I'm known for my memory of trivial things. But I lived in Waldorf from 1973 until 1993. My father lived there from 1945 until 1966 and again from 1973 until now. My grandfather lived there from 1903 -1978 and my great-grandfather.... well you get the idea. When things started changing, it was a big deal. So much of it held a small-town atmosphere where everyone knew everyone.... Shoot, I couldn't go into a business as a teenager without having someone saying, "so, how's yo' momma and daddy a-doin'"
I remember the day they opened St. Charles Parkway. We'd watched it being built because we used to pass through the intersection where it hits Rt 5. I remember my mother was happy because it was going to save us going all the way around to Smallwood Dr. at 925, when we went to visit grandma.
Another thing I think is funny, the Safeway, as I said used to be over in the Circuit City building. They moved it to Smallwood, where it is now over by the library. They closed the old one because the town couldn't support both, especially since the Giant had just been built on 301. That assessment proved true when another grocery store tried to take over that building and failed (I can't remember what it was, but it didn't last long).... And where did they just build a new Safeway a little over a year ago?? Right across the street from Circuit City.
Oh, I drove passed the old Stardust site today and made a point of looking. That satelitte photo someone posted is pretty accurate but for the buildings being torn down of course. There's been no construction on either side of that property for 20-30 years at least. The Stardust only occupied 2.76 acres, according to the state tax records, but it is surrounded by 34.8 acres of never developed land that borders the townhouses in Acton Village in the back.
Now, it's been many, many years since I was in Acton Village, so excuse me if I'm wrong, but isn't that area, especially the townhouses, pretty run down and crime-ridden? Not exactly the place I'd want to put upscale businesses.
There weren't any Ormonds, Marriannes, and Merry Go Rounds back then, not that I'd shop in them anyway, wrong type clothes, there was no Marlow Hgts, and no Iverson Mall, you had to go into DC to shop, mainly downtown, to Hecht's, Woodies, Lansburgh and Kahn's Deparment Stores.
), the movie theaters, Tylers (the western wear store), a sporting good/shoe store, Safeway, Peoples Drug, a magazine store on the corner where I used to buy wrestling magazines 
and a few other places I can't think of.
