Bogalusa - Bogalusa, LA

Bogalusa

Sing Food Store | Deli

846 Avenue F

Bogalusa, LA 70427

Updated: January 1, 2023 | Original Publication: October 29, 2022

Scroll Down for my MTC post on Dirt Cheap #7 and Corner Market #5

Howdy, y'all!  Welcome to another Sing Oil Saturday!  Today, we're in for a treat because I recently got to check another state off my list and explore some local history in an entirely new region of the Southeast for me.  Buckle up, as we're about to jump on a time machine back to 1985 as we tour a very special Sing Store and some other local retailers.  Let's see what Louisiana may have in store for us today!

Some Background

The town of Bogalusa's name allegedly derives from the Chocktaw term "bogue lusa" or "dark water" and is named for the Bogue Lusa Creek which runs through the town and empties into the nearby Pearl River.  Evidently, Bogalusa is one of Louisiana's youngest towns and was founded in 1914 as a company town for the Great Southern Lumber Company.  Lumber would continue to play an important role in the community which once touted the nation's largest lumber mill and seems to remain the primary industry for the region to this day.  International Paper still operates a large plant southeast of downtown which is likely the largest employer in Bogalusa and Washington Parish.  I feel like it would be an injustice for me as a foreigner to trudge through the history of this city any more than I have, but I managed to find an informative book on the city's website which you can check out here if you want to learn more.  Regardless, the town must have been ripe for a convenience store roughly 70-years after its founding because Sing Oil Company decided to build this station around 1985.

Similar to many other Sing Stores, this station looked to be located in a more residential area south of the main downtown business district.  It looks like this area could have been home to the original housing area for the mill and has a small strip of businesses lining Avenue F just north of the station.  I suppose Sing was striving to be more convenient for the nearby residents than the town's old Winn-Dixie #1452 which appears to date back to the 1970's or early-1980's.

On second thought, maybe the Sing was just the better option:

The Houston Chronicle (NewsBank) - January 11, 1990 - Legionaires' disease outbreak in Bogalusa

Update (1/1/2023): Thanks to a tip from regular reader Anonymous in Houston, I've since added this information regarding a dark patch in the Bogalusa Winn-Dixie's history.  The store would survive until October 1, 2013, when it finally closed its doors for good.

Anonymous in Houston does a good job of summarizing the above article here: "It seems that in late 1989, there was a breakout of Legionnaires Disease at the Bogalusa Winn-Dixie caused by a poorly maintained produce mister (the thing that sprays water on produce on the salesfloor).  2 people died and 32 others were infected.  This surely made national news and was not good publicity for The Beef People!  Grocers in Houston were asked about their produce misters and they were assuring customers that their systems were made by a company out of Marietta, GA and not Maine like Winn-Dixie's system (odd that Winn-Dixie didn't go with a southern company).  I'm not sure if that really matters if Winn-Dixie's neglect was the cause of the problems." 

I stopped by the old Winn-Dixie shopping center when I was in town but I didn't bother to take any pictures since I didn't notice anything interesting.  I seem to remember the windows having blinds over them and the store looking like it was being used for office space.  Had I know the location garnered national news, I might've had second thoughts!  Now, back to the original post.

I don't know much history about Sing's operation in the state, but I do know that Sing Oil Company registered with the Louisiana Secretary of State on February 20, 1985, indicating this store, their only location in the state, likely opened soon thereafter.

The Store

Similar to most of Sing's 1980's stores, I unfortunately don't have any pictures of how this store looked when it was under Sing's operation; however, that doesn't mean I can't guess . . .

My first "guess" is that the facade of this building is nearly unchanged from when it was constructed over three-and-a-half decades ago, making it the only such former Sing of this prototype to still have its original mansard awning.  You might remember my post on Tallahassee #12 from last year where the former Domino's Pizza next door still had Sing's original shingled mansard, or the Troy station which still had its original structure, too.  Both of those point to Sing widely utilizing the design back in the 1980's, as does this 2014 street view from showing Sing-style florescent lights still in place above the awning.

In a rare diversion from most former Sing Stores, the current owner of the Bogalusa location actually covered the old wood paneling with sheet metal.  This still seems to give a similar texture, but I'd imagine it would be much more durable than cypress.

I step inside, and what do I see, but none other than a wall full of original Sing orange tile!  The fact that Bradfordville had this tile when it opened in 1984 means that Bogalusa has sported this look since it was built.

