MS: O. K. Mr. Latson, first I want to ask you what are your earliest memories of Central Avenue's Business and Entertainment District?

Pop: My earliest memory is 1959-60 at that age I was intuitive enough to be able to digest the dichotomy that Central was truly living up on the ( ) of its name Central Avenue. Because people came from all over Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, to be able to walk and to share and to be able to memorize themselves on Central Avenue because there were so many black businesses and restaurants and little motels and doctor's offices and the little sundries and grocery stores and food and clothing stores and cleaners all gas stations all operated and owned by black people. And it was very fashionable to see black people dressed up and down the street in restaurants eating while at the club club well dressed all times of night all times of day. And you take from Scott Street, on the corner of Scott and Central you had the Village Bar. And that was the bar where listeners go, where you could just sit and listen, you didn't eat there, you could just sit and listen and have drinks. And down from the Village Bar you had Buddy's Lounge. Buddy's was the place to play jazz and blues. You go there and you get a good jazz show and on Sundays, usually in the afternoons, you could listen to live jazz at Buddy's. And that was nice. Across the street from ah the Village Bar and Buddy's you had um the Greek Stand it stayed open all night. You sit outside on the benches on them little slabs and stools, or you could go inside and eat. A bowl of chili was forty cents, a cup of coffee fifteen. You know, fresh doughnuts, coconut bread pudding, coconut cake, chocolate cake, good breakfasts, good dinners, and good lunches were served there. Then you had the Little Savoy across the street. Then next to the Little Savoy you had the Cotton Club, Mr. Jones place. Then you had um Moses White had the Peppermint Lounge down Central. Then you had El Chico and blacks had a sense of some worth and pride because they could spend their money among themselves and you could socialize together, kept friendly youth together, cohesiveness among the races and kept us together.

MS: Mr. Latson you told me a lot about the businesses like Buddy's, the Village Bar, and the Greek Stand, is there anyone of these businesses that stand out particular as far as them having maybe a special type of décor or anything you remember special about the interior.

Pop: Cozy Corner! Because Cozy Corner, one thing about Fred that worked at Cozy Corner, if you didn't have money and you wasn't a regular coming up there, they didn't see you all the time not having money, and if you was hungry and if you told him rather than to try to steal of the take, if you asked him and say “I'm hungry. I'm from Belmont Heights or West Tampa or even Central Park.” And say, “I don't have no money but I can work.” They would give you food and they would tell us that. Don't take nothing, if your hungry and don't have any money, if you come to us we'll give you something. And I liked that about Cozy Corner. And I'll tell you another place that stood out to me, too. They had a nice décor, was the Forty Minute Cleaners. Within an hour you could come back and pick your clothes up.

MS: What did it look like on the outside?

Pop: Um, it was had a black and gold décor and you know it had um nice big picture window and he kept it clean. It just a regular um cleaners like. But what I liked about it is the um the length of time that you could forty minutes you could pick your clothes up. The building that stood out for me the most though was the Pyramid Bar. Pyramid Lounge because it was red brick and it had an um um Spanish style texture to it. And they had different bricks laid where the arch at the top of the pyramid, they had a beautiful arch in bricks that run across the face of it, and the round pillars as you would go up stairs that had the Spanish style columns and pillars that the Pyramid had and it was spacey and you just wouldn't bust up in no hole like. It was spacey and they had good entertainments, good entertainment that came there.

MS: Do you know who owned that?

Pop: Um, Prevatt owned it. As he was a, at that time he was in the, City Councilman under the Nuccios. And across the street from there was Charlie Moon's place.

MS: What kind of business was Charlie Moon's?

Pop: Charlie Moon had ice cream, Cuban sandwiches, frozen cups, cookies, and candies, spiced ham and salami. You could buy the cold cuts. You could sit down and have a sandwich and drink a beer there. Charlie Moon had like a blues singers. Guys like Howlin Wolfman, Muddy Waters, and Tampa Red. To sit down on the stool there at Charlie Moon's there was a place where you could sit down home like. Old fashioned. Sit on a barrel or something at Charlie Moon's and good ice cream, good sandwiches, good you know, down home made hamburgers that you take your finger and you mush the hamburger and cheese a little bit. And ah up over Charlie Moon's was the Apollo. It was a ( ) place where they had James Brown, and the Five Roys would come to town there and Blue Willie John and ah ah Johnnie East, they all would sing up over the top of Charlie Moon's place. And I remember that when I was a kid. And the different grocery stores, and the restaurants, and the little hotels, and a jewelry store, and a drug store.

