Ontario and Fazio's on needmore and dixie dr.

johnL. 6 posts Aug 29, 2010 2:13 PM	Can anyone provide any information about the ontario and fazio's on needmore and dixie. My family and I went there all the time to get groceries and go through a walk way that connected the stores. Had great times at the stores. How long were they opened and when and why did they close. Walmart, Meijers, and Target can't be blamed for it they weren't around in the area back then to close them down. I remember Brawley's was out by the road out front and North Star Drive Inn out across the street. Wish there were on line pictures of these places.
carlatm75 35 posts Aug 30, 2010 6:57 AM	My brother-in-law used to be the store manager at the Fazio's on Needmore. That was in the late 70s and early 80s. The store closed in the mid 80s and then he transferred to the Beavercreek store.
samstone 94 posts Aug 30, 2010 7:00 AM	I worked at Ontario Foods,64-65 while in high school. I remember it about 1970 but didn't get in that area much after that.
driver62 327 posts Aug 30, 2010 7:58 AM	I used to shop at Ontario also but have no idea why they closed down. Maybe the Dayton area had too many department stores with Rikes, Elder-Beerman, Ontario, Gold Circle, Goldman's, etc. Harbor Freight now occupies the building. I ate at Brawley's many times and I think they were open 24 hours. After they closed, it was a Mark Pi's Chinese place. After that a Mexican place opened up then another Chinese place was there. The building is empty now.
mjr1960 12 posts Aug 30, 2010 3:52 PM	Does anyone remember when the entrance to ontario's used to face Dixie, Some time in the late 60's they changed it to the needmore side. I remember you could buy almost anything in there. almost like rinks.
UnChained! 1 post Aug 31, 2010 7:28 AM	I remember Ontario very well. I lived in this area of Dayton from 69-72 on Silver Rock Rd (off of Benchwood) which was west of Dixie. We actually lived in 4 different parts of Dayton - which is why I love this site!! Anyway my memories are of it's olive green & brick color. Across Needmore was Sandy's which later became a Hardee's I believe. Next to that going south on Dixie was one of the original Cassano's. Heading back north on dixie, I believe sort of across from the Dixie Drive Inn was an old KFC that had a huge triangular shaped sign that spun. Further north past my sub and Dayton Memorial Gardens was a DQ that we went to alot (east side of Dixie). I have a pretty good photographic memory, but coming here fills in the gaps! I could go on about this area so let me know if you want to know more.
mjr1960 14 posts Aug 31, 2010 4:18 PM	UnChained-- Are you saying there was a DQ north of the cementary??? There is a DQ south of cementary on the east side before Stop 8. Sandy's became Hardee's which later became Arbys's which later along with the cassano's became Walgreen's Your Memory is pretty good for living in different areas.
mjr1960 15 posts Aug 31, 2010 4:26 PM	Hunt69 mentioned needmore being 2 lane , I remember when Needmore ended at Fredrick you then turned left and then stayed to the right to get on to shoup mill, which at that time ran behind the buildings that wern't there then Late 60's. If you were coming from main st. You went up a hill along a wood rail fence right on to fredric towards dixie.
JeffN 316 posts Sep 01, 2010 7:05 AM	My aunt worked at that Ontario for a number of years. I don't remember much about the actualt store, though.
AllenN71 67 posts Sep 01, 2010 4:27 PM	Did anyone ever hear rumors that Fazio Foods had "mob connections"? That outfit operated the Goldman's - asosociated supermarket at Chambersburg and Brandt in Huber when I worked there during the autumn of 1971. I saw a few things that made me wonder, but then again; if it was an Italian-American firm that owned it, what would one expect the owners to be? Lebanese?
AllenN71 68 posts Sep 02, 2010 5:37 AM	OOPS I better make it clear that I was not saying "what would one expect" to insinuate a stereotype, merely that "Fazio" is in fact an Italian surname. Nevertheless, the store recieved multiple visits by some very tough-looking guys who had with them a few other tough-looking guys; and they usually left with locked, zippered pouches. I'm pretty sure they weren't with Brinks and I doubt they were robbers, since the cops never showed up afterwards.