I also have seen this tile in LaGrange #2 and in the bathroom of Laurel, so, Sing seemed to like the look of it!  You may also recognize the grey-and-red Formica cabinets and the red pendant light like we saw in Columbus #4.

Other than all of the vintage finishes, I would like to point out how this store cut the back off the cabinet to the right and secured a sheet of plexiglass over a small liquor display.  I know absolutely nothing about liquor laws in Louisiana, but I suppose regular gas stations can sell spirits out in the open like that (or at least behind a few padlocks)?

Venturing over to the left, we see some digital signage displays for the deli which obviously date back to Sing's days (sarcasm intended), in addition to more of the vintage Formica counters and the old film pegboards.  The floor tiles all appear to be original as well.

Turning further to the left (toward the back of the store), we see the original drink coolers off in the distance and a tell-tell sign that we are in Saints Country here at Izzy's Quick Stop.

But can all of this top finding a rainbow Rice Crispy Treat?  I think not!

Now I do wonder why the pendant light above the checkout counter was so close to the ceiling compared to the others; I'm not sure it is supposed to have a flood light bulb in it, either . . .

Furthermore, I wonder about the random outdoor fixture on the ceiling by the front door, and what a bagged Jell-O snack could be.

Our last look on the left side of the store will be back toward the cashier counter along the rear wall of the store.  Other than the new product logos in this shot, everything looks like it is straight out of 1985!

Heading back to the front of the store, we see the vintage pendant lights which used to grace the seating area in the front of the store.  I suppose if Red Bull can give you wings, then you don't have to bother sitting down to eat anymore.  Booths are soooo last century!

The left side of the store may have been filled with product, but the right side was oddly empty by comparison.  I wonder why they didn't use some of this space for seating?  Regardless, I spy some blue paint on that pack wall which looks awfully familiar.

Mel McDaniel may get a "Belly full of beer and a possum in a sack" for his Louisiana Saturday Night, but Texaco Bogalusa can hook you up with some Jack Daniels for your ICEE, microwaved chili nachos, and a Pick 5 Lotto ticket: sounds good to me!

 I am curious as to the purpose of the cardboard panel on the top right corner of the plexiglass.

It appears that this store has your whole weekend covered, as they even have all of the Gatorade to quench your Sunday morning thirst!

Yes, ma'am, I'd like 10 gallons of regular and a pink rubber unicorn.

No, I think that will be it, it's unfortunate that you are all out of film.

Oh well, even though I missed out on my film, I still had a few more exposures left for a store overview . . .

in addition to a parting, poorly framed shot of the cashier counter.

It may have been a long trip for me, but I'd say it was worth it to see such a pristine example of a Sing Store in the wild.  I just wonder where my travels will take me next.

The shingles may be gone, but that awning is as distinctively from Sing Oil Company!

Well there you have it folks; I've made it to my farthest-fetched Sing Store!  I will say that the Jackson, MS, stores are actually further from Sing's hometown of Thomasville, GA, than this location, but Bogalusa has always symbolized the Sing Store I thought I would never get to see since it just feels far away – the town doesn't even have a US highway, much less an interstate running through it!  I'm not saying that Bogalusa is a bad place, I'm just saying that I had no prior reason to visit, and I have no Earthly idea why Sing Oil Company decided to build a store this far from their home turf of Georgia and North Florida. 

So now we're at a crossroads: do I continue with more content, or do I just stop with this insanely-preserved Sing Store?

Well, I have a feeling some of y'all would like to see some different content, so let's jump down the road to Bogalusa's old Walmart.  

I also wanted to include a picture of Louisiana's road signs since this was my first and only time in the state.  I visited one parish while I was there, but I found it odd that they included the state abbreviation on the road sign in addition to the number.  I found this a bit distracting if I was looking for a specific state highway because my eyes were drawn toward "LA" instead of "21" which means it took longer to interpret the sign.  I also found it odd how Bogalusa's traffic lights were green.

Street Views

Google Street View - May 2008

Notice the signature Sing vacuum lights still in place here – and their odd orientation.  This station also appears to have BP gas pumps.

Google Street View - May 2014

Former Bogalusa Sing with the old Texaco livery.

 

Google Street View - January 2022

The current look of the Bogalusa Texaco, still advertising a Deli as Sing would have.

Aerial Views

Historic Aerials - 1983

Future site of Bogalusa Sing Store on the corner of Ave F & 9th St.

Google Earth - January 1997

Former Bogalusa Sing Store.