MS: Did you know Charlie Moon?

Pop: I knew Mr. Watt Sanders had a little bank and he stayed half a block off Boulevard on Ott Street down the street from me. He stayed in front of, at that time Wee Williams Funeral Home was on Boulevard. And on Arch in West Tampa, Charlie Moon um Watt Sanders stayed a half a block in the back of our house. Me and his son Watt Sanders used to play. And I should go around and sit in Mr. Watt Sanders garage while him and Mensal Harris and and um um Bob Jackson and them would be rehearsing and a lot of other musicians. Such as, Mr. Gardner and I'd be sitting there listening and Mr. ah Vanderhorse, that was Charlie Moon's real name, Vanderhorse. And he would come up and they would be talking, and I was a young boy, and I'd be listening at 'em talking and stuff like that and that's how I get to know ah Mr. Vanderhorse which is Charlie Moon and Mr. Watt Sanders.

MS: Is there anyone else you remember who either owned a business or maybe one of the musicians there, any of the celebrities?

Pop: O.K. Mr. Joiner, Mr. Henry Joiner he was good for um donating pageantries to our pageantries that we had at Blake and Middleton. He was very responsive a lot of you know, like the Dad's Club and a lot of um like the Campus Capers we had at Black. It was a traveling show and a lot of Mr. Jordan and Moses White and Mr. Clark, had the service station across from the Greek Stand. I mean, across from Cozy Corner, Rodgers Diner, Mrs. Zephyr Harrison, from the Rodgers Diner they would all help to sponsor. You know, help to send our football players to various cities. Make sure that they had plenty to eat, that they were comfortable and made sure that Miss Blake, Miss ( ) they would help us sponsor those type pageantries that where there. I was president of the Esquires and ah Esquire Club at Harland W. Blake High School and we put on different events and they would patronize us and sponsor us so we could go to other cities, Miami, Jacksonville. They would help us to raise money to rent cars. So these businesses over on Central gave back to the community, to the black high schools. Where we saw that really working, entrepreneuring among ourselves and it made me be proud to see a black business man, a black business being successful because I saw what they gave back and sponsored us in the black community. They brought in musicians and brought in shows for us and plays, you know, and things like that there. We could see good plays, and good musicians, good gospel programs they did all this for us.

MS: Where were some of the plays held?

Pop: At um at Blake's gym. Some of 'em was held at McKay Auditorium at Tampa University.

MS: Any on Central Avenue?

Pop: Um, you could, um say Booker T. Washington. They used auditoriums back then. Not on Central. See, the people on Central, the business men, sponsored these type events. And you could go to Booker T. Washington, Tampa University, or McKay Auditorium, or Blake High School gym, or Middleton's gym, you know. Or the auditorium at the North Boulevard homes. You see, this is what was available to us at that time. You gotta look at see the way the times were at that time, you know, we was segregated. So we made do with what we had. And I saw the blacks that nurtured me, that have me to go on to Florida A&M University, go on to Selman University, to go in the Navy, to go all over the world. I've been all over the world by the experience I saw black business men and the people in the community bringing in good culture ah events to nurture us. They made us go out in the world and seek, and be strong, and to learn. Because of the type of environment and background that I got from them on Central, and Main Street, and 22nd Street.

MS: Going back to Central Avenue as far as some of the special events like a parade, that's one thing I can think of, I know that Florida A&M and Bethune Cookman, but what do you remember about the parades on Central?

Pop: What was special about the parades on Central, because you know everybody put on their best menu of foods. All of the restaurants. And businesses there gave, like you'd get two pair of pants cleaned for one, for the price of one.

MS: And they would do that during?