Lgrando67 23 posts Sep 02, 2010 10:32 AM	hunt69, Do you remember when Needmore Rd. ended at N. Dixie Dr.going west? There was a farm there called Morrison Farms. I remember sitting on the salt box on the front porch of my dad's grocery store at Needmore and Dixie and watching the Northridge Fire Dept burn down the barn after the land was sold to make way for the Morrison Apts. and the Ontario store. I believe maybe that is why Ontario faced Dixie and not Needmore at the time. The Apartments are still there and have since turned into a shooting gallery of sorts.Across Needmore from my dads store was a bar called Marjories. It later became a Phillips 66 gas station. This was before Eddie Parker built the Drive-in and that side of Dixie had a few houses. That was when Northridge had a Constable. I believe his name was Stickney. And where Frederick Road ended at Dixie was indeed Wicks and on the left was a bar that was originally I believe Ohio Electric. That's what was etched on the face of the old building I think. Right across Dixie from that was The Pink Poodle. But although many here say it was an ice cream shop I always thought it was a Beauty Salon. It was next to the trailer park at Timber Lane and then there was Northridge High School. I could babble on but won't.
UnChained! 2 posts Sep 03, 2010 9:46 AM	@mjr1960 - That's the one! That DQ had a little stone wall IIRC that seperated it's lot from the house next to it (to the north). So that Cassano's is gone? What about the North Star Drive Inn?
UnChained! 3 posts Sep 03, 2010 10:06 AM	Discussing Needmore "deadends" jogged a memory... Wasn't there a guardrail that kept you from continuing on Needmore/Shoup Mill west at N. Main. Google now shows that you can continue on and it becomes Turner? I remember when you turned left there was a great chinese place (my first). Was it Chow's Garden? On the way there, starting back at Dixie, there was a King Kwik in a little strip mall, a big kinda open field area, then Stumps & Peffley's. I see now on Google that the North Star is indeed gone. Looks like a Kroger now. We traveled up and down Dixie so much. Holy Crap! Is The Living Room still there?? Google indicates so. What about the circle @ Wagner Ford? That looks like it has been modified. Wasn't there a Goldman's there with the store letters painted on the roof? OK, I'll stop here - I can get a bit carried away... One last thought - anyone else ever feed the ducks at Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery?
UnChained! 4 posts Sep 03, 2010 12:35 PM	Ah yes the Dixie with that huge red sign with sparkling gold letters! Mom took me there too see The Omen. She was young and couldn't afford a babysitter. I was probably 8 at the time (I could handle it) - we lived off of Woodman Drive at that time. A whole other section of Dayton/life. Back to this area... Mom worked at The Venus as a barmaid (while we lived off Woodman). It was next to another club that was in an old house/structure. I'm pretty sure these were on Dixie as well.
mjr1960 16 posts Sep 03, 2010 3:44 PM	Unchained, agian back in the 60's I remember that Turner was only a 2 lane with a really steep hill at main street going west. It dead ended at philadelphia until early 70's, they cut thru the woods and turner was 2 lane to kiplinger and divided 4 lane to wolf where it dead ended until late 90's. Now it is connected to trotwood connector.
mjr1960 17 posts Sep 03, 2010 3:51 PM	Hunt 69 do you remember on shoup mill they used to have a fruit and veg stand. it was across from fridgedair pk about half way between the curve (which is still there) and the bridge. There was also one on the corner of Peters pike and fredrick
RIVERDALE RAT 532 posts Sep 04, 2010 7:55 AM	AllenN71: I remember rumors of mob connections circulating around about many places in those days. I can recall an older guy with a fedora and a cigar, who used to hang out late at night in the back of the old Biltmore coffee shop 2 or 3 nights a week. He always had a goon squad with him and he would meet several other guys there then leave. Rumor had it that he was a mobster, in town to collect payola from the Night Clubs, and he looked the part.