Most of the buildings shown in this 1960s view of a Cotton Carnival parade moving down Main Street are still standing, but I don’t think a single business in this photo has survived.
The photographer of this nice shot was facing north along South Main towards Union. Just look at all the fantastic signs that once lured customers to many of the stores crowded side by side along Main. Obviously, this was the place to be if you needed to shop for shoes, hats, clothes — just about anything, really.
Main Street went through a truly awful decline in the 1970s and 1980s, but I think it looks pretty spiffy now. But it’s rather surreal to look at then-and-now images of it, because so many things have changed, while so many things seem just the same. It’s like an alternate-universe view of our city.
I suppose I could identify most of the buildings and businesses you can see here, but gosh that really seems a lot of trouble, so just look at the photo and enjoy it. I wonder what school, in their flashy gold band uniforms, was marching down the street when they snapped this photo?
