Cracker Village Restaurant and Lounge

Cracker Village Restaurant And Lounge, 3015 Grand Central Date Unknown. Robertson and Fresh Courtesy of the University of South Florida Library

ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, 3015 W Kennedy Blvd. 2022 © Chip Weiner

Cracker Village Liquors, Restaurant, and Lounge opened at 807 Memorial Hwy (now 3015 Kennedy Blvd) in 1954. The name originated from owners Vernon and Herbert Lindsey, self-proclaimed “Cracker Boys” and had a Hillbilly Dixieland band to dance to on weekends. The building is another representative of bygone architecture missing from today’s structures. The rounded front and drive-up window were the precursors to modern drive-thrus. Known locally as “The Village,” it became popular for its happy hours and dancing to a live trio. In 1959, it hosted bands like The Skyliners, Capitol Records recording stars. Adept viewers might also notice the Seven Seas bar to the west, home to controversial nude dancing and, at one time, a pirate radio station. The building is now Acropolis Greek Taverna.

In 1960, Jack Holloway, owner of ABC Drive-In Liquor Stores, bought and remodeled the business. The brand has owned the property ever since. In 2013, they razed and replaced the entire structure, expanding and renovating it as it looks today.