Maudy's Bosom (& Mosob), 709 Santee Avenue: 1974 19 comments
Here's a place I never heard of before starting this blog, but it's come up several times in the comments over the years. Here's what I know from the library and internet:
The 1969 city directory lists 709 Santee Avenue as having two units, 709-A & 709-B, both of which were at the time vacant. The 1970 Southern Bell phonebook has the yellow pages ad for Maudy's Bosom shown above, and they were also in the white pages. That seems to be the last phonebook with a listing, either yellow or white for the shop. They continued to be listed in the city directory in 1971 and 1972 (as 709 without any 'A' or 'B'). In the 1973 city directory, the listing for 709 Santee Avenue changes from Maudy's Bosom to Bosom Walk In Center. This listing repeats in 1974, but that is the last mention of the place.
There is currently no building numbered 709 Santee Avenue. This PDF of city council minutes from 2007 and the Kenny's brou-ha-ha indicates that 701 & 709 Santee were the Santee part of the Kenny's lot. I'm not sure how this location jibes with Michael's comment below..
And now, crowdsourcing -- this is what y'all have said:
Though I never heard Dale say it, I always thought he chose the name of the shop [The Joyful Alternative -- Ted] to be in contrast with other stores like Maudy’s Bosom, The Purple Turtle and AW Fully’s. Instead of loud, blaring acid rock they played loud, blaring Grateful Dead. Patchouli is unique.
Terry
Thanks for mentioning the other shops, one of which I think pre-date Joyful. Maudy’s Bosom was the first “head-shop” that I actually remember hearing about in Columbia in the late-’60s, but because I never went there I didn’t write about it. I do know it was in a two story turn-of–the-century house on Santee Avenue behind where Harper’s is now.
Michael Taylor
Jim – what a difference 35 years makes. When Marty’s Bosom opened the city fathers and the local media freaked out, and decided you could not have a Columbia business with the word bosom in the name. To keep from getting closed down, and so that he could buy ads, he spelled it backward and it became Marty’s Mosob.
Now there’s a Hooter’s in every neighborhood.
Dennis
I just looked at the Dec 6, 2009 post about Maudy’s Bosom. My old recollection was from when it was just called The Bosom and was a drug counseling center. My older sister told me that it had previously been a head shop called what I misheard as “Marty’s,” but my sister tells me that she thinks Maudy’s is correct. But she was a stoner back then, so . . . .
Jim
Maudy’s Bosom is correct. Awesome store to visit for “hippie” threads and for incense!!
Terese
BTW, does anyone know what "Pieces Of" Fashion Botique and "Conspiracy Records" mean/meant?
19 Responses to 'Maudy's Bosom (& Mosob), 709 Santee Avenue: 1974'
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23 Nov 10 at 4:43 pm
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Wasn't there a house on the corner of Blossom and Santee that was demolished some time after Kenny's replaced Winn-Dixie? I note that the Google maps overhead show a vacant lot there:
while the street view is after Kenny's was demolished.
Mike
23 Nov 10 at 6:48 pm
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Mike -- Yes, it was a neat old two story Shandon-style house painted yellow that was the office for Ferillo & Associates for many years.
Dennis
23 Nov 10 at 7:06 pm
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Seems to me like Mooney Player used that building for an office at one point.
Jim
24 Nov 10 at 5:14 pm
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I can say with authority that Maudy's Bosom was indeed on the corner of Blossom and Santee. The reason I know this, is because I was married to the guy that opened it. Along with doing that, he also put together the band Speed Limit 35, and for all of you people that grew up during that era, you may also remember The Ufo, another "hippie" hangout that was located on Main Street, right near The Elite Epicurean. Wow, that brings back so many strange memories! Thank God that there are some people who actually remember the "First" places in Columbia!
Denise Howard
29 Nov 10 at 9:27 pm
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Thanks Denise!
Do you know what is in the UFO location now? I've looked for the address in old phonebooks, but haven't yet found it.
ted
30 Nov 10 at 2:45 am
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People often say "It's a small world," to which I always reply "No, it's a great big world, Columbia's just a small town."
How about this weird connection:
Denise -- my Boy Scout troop camped about once a month on a big piece of property our leader's family owned in Pontiac, on Spears Creek Church Road. We felt like we were far out of town, and we were for the early 70s. We were out past Sesqui for goodness sake! While camping once we heard this rock, um, music, and went through the woods to investigate. Speed Limit 35 had rented a little house in the middle of this property so they could practice and make all the noise they wanted in the midle of nowhere. We all met several times after that when we were camping and they were, um, practicing. Way cool stuff for us 13 year olds to say we knew the guys in the band.
Dennis
30 Nov 10 at 5:58 pm
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As far as I know, there are law offices located in the spot of The UFO. Pretty ironic I think! Also, the fact that the courthouse is located across the street from UFO's original location.