Pop: During the practice, like the kilt and a moving pole. Classic both Florida A&M and other schools, Bethune Cookman, you know the play here at Phillies Field here in Tampa. And when they had a parade down Central Avenue you put on specials all of the businesses. Like, you know, you can all you can eat breakfast at Johnnie Bay Restaurant. Ah, ah, that was next to the Lincoln Theatre, Johnnie Bay Restaurant. Ah, you get um two pair of pants cleaned for the price of one. Ah, they had the special at the restaurants. Like for a dollar and fifty or a dollar ninety-nine cent like they had specials. Everybody gave up something on Central Avenue to meet the needs of the festivity. The parade gilt, maroon, gold, Florida A&M when they come to have they bowl, the businesses there catered and and made sacrifices and you know they gave up something to our track to make us feel like nobody was left out. You could afford it. Made it affordable for us. That's what those universities brought to Central Avenue. That's what I saw on Central Avenue.

MS: What was the first, as far as special events, the first entertainer you saw down there?

Pop: Little Willie John!

MS: Little Willie John.

Pop: Little Willie John. The song I heard him sing was “Talk to Me”. He was at the Apollo that's up over Charlie, Charlie Moon's place.

MS: O.K. Approximately what time was that?

Pop: This was in 1959.

MS: O.K.

Pop: My uncle was a taxi---

MS: Was he a singer or musician?

Pop: He was a singer.

MS: O.K.

Pop: Yeah, my uncle carried him. His name was Midge Little George. He carried him. To see him. And wouldn't let nobody put me out. And I saw Little Willie John that night.

MS: O.K. Any other special events you'd like to talk about?

Pop: Um, I'll tell you something else that was special about Central Avenue. Central Avenue to us here in Tampa was a home away from home. Because, see Central Avenue, well all the blacks in Tampa out of all neighborhoods, where everybody could learn to know everybody because it was the focus meeting place.

MS: What was your favorite meeting place?

Pop: My favorite meeting place on Central Avenue was Cozy Corner.

MS: O.K.

Pop: That is where I would stand near or we'd sit outside on the little benches or on the curb. We'd go down to Rodger's Diner and get us a slice of bread puddin. And you could eat at Cozy Corner and ( ) had colleagues that worked in these restaurants and ah these places and so we could go in and talk to them and sit around. We didn't just have to just hang out in one in front of one place. They had little benches for us to sit on in the pool room and the theatre. And then you had the photo shop, you know so .

MS: Who owned the photo shop?

Pop: I forget who owned the photo shop but I remember taking pictures there me and my sisters. During Easter when we would come from um ah West Tampa over on Central to take the pictures in our Easter outfits. Then um, by everybody knowing everybody family you couldn't stay no one spot long no ways, somebody always call you cause everybody knew who children and knew who you were on Central. Because that was Central was the focus place where everybody out of every neighborhood come to everybody knew everybody. That's what Central brought to Tampa. It brought black people where they could know each other and the background of each other because we had our own places and our own restaurants so you know we could identify with those business people and everybody knew each other on a first name and last name basis. See, you can't be over on Central and nobody gonna know who you are. They're gonna ask you if they never seen ya. Some kid or some business person is gonna “whose your family son?” and then, then you know ring a bell. See they'll track it from there.

MS: Now with all the good things you talked about, do you remember anything on Central that wasn't any good? Any, any, what would you consider to be or were there any bad times on Central?

Pop: The only thing that I didn't like, that I consider was a hindrance to Central was too many police. I didn't like the idea that a lot of white and black cops up and down Central Avenue. Like we was criminals. Like we couldn't govern ourselves. But if you go downtown, on the lower end of Franklin downtown, you didn't see polices down around white people tails and nothin like that.

MS: Is that a particular time?

Pop: This is during the fifties and sixties.

MS: Fifties and sixties.

Pop: And I didn't like the idea that there was so many of 'em always up and down in our face. And when you know, and if people, the ones really breaking the law but they wasn't around their balls or their little socialite districts. You didn't find the cops around their own people. They was down there where we were. And I never liked that as a kid 'cause I thought we were a better people than that. And, and I knew the ( ) ourselves believed that there all they did was made blacks act out or want to commit because they was around.