Google Earth - November 2019

Texaco Bogalusa / Former Bogalusa Sing Store.

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⭐Dirt-Mart

I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment because here I am writing another More Than Convenience segment!  This also happens to be my first post on a Walmart of any sort, much less one that is less than two-miles from a former Sing.  You might be asking yourself, "why hasn't he ever photographed a Walmart?" The answer is, Walmart generally feels like a "soulless void of retail" to me, and I typically walk out wondering why I decided to walk in.  Today is the exception, not only because it is a former Wal-Mart (the replacement store opened down the road on February 1, 2013), but also because the building currently houses a Dirt Cheap (among other discount stores, such as Roses Express and Big Box Bargains) which happens to lead to quite the adventure in shopping.  Keep reading to learn why!

Dirt Cheap #7 / Former Wal-Mart #803

Shopyard Square

218 Cumberland Street

Bogalusa, LA 70427

Finding an old, repurposed Wal-Mart isn't all that exciting, but this store at least had enough remnants to remind shoppers of its former tenant (and actually improve upon the typical aesthetic of Dirt Cheap).  I can confidently tell you that, other than some paint, that façade is about as 1980's Wal-Mart as they come.  It even still sports the flagpole to the left of the doors!  Bogalusa's original Wal-Mart first greeted customers on August 30, 1985, which interestingly seems to be within a year of when the Sing opened.  I suppose it was a prosperous time for Washington Parish! 

I'll reiterate that I'm far from an expert on old Wal-Mart stores (or the more modern Walmarts), but I'd say most of the vestibule is unchanged from when the retailer left nearly a decade ago.  I think this store would have opened with swinging doors, but Wal-Mart seemingly replaced those with the sliding doors we see today at some point in the 2000's.  I'd guess the "Enter" sign above the second set of doors was installed after Project Impact was rolled back out in 2008-2009.  The stamped concrete floors also look to be a more modern addition from Wal-Mart.

I'd like to note that this store seemingly closed with the old Wal-Mart "look" since the road sign with the old logo was still visible in 2014.

Before visiting this location, I had been to two other Dirt Cheap stores, so I wasn't exactly surprised at what I found.  As you can probably guess, Dirt Cheap specializes in closeouts and returned merchandise from other retailers while running a low-budget operation.  I'd say think of an Ollie's Bargain Outlet, but cheaper (or more exotic).  According to their website, Dirt Cheap started in Hattiesburg, MS over 30-years ago and has expanded to over 100 locations throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

With our first look inside the store, we see where Dirt Cheap has kept more of Wal-Mart's flooring and ceiling in-tact but managed to paint the walls and decorate the dressing rooms like nearly every other Dirt Cheap I have seen.  The wall to my right was added sometime after Wal-Mart moved out and seemed to roughly divide the old space in half.

Like Dirt Cheap, I believe Wal-Mart would have used the space marked by the vinyl wood flooring for their clothing department.  Right now we are looking down the front actionway of the store at the plethora of mismatched clothing options in the ladies' department.

I took this shot from the rear actionway looking toward the left wall of the store, and I'd imagine Walmart's old clothing department extended back here since we still see the vinyl wood flooring, while shoes or electronics were probably to my right.  Somebody can feel free to correct me though, because I try to spend as minimal time as possible inside any Walmart!

Dirt Cheap seems to source product from a variety of retailers, but the most common thread I find is overstocked, out of season, or returned merchandise from Target.  

Some of the product is total garbage (who wants a dented trash can, after all?), but the treasure hunt aspect of it is somewhat intriguing to me.  Just FYI, much of the store looks just as disorganized as this aisle.  I have noticed that some locations do have better categorization than others, but the shelves of general merchandise typically look like everything was hastily thrown up there.  I do wonder how the chain manages their inventory, because I can't imagine why anybody would want some of the items for sale; maybe they stock an entire aisle, let it sit for a few weeks, then throw away whatever is remaining.

This isn't the worst shoe department atrocity I've come across, but what is it with discount stores and shoes on the floor?  Burlington, Kmart, and others have also been known to suffer from this curse.

All jokes aside, I've managed to find some pretty good deals at Dirt Cheap stores despite the fact that I typically despise unorganized and cluttered retailers.  I've often found overstock vinyl records from Target for pretty good deals, and I even came across a Sonos speaker once (which I didn't buy).  The device was close to 50% off MSRP and was a return from a special Target I had coincidentally visited earlier that day . . .

