill & Bea’s Happyland Restaurant from 1951 until February 1966 when a fireplace demolished the building. The restaurant had been quickly rebuilt and opened in November 1959, simply three months after an earlier fireplace had completely broken the unique building.
Maldron Resorts
This used to be a Shakey’s Pizza restaurant from about 1967 to 1973. The pizza parlor featured stay striped-shirt musicians enjoying ragtime-type music, mainly using the banjo and piano. A USN Recruiting workplace along with several other recruiting places of work operated at about this location from the mid 70’s to mid eighty’s.