Sometimes You Just Have to Look Down to See Amarillo’s History

There is a lot of history all over Amarillo. You just have to pay attention. When you are driving around just open your eyes and take it in. Even if you are taking a walk that history can sometimes be right there at your feet.

I used to work at a bank and one of my jobs was to walk over every Monday and meet with my boss and our advertising guy, Terry Pedigo. He had his office over on 8th and Polk. It was a less than five-minute walk for me. I liked taking that walk. I liked those meetings.

I will tell you that I did pay attention to my surroundings when I was walking. I noticed something really cool in front of his office. The problem was that I never really tried to figure out what it was until a friend posted in online recently.

Right away I knew that was in front of Terry's former office, G&P Associates - 803 S Polk. I had no doubt. So I started looking into it. The entryway looked pretty cool. I remember always thinking that.

I didn't think about its former life. It was a store back in the fifties and sixties. A woman's clothing store back when downtown Amarillo had stores like that.

When my friend posted about it on social media there were a lot of women here in Amarillo that remember shopping there back in the day.

Lucille Shoppe was so glamorous to me in the 60s! - Jeanie

 

I went there many times with my mom in the 50s and 60s. The Lucille Shoppe was one of her favorites. - Gayla

 

Went with my mother. I could usually talk her onto a new dress - Kay

I had a conversation with Terry about his former office. He told me that he had been in that office for thirty years. Probably a lot longer than Lucille ever was.

One time I had a guy come in wearing a backpack and he asked if he could speak to Lucille. I said he missed her by a few years. Lucille was long before my time. It had been the London Alaskan Furrier before I moved in in 1987 (pretty sure that was the name), but had been empty for a long time until I took it. Polk Street was a ghost town when I moved in. You could park your vehicle in the middle of the street and no one would notice.

He even sent me photos from inside when he had his office there.

The best part is that even though that building sits empty now. Terry moved his business to his home. That entryway is still there. I hope that whatever they do with that building they keep this part of Amarillo history there. It really does look pretty cool.