So, what are your thoughts about Dirt Cheap?  In my opinion, it may not be the nicest store in the world (the Bogalusa location is actually one of the cleaner stores of theirs I've seen), but I do see its niche in the market.  You just have to go in with the expectation that it's going to be a bit of an adventure!

Before we head back east to Mississippi, I wanted to explore one last relic I saw in front of the old Wal-Mart.  It appears that this movie theater used to be known as the Trackside Twin Cinema, and most recently as Cinemaland.  It's shocking how many of these small towns used to support their own movie theater, and Bogalusa seemingly had two others in addition to this one.  I'd say that a movie hasn't been shown here in a long time based on the condition of the building, but I managed to find another hint when I zoomed into my picture.

It may look like a bunch of gibberish, but the sleuth in me was actually able to piece together a time frame for this theater's closing based on the letters remaining on the marquee.  Here's what I deciphered:

Paranormal Activity 2: Released October 22, 2010

Megamind: Released November 5, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: Released November 19, 2010

Wow, all movies that were released in Fall 2010!  I suppose Cinemaland might not have survived to see 2011's movie selection including: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Moneyball, or The Help, but I'm sure it still holds a place in the locals' hearts (as does my hometown theater).

Courtesy Google Earth - Map of Bogalusa, LA

To close out my trip to Louisiana, we'll take a look at a map of the town and how close it is to the Mississippi line (the Pearl River is on the right edge of the picture above). Continue reading to check out a special store I stumbled across in nearby Hattiesburg!

 

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A Special Place to Shop

During my trip to the far-fledged Sing, I made a few other retail-related stops to spice things up.  I'll share a few others at a later date, but today we are going to tour a grocery store which totally caught me off guard.  Even though Hattiesburg is an hour drive from Bogalusa, I figured I'd have no other context to share this store, so here we are.

As a MTC post, I didn't intend to dive into any extensive research regarding our final stop, but I felt like it would be an injustice to not find the original anchors of Hattiesburg's Midtown Market shopping center.  Thanks to The Hattiesburg American being on Newspapers.com, I was able to find where Roses and A&P previously anchored the shopping center on Hardy Street once known as University Mall.  Dirt Cheap later took up residence in the old Roses space while Corner Market eventually called the old 28,000 sq. ft. A&P Centennial Store home.  Dirt Cheap later decided to move on to somewhere else, while Corner Market decided to remodel the old 50,000 sq. ft. Roses / Dirt Cheap into a supermarket which opened on October 31, 2018.

As I alluded to, I stumbled upon this store by complete accident.  I happened to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant when I saw this unfamiliar grocery brand off in the distance with a noticeably premium façade – I couldn't resist checking it out!

Corner Market #5

Midtown Market

3720 Hardy Street

Hattiesburg, MS 39402

Mississippi may have some stereotypes with people not familiar with the state, but I'm here to break some of those.  Today I will showcase a store which, from my limited experience, gives Harris Teeter a run for its money!  It appears that the previous Midtown Market location for Corner Market had been their flagship store since it opened in the 2000's, but the Hattiesburg chain decided to up the ante with its replacement which we'll be touring today.

It's hard to believe that we are looking at the façade of a Roses building dating back to at least the 1970's!

A Brief Aside

Courtesy The Hattiesburg American - Former Winn-Dixie #1334 - January 18, 2021

Corner Market also took over Hattiesburg's old Jit-Dixie (I know, it isn't often that you come across a Winn-Dixie with in-tact Jitney Jungle décor) on Lincoln Road back in 2021, but they managed to wipe away most traces of the former retailers.  Winn-Dixie seemed to close the location back in 2020 in favor of Hattiesburg's other store, and I unfortunately never got the chance to see this odd spectacle before it was totally redone.

Courtesy Google Maps (Erik Johansan / archive.ph) - Former Winn-Dixie #1334 - May 2020

Somehow, someway, the exterior of this store managed to look like something straight out of the 1970's all the way into the 2020's.  It just seems like the mysteries of this rabbit hole run deep, in addition to other interactions between JJ, WD, and TG&Y in this Southern Mississippi town that I'll have to discuss another day . . .

Courtesy Google Maps (Peter Breeden / archive.ph) - Former Winn-Dixie #1334 - November 2016

The signs may say Down Down, but the décor in this store is unlike anything I've ever seen in another Winn-Dixie.  I'd have to say that it all dates back to Jitney Jungle's days before the company sold this and at least two other stores to Winn-Dixie in 2000.