Denise Howard
30 Nov 10 at 6:51 pm
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As far as I know, there are law offices located in the spot of The UFO. Pretty ironic I think! Also, the fact that the courthouse is located across the street from UFO's original location. Sorry that I printed this twice, but somehow, my I-Pad has a mind of it's own. Dennis, to address your little memory of camping near where Speed Limit, and Herb were living, that must have been quite a visit for a 13 year old! Herb had rented the house, which at that time was out in the boonies, and away from "peering" eyes, and unwelcome visitors. He actually was trying to channel Timothy Leary! That whole scene was just surrealistic. I think that someone told me that house burned down years ago. Who knows? It's probably a subdivision!
Denise Howard
30 Nov 10 at 7:10 pm
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It is indeed a subdivision now. Where Walden Place meets Spears Creek Church Road. And the pond is now named Rotureau Pond, after my scoutmaster's family.
Dennis
30 Nov 10 at 9:28 pm
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Wow! The conversation really brings back memories! Maudy's Bosom came up in a recent conversation, and I had to go online. JA was may favorite shop, I miss it..... I remember Speed Limit 35! I was around 14/15 years old back then, moved to Spartanburg in '73. What a change!
Catherine
24 Jan 12 at 8:53 am
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Maudy's Bosom... I was looking for information on this place. It's where we would first go to buy rolling papers and incense. Then, later, my Mom took me there to try to learn how to do Active Listening with some therapists. Poor, sweet Ma. She did all the active listening and I kept on smoking up. Well, later things changed and I did great in life... all because she was the kind of gal that went outside her comfort zone and tried things out, like therapy in a head shop, to help her kids out.
Sarah
25 Jan 16 at 1:00 pm
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Denise,
I am glad to have found you and this site. A group of us are working on a book to be published electronically. It is called Freak Row Anthology. I am sure you remember that small community of hippies across the street from Maxcy Gregg Park. But what a lot of people don't know is that out of it, and within the surrounding areas, there were numerous people who wrote. We are looking for good pieces about Maudy's and other places in the area, as well as for writers, and recollection or conversations about the time, etc. If anybody wishes to contribute, I can be reached at gleongelpi in yahoo.
Gonzalo Leon
6 Jun 16 at 7:30 am
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I operated the leather shop upstairs at Maudys for a short while but mostly got stoned. This was a great place! There was a record shop, head shop, and a cloths shop.
Jack AndersonJack Andetson
9 Jun 16 at 2:37 pm
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I was at USC during this time frame and hung out at the UFO, Opus and my best friend was the girlfriend of John, the guy who ran the leather shop at Maudy's. What a great spot!
Does anyone out there remember Bob Bender the artist who lived in the neighborhood?
8 Feb 17 at 12:31 pm
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Lynn, I remember his painted station wagon.
Joe Shlabotnik
8 Feb 17 at 7:36 pm
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Hey all in this thread. First Maudy’ s predated Joyful by a few months at least. But I knew the place well since I worked in 5 points on Santee Ave and roamed the streets often during lunch and breaks plus and most importantly my girlfriend at the time was an artist and was asked by the powers at Maudy’s to paint the windows at Maudys in a psychedelic style. They were really cool but I don’t know they survived. This is a distant but poignant memory of my youth. This was a beautiful time
Charles Sanford
7 Dec 22 at 8:55 pm
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Hey! Maudy’s Bosum…Far Out! Here a few things from my memory from a fuzzy period. I’d opened a psychedelic poster shop on Main St. Spartanburg in ‘69. (Hubris Poster Shop - East Totem West Posters from San Francisco) I discovered Maudy’s and sold them some poster, lights, and a few high top fringe moccasins. The story I recall is prior to opening Maudy’s owners wife was cited for indecent exposure for exposing too much breast, maybe breast feeding? Therefore when opened a large sign went up “Maudy’s Bosom” to put in the city’s face. I started putting on music shows in Spartanburg. Speed Limit 35 closed the first and last. Every long hair in the area came for $2. First show I split the money between the bands and each got $77. The last was a small pop festival in the local baseball park raising money for the animal shelter, $2 admission, $1460 raised. The bands played for gas money. More law than hippies to start the day. Weird happenings, like the peace sign stamp used to show $2 paid confiscated as a communist symbol….on and on. Speed Limit closed the show. I also recall visiting the UFO a few times. I still have some memorabilia, undeground paper articles with photo of Speed Limit, etc. Crazy days but fond memories.
John
10 Feb 24 at 3:09 pm
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Well John you most likely grew up listening to WORD and the Bob Canada Countdown on Sunday afternoons.
Joe Shlabotnik
11 Feb 24 at 4:31 am
Boy, that address doesn't jibe with my memory of the location for Maudy's Bosom at all. I do have a memory from the early '70s of riding my 10-speed down Santee behind where Harper's is now and seeing some sort of "hippie" store, but maybe that is a false memory. Or it could be that it was one of the other establishments that Terry mentions in his comment. I can with full memory say that the first headshop that I actually ever stepped into was The Joyful Alternative when it was on Greene Street circa 1971.