Candy Store

Right on Sullo. I was there from 1982 till the end of the Candy Store era. It was on of the places to be on the Strip. The wet T's and Nighties, yes you are correct. Daytime at the pool, night time on the down stairs stage. The disco upstairs used to serve food from 7-10pm, with paid admission and All You Can Drink. Was a great place to start the night. Loved it. Miss it!!!!

The owners of the Candy Store in Ft. Lauderdale during the 80's were Bobby Van Ray Abruzzi, and Howard (Can't remember his last name, but owned the Wonder Bread bakery. Paul Lorenzo, myself and others had a "piece of the profits" whenever we worked the season there. (I was given the parking lot concession, as well as supplying entertainment as the house band agent.)

During the height of Spring Break in those days, this facility used to do between Sixty and Eighty thousand dollars a day in gross revenues. In addition to the afternoon bikini contest, there was also an evening wet t-shirt contest, or wet nighty contest in the downstairs rock club, between the 11 PM band break, as well as the upstairs disco having their own version in college women often spontaneously dancing topless on or around the bars.

I dont know what Capn So and So has to do with the Candy Store in total, but The Store will always be close to my heart as it was the first 'bar' I drank at when I was 18..back in early 80's 19 was the legal limit. The teeny weeny bikini contest poolside on the weekends? I still have a shirt of that. Anyone remember the Piranha Bros? They did lots of cover and werent bad for what they did. I lived at the Store many a night, as well as Button on the Beach and Summers...lots of walking while drunk...walked it right off tho. The Store had decent specials, including Free Drinks 8-10..in the late 80's they also added Free all u can eat Speghetti and Pizza with the drinks...great place to start the night. Downstairs was the 'rock' room..dingy, but quaint. Upstairs more of the dance/disco. I liked that! I was there from 81-the end...write me if you went and remember any of the names of the staff as I cant remember off hand...
cactus_tooth@hotmail.com....Chuck

THE CANDY STORE had numerous owners and partners through the years BOBBY VAN, PAUL LORENZO, come to mind first but there were many silent partners also.....

That sounds like a few Clubs in Miami> Near Miami International, there used to be the 747, which I assume you went to more than once. It was like a 747 for a while, remember?

The captain was not really into the disco scene but was dragged to discos by younger crew members. I flew domestic, talk to pilots who flew transatlantic for stories that will even make Mr. Vinyljunkie take notice.

A French pilot, "Capt. Pierre" would ask young women (ages 18-21) traveling alone on his flights if they wanted to see the cockpit, common practice in those simpler days. He'd then offer to show them around local bars and discos in Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, etc. I can't print here his tales of multiple debauchery! Mrs. Milano once punished me for telling her of his adventures. Pierre once visited our home and my wife made sure her shapely niece was kept under lock and key!

Ask any pilot who flew between 1960 and 1980, old or young, and they will have amazing stories to tell you. Stories of hotel rooms and strange women and stewardesses when they were stewardesses. Stories of dead-heading back to the US with a planeload of airline employees having one big party on board.

The Captain has struck again. You must have had fun, ever get yourself in any trouble? Tell us the juicy stories, PLEASE! I guess the Captain was a big DISCO fan. Welcome home!!

I used to fly planeloads of these cuties in and out of Ft. Lauderdale and Daytona. Good things Mrs. Milano was tolerant. Flying them in they were all happy and cheerful. Flying them out uninhibited and half-drunk was a treat. An L-1011 filled with real girls going wild.

Once a strip-contest broke out on my 1011. Got so out out of control we almost declared an emergency but the stewardesses reigned them in somewhere over Virginia.

The rowdiness and horniness distracted me so much that I requested the longest runway at JFK, and had the cops waiting at the terminal just in case. But all was well as your captain eased down his packed jet of rowdy passengers over Jamaica Bay to a smooth landing as always. The 1011 was out for 3 days so cleaning crews could get it ready for normal people. Cleaner crew chief found a few pairs of panties. He was shocked!

Best memory is of a Dad trying to shield his son from the in-flight strip-teases. The kid left the plane with a big smile on his face and daddy left with a bulge in his pants.

Long gone days in a different world.