Courtesy The Hattiesburg American (Newspapers.com) - Jitney Jungle #? - September 24, 1997

It still shocks me how much the façade of this location looks like an old Winn-Dixie.  I wonder . . .

Courtesy The Hattiesburg American (Newspapers.com) - January 8, 1978

Oh wait, it was a Winn-Dixie!  This store held its first grand opening under the brand on January 12, 1978, and would continue to operate under the "chek" until this location was sold to Jitney Jungle in 1986.  It's crazy how The Beef People wound back up with this location 14-years later!

Courtesy Andy Tucker (Flickr) - Winn-Dixie #1334 - September 19, 2020

I'll close out my coverage of this store with a picture of it during its final days in operation. It's so crazy how this façade stuck around for so long!

The Store

Anyway, back to the Corner market on Hardy Street (which is a Special Place to Shop indeed).  Let's get our heads out of the history books and take a look inside this store!

Customers walking into this store are first greeted by the vestibule we see here where they are free to take a buggy if they so choose.

These buggies were one of the first things to throw me off about this store since they looked a bit worn out compared to the interior.  Now that I know Corner Market simply moved from the corner of Midtown Marketplace, I'd imagine that they just took the old buggies with them.

Wow, now that's what I call a grand aisle!  I was shocked at how premium this store looked, especially coming from a chain I had never heard of before.

Looking to the left, we see the hot food section of the deli, followed by the checkout lines off in the distance.

And to the right, we see this store's seating area which made me, again, think of a Harris Teeter or the former Western Market in Birmingham.

Continuing on, we see this store's produce department lining the right wall of the store, followed by the seafood and butcher counters in the back right corner.

Across the aisle is the bakery, deli, and specialty cheese counter, which is a bit reminiscent of a Winn-Dixie Transformational Store layout (AFB also has a tour of one here).

Wow, they even peeled and polished the onions in here!  (Shoutout to my Sing Oil Sidekick for inspiring me to take this shot)

We'll take one last look down the grand aisle toward the entrance before we move on.

Here's a better look at the meat and seafood counters, in addition to a variety of spices and a stack of hoop cheese (which definitely said it was supposed to be refrigerated on the packaging).

I also liked how the seafood department made a nod to how close the Gulf is to Hattiesburg (it is just under a 1.5 hour drive).

Turning to the left, we see the bulk of the meat department lining the back wall of the store.

I've seen Trader Joe's use this tactic for their checkout lines, but I thought Corner Market added a nice touch of local flare by naming their aisles after streets in the area.  Or at least I hope they are local streets.  I couldn't find Charles Court (aisle 2) or Gracie Street (aisle 3) anywhere in the Hattiesburg area on Google Maps.  Who knows, feel free to correct me in the comments if I am totally missing something here!

I may not be sure where Charles Court is, but Broadway Drive (aisle 4) carries US 11 for a stretch south of downtown Hattiesburg.

Dairy rounds out the back left corner of the store . . .

leading shoppers toward the beer and ice cream aisle.

Speaking of beer, Corner Market boasts one of the largest craft beer selections in the area, which I'd have to say is pretty impressive.

They also had a liquor store in an adjacent storefront in the front left corner of the space, which is familiar to most who have seen a Floridian Winn-Dixie grocery/liquor combo.

On the other hand, this store lacked a pharmacy and only had a selection of typical H&BA products in the front left corner.

The Roberts and Martin Foods Co. (the original parent company of Corner Market) may have formed in 1972 as the signage indicates, but one of the articles I linked to above states that "the late H. David 'Doc' Roberts founded the family's first grocery store in 1968."

After a quick look down the snack aisle (aisle 7),

and a quick glance at an interesting Oktoberfest graphic from Samuel Adams,

we'll make our way to the checkout line and call it a night.  I believe I took this picture to showcase the two miniature "Express Lanes" this store had, but it also serves as a nice parting shot across the front end of the grand aisle.

That will wrap up this post on the Sing Oil Blog, and I hope you enjoyed a break from Publix along with a change in scenery.  I haven't yet finalized what my next post will be, but check back in two weeks (hopefully) to see what sort of adventures I find myself in next.  We'll just say that I have some big travel plans over the next few days . . .

Until then,

- The Sing Oil Blogger

Additional Resources: 

Historic Aerials

Google Earth Pro

Google Maps

Sing Parcel ID: 1440010070

Washington Parish Property Records