MS: Let me ask you this, in the summer of 1967 do you remember anything about the death of Martin Chambers and what followed that?

Pop: O.K. I remember I had a colleague of mine came home that weekend after Martin Chambers had got killed. His name was Charles Arline. He was coming to Tampa to rally over on Booker T. at this time and he was going to hold a rally and to protest and march in honor of him. And at that time, at Florida A&M University, for some unforeseen reason I didn't like the delayed action. I thought the rally should have taken place the same time Chambers was killed. A week later the rally that Arline was trying to get me to come, cause I didn't come home for it.

MS: Now who was, I'm sorry what was his name?

Pop: Charles Arline. He got killed too.

MS: Who was he?

Pop: He was a native of Tampa with Florida A&M University. We all grew up together see he was at the Middleton High School. He lost his life too. They had a big riot and rally here, about that time, that's what he came home for.

MS: How did he die?

Pop: It's vague now. But he too lost his life.

MS: Anybody else you um, a figure, a Central Avenue figure in particular that you recall that you had some contact with or is was there anybody on Central Avenue who was a particular influence on you?

Pop: I'm gonna tell you something, Moses White. You know, Moses White used to single me out, calling me “Latson, come here!” He'd say, “I like the idea of you come over here.” He say, “I don't hear you do a lot of cussing. Your shoes are always shined. I know your momma, I know your daddy.” And he used to always tell me “I don't never want you to take nothin. If your hungry I own Cozy Corner. I own this club.” He say, “If your hungry and don't have no money to get into the movie, um to get back home, I want you to know I respect your family because my sons go to school with your sisters and brothers and they speak highly of your family and your momma, you come to me. You don't have to take anything, I don't want you takin nothin. So now I buy you whatever you want. And longest you bring home A, B, or C, if you got a D or a F, cause I come here with the Blake and I'm gonna be checkin”. And he used to always tell me if I had D or a F that was gonna cut me off of him helpin me. And Moses White made that pact with me.

MS: There's a lot of talk about the more well known business like Bob Saunders, The Pyramid, and so on. What were some of the maybe smaller, maybe lesser known businesses that you remember?

Pop: O.K. You had um, like Club Sedan.

MS: Club Sedan?

Pop: Yeah! M.S. O.K. do you know who owned that?

Pop: I forget who owned it. ( ) That's where shrimpers went. Hard working people, you know like, get food. They would go to Club Sedan. And they had, Central had something for everybody, all walks of life. And then you had Rodantis, Rodans on the corner of Central and Cass where you bought Stacy Adam shoes. I bought my first pair of Stacy Adams in 1960 and I've never bought any others since then. I've been wearing them all my life. Um, that was a good business and sold class shoes to black men. And aw, I'll tell you ah, Jimmie had um, let's see, Mr. Clark had the Phillips 66.

MS: Do you remember Mr. Clark's first name?

Pop: I forget he stayed in Progress Village, I called him by his last name. He was Mr. Clark. He had the service station there on Central right where the cab stand were. He used to live there first then he finally bought. He was nice. And ah, if it get late at night and you get stranded he give you cab fare to go home if you stayed far. Like if you stayed in Thonotosassa, or Keystone, or Odessa, or Jackson Height, or you know, Port Tampa. If you stayed in the out out lying of Tampa and you were back in on Central and get caught up heavin, give you money to go home with. I've seen him do it for a lot of people, you know. and I likeded that about Mr. Clark.

MS: Where there any other theatres other than the Lincoln Theatre on Central?

Pop: You had the Central Theatre.

MS: Central Theatre?

Pop: Yeah, you had two on Central. But when I was coming up the Central was closed. So you had – an an on Central Avenue you had the Lincoln. And in West Tampa you had the Carl, only two black theatres we had. We had two at one time. And um we would go to, people would go to both, you know, depending on what they wanted to see, what was showing. You know. And ah I had some great times, I used to see a lot of musicians. Like ah, ah, Jackie Wilson, ah The Five Royals, ah Frank Chillman and the Skyliners, all at the Lincoln Theatre. And in the Lincoln and the Carver Theatre did shows Saturdays.

