This place was known as The Bay Lounge, but I do not think that I ever heard anyone call it that … it was simply known as ” Cantaloupe’s “. Even though he had been married to lady by the name of Shirley and the lounge’s name was ” Cantaloupe and Shirley’s “, I do not ever remember anyone ever calling it that. There was a package store on the left-hand side of the building that most people would go and hang-out in. That part of the place was known as the ” Stand -Up “. People would go in and buy a bottle and stand – up and drink. This was back in the 1970’s and 80’s … now I bet you would be hard pressed to find a place like Cantaloupe’s any where today. The stand-up went the way of the buggy whip, Walk-man, laser-discs, Falstaff Beer, etc, etc. Now I am not going to mention any names, but you could find everyone from court judges to doctors to builders … you name them, they drank there. The place is now Franco’s Italian Restaurant and has been for years. Here is one more exterior view of Cantaloupe’s and I made these by the way back around 1981 or so …
It is basically the same view, just a little closer. Shot on 4×5 sheet film. Even though I made it, I thought that it went better over on this blog than my personal photography blog. If anyone wants to share their own personal ” Cantaloupe ” story, please feel free … if you are brave enough! Just kidding. I am sure that Cantaloupe is deceased by now, but he was always nice to me and I did a few jobs for him through the years. If we get enough stories, who knows, may there is a book somewhere in the future … naw, I doubt it. Thanks again for looking and please check back … Frank
PS – This place was located on Gregory Street right across what is now McGuire’s Irish Pub, but everyone from Pensacola already knew that …
