36.008031, -78.921929
706 Ninth Street, 12.21.69
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)
706 Ninth Street was built in ~1936; it initially housed the Andrews Furniture Company, followed by the West Durham Furniture Company. By the early 1960s, the building appears to have been vacant, but was soon reoccupied by Custom Interiors and the Neil Upholstery Co. In 1971, Godwin Dance School became a tenant
706 Ninth St., 1980
It was followed by Sandy's School of Dance in the late 1980s.
Sometime around ?1993, Francesca's Dessert Cafe moved around the corner from Perry St. (where the business started in 1985) and remained there until 2017 when rising rents forced out the then current management. The space is now occupied by a Starbucks.
Originally, Francesca's was supposed to open on Ninth St. in 1983 when founders Merryl Sloane and Sherry Kinlaw (a lesbian couple) first started the business, but financial struggles put their vision on hold until 1985 when they opened on Perry St.
706 Ninth Street, 04.05.09
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36.008031,-78.921929
Comments
Submitted by Rik (not verified) on Mon, 8/17/2009 - 12:12pm
One of our daughters was taking lessons at Godwin's when she was three years old. That would have put them in the building in 1971.
Submitted by Tar Heelz (not verified) on Mon, 8/17/2009 - 2:22pm
Shame the look of the windows has been lost. (Well, at least they're not white (or bricked over)!)
Submitted by David Jeffreys (not verified) on Mon, 8/17/2009 - 9:00pm
One HUGE improvement -- the power lines are gone from the street in front of the building. Looks like they may have been moved to the alley-way behind the building. It looks so much cleaner!
Submitted by retired Englis… (not verified) on Tue, 8/18/2009 - 1:57am
My first cousin took dance at Godwin's in the mid to late sixties so I agree that the studio was there much earlier than the eighties.
Submitted by Gary (not verified) on Tue, 8/18/2009 - 2:58am
Neil Upholstery/Custom Interiors is listed at the address in 1970, so 1971 is likely the first year that Godwin was open.
GK
Submitted by Michael Bacon (not verified) on Tue, 8/18/2009 - 8:24pm
Look Out!, a discount clothing store, was in the right side of this building for much of the 1990s and into this century. Francesca's was limited to the left side. When Look Out! closed this location, Francesca's took the whole space.
Submitted by wren (not verified) on Wed, 8/19/2009 - 6:56am
Nice to know Francesca's is still in business. Those ladies worked hard to make that indy business work. I have some fond memories of them on Perry St in the 80s. Still miss their ginger ice cream.
Submitted by kkv63 on Wed, 8/30/2023 - 10:30pm
In reply to Nice to know Francesca's is by wren (not verified)
Do you happen to remember those ladies' names? I have been searching high and low in the Durham County Register of Deeds, but I can't find any info on the old Perry St. location and the listing for the Ninth St. location only refers to the owner as "CFP Partnership"
https://taxcama.dconc.gov/camapwa/DeedDetails.aspx?PARCELPK=1811
https://rodweb.dconc.gov/web/document/DOCCOPR-1079732-0?search=DOCSEARC…
UPDATE: I found an article in the Triangle's gem of a publication "The Newsletter," and two of the women were Merryl Sloane and Sherry Kinlaw! There's a reference to "a woman who knew how to make gelato," but she isn't named.
Submitted by Dink (not verified) on Thu, 11/15/2012 - 6:35pm
This was Andrews Furniture Company in the 1940's - 1960's. Owned and operated by Dink Andrews.
Submitted by PR (not verified) on Tue, 2/26/2013 - 6:59am
As a pre-teen in the neighborhood in the late 80s/early 90s, Francesca's was THE place to go on a saturday night to feel adult and hip amongst all those mature looking older folks having coffee. Fond memories.
Submitted by emmanuel seth godwin (not verified) on Wed, 9/3/2014 - 11:02pm
I am Olive godwin's grandson and I wish dearly that I had gotten lessons at her school because I am terrible at dancing...lol
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