MS: So the Lincoln Theatre did more than show movies? It had other entertainment.

Pop: Yeah! And they had entertainment there too. And some Saturdays they would bring the gorilla and some of the local men in the community would wrestle the gorilla on Saturday.

MS: Really!

Pop: Yes.

MS: What years was that?

Pop: It was in the 50's and 60's. And on Saturday's we paid fifteen cent to go in see the black man wrestle with the gorilla. They used to have it at the Lincoln. And I used to love it! 'Cause we were kids. And so that was a treat for us.

MS: Anything else.

Pop: And I liked the Johnnie Gray restaurant on Central next to the Lincoln Theatre.

MS: What type of food did he have?

Pop: Well, you know. Hamburger, chicken sandwich, Cuban sandwich. Okre, stewed beef, black-eyed peas, corn bread, you know. Um, meat loaf, ah field peas, and macaroni and cheese, you know for dinner. He sold dinners and you could go there and have a good meal at Johnnie Gray's. And Johnnie Gray's what we like about it because he'd a throw specials for $2 all you could eat pancakes. On a Saturday morning about ten of us from West Tampa come to Central and police sitting there and we a eat a hot dogs, you know, 5 for a dollar. You know, you could put specials on Johnnie Gray Restaurant for the do. Then ah Central was the mickel. Where everybody out of everything you need to hear in Tampa came to Central and that brought all of us together, where everybody knew everybody. See, now you don't have that where nobody don't know nobody. You don't have no focal place like that. See.

MS: Towards the end of Central Avenue's time what was the most significant change that you noticed?

Pop: What let me know the end was coming because they were not – the black men that was managing a lot of the businesses and that owned a lot of the business, they couldn't get loans to expand their business, or to remodel their businesses, or to upgrade their businesses. They would just lay it on and on and lied to and lied to till the businesses started going down. And they weren't the couldn't get loans, small business loans. Tampa just lied to them and deceived them till finally they just snuck in and lied and perpetrated Central right out from under blacks. That was a work of deceitment and perpetration through lies and lies and lies and not honoring black businesses, respecting black business you couldn't get the loans cause segregation and ah there was just at that time they just not was progressing out here.

MS: Now after Central Avenue closed where did you go for business and entertainment?

Pop: Well, we just made do with what we had. We start integrating. And the people start spreading out then. People stated going you know, Dale Mabry, Kennedy Blvd., Hillsborough, you know. The streets that had the entertainment and the things that we liked, you know, you just had to go elsewhere for those type.

MS: Now, let me ask you too and I almost forgot. You told me earlier something, you had a god-father who was you called him a door shaker. Tell me about that again.

Pop: Mr. James was the door shaker on Central. He was a bright skinned man; about six three, six four; he had freckles in his face, had one leg and when he put the other leg on had a ice cream, and soda pop, and cookies, and a shoe shine parlor there on Central Ave. and right down bout right down from Charlie Moon's place. And on Saturday he would brung me over and I would sweep it up and keep his company. That's why I could be all up and down Central cause he was my god-father. He stayed in West Tampa but he come over on Saturdays and invite me to come over and be with him. And I'd be around, up and down the street all the time. And he shined the shoes and other black business men, I used to see Mr. Jordan and Mr. White, Mr. Vanderhorse and a lots of others. They all be talking with each other, you know, other men. Mr. Quick he was a door shaker. A person was a door shaker, at night when you close up your businesses, he was like a peace officer. Then he would ride up and down the street, shake the door, and make sure the lock still on. And shine the light and make sure nobody ain't break in. Just, you know, watchin over the business area of the black proprietors. The business area, that's what the door shakers done.

MS: O.K. O.K. Anything else before we conclude, that you want to tell us about Central Avenue?

Pop: Only thing that I could say that a the mouth of Central Avenue it took a lot of cultural, and love, and cohesiveness, and grandeur out of the black community.

MS: O.K. Well again this is Myrna Shuman. I have interviewed Mr. Jessie David “Pop” Latson. August 23, 2003. And thank you Mr. Latson. This concludes the interview.