teen-Age hall was an upper-end clothing store “devoted exclusively to teenagers.” They opened the two-story department store in January 1947 at 207 Twiggs Street after the former tenant Rudolph Garcia, proprietor of the Elite Cigar Store, was arrested for operating a baseball gambling pool in June 1946 and closed. The store was located west of the Ferlita Building that housed the Weil-Maas store (part of the Maas Brothers family) and enjoyed the patronage of shoppers who came downtown to shop on Franklin Street. In June 1951, a catastrophic fire swept thru Weil-Mass, and fire and smoke extensively damaged teen-Age hall. The owners attempted to recover by rebuilding but closed later that summer after a fire sale. By August 1951, F and G (Fernandez and Garcia) stores took the spot selling women’s fashions on the first floor and children’s clothes on the second. F and G’s flagship store opened in 1944 in Ybor City.

The brand was sold to Belk Lindsey in 1955, and this location closed. It was taken over by the Madison Drugstore that same year. Madison built on the foundation of the former Ferlita Building and used this spot behind its store as a toy annex for Christmas. By the late 1950s, Beneficial Finance, a short-term loan company, opened here. It is now part of the Eddie and Sam's N.Y Pizza restaurant. The former Madison’s now houses several retail businesses, including Kava bar Kava Culture, REMAX Realty, and Jimmy John’s Restaurant.

© 2023. Chip Weiner. oldtampaphotos.com