From South Bend SDCer Don Galeziewski comes the sad news that the former Toasty Shop, a short half-block east of The Studebaker Administration Building at the corner of Michigan and Bronson, is being demolished. The neighborhood has deteriorated to such an extent, and the population density during the day is such, that it will no longer support that type of deluxe coffee shop and short-order cafe.
I looked through The South Bend Tribune on line this morning but find no mention of the impending demolition. Don says the demolition fence is up and destruction is imminent, so perhaps there will be a small item in "The Trib" when it's actually a pile of rubble.
"Toasty's" was a neat place where many hard-core Studebaker folks frequently dined and swapped lies. Studebaker administrators ate there, too, including Sherwood Egbert.
At the risk of boring "regulars" here, I'll repeat the story of cousin George Krem and I eating a late breakfast at The Toasty Shop one early summer day in 1963. As we paid our checks at the cash register, we saw Sherwood Egbert sitting at the lunch counter, working on what was probably his first pack of cigarettes for the day and who knows how many cups of coffee.
We were no more than 20 feet from him, but were simply too shy to go over, offer words of thanks and encouragement, and perhaps get his autograph on a napkin or something. For my part, I consider that THE missed opportunity of all our adventures in South Bend during the summers of 1960-1963....but at ages 17 (me) and 21 (George), we were simply too reserved of character, as difficult as that might be to comprehend, to approach him. "Mr. Egbert" was by himself, too, so we would not have been interrupting any conversation he might have been having with fellow "execs." Sigh.
Both of us ate there many times, individually and with other friends through the years. I looked forward to meeting my friend Don at Toasty's for lunch in the early 1990s when "on location" for Studebaker facility photo shoots to prepare Turning Wheels articles at that time.
The Toasty Shop was known as The Paramount in later years before closing for good several years ago. Note Dick Quinn's post below as to the eatery's spelling.
It was a classy, homey little eatery, the type of which is disappearing from the landscape too often nowadays for this nostalgic observer. Perhaps someone has a photo of the place and will post, or I can try to find one later in the day as time allows.
RIP, "Toasty's." BP
I looked through The South Bend Tribune on line this morning but find no mention of the impending demolition. Don says the demolition fence is up and destruction is imminent, so perhaps there will be a small item in "The Trib" when it's actually a pile of rubble.
"Toasty's" was a neat place where many hard-core Studebaker folks frequently dined and swapped lies. Studebaker administrators ate there, too, including Sherwood Egbert.
At the risk of boring "regulars" here, I'll repeat the story of cousin George Krem and I eating a late breakfast at The Toasty Shop one early summer day in 1963. As we paid our checks at the cash register, we saw Sherwood Egbert sitting at the lunch counter, working on what was probably his first pack of cigarettes for the day and who knows how many cups of coffee.
We were no more than 20 feet from him, but were simply too shy to go over, offer words of thanks and encouragement, and perhaps get his autograph on a napkin or something. For my part, I consider that THE missed opportunity of all our adventures in South Bend during the summers of 1960-1963....but at ages 17 (me) and 21 (George), we were simply too reserved of character, as difficult as that might be to comprehend, to approach him. "Mr. Egbert" was by himself, too, so we would not have been interrupting any conversation he might have been having with fellow "execs." Sigh.
Both of us ate there many times, individually and with other friends through the years. I looked forward to meeting my friend Don at Toasty's for lunch in the early 1990s when "on location" for Studebaker facility photo shoots to prepare Turning Wheels articles at that time.
The Toasty Shop was known as The Paramount in later years before closing for good several years ago. Note Dick Quinn's post below as to the eatery's spelling.
It was a classy, homey little eatery, the type of which is disappearing from the landscape too often nowadays for this nostalgic observer. Perhaps someone has a photo of the place and will post, or I can try to find one later in the day as time allows.
RIP, "Toasty's." BP
We've got to quit saying, 
BP
Comment