Believe it or not but the nineties started more than 30 years ago.
It probably feels like only yesterday you could pick up your evening's entertainment from Blockbuster, or visit Disney shop in Clayton Square, or browse the goods at Rapid Hardware which ran almost all the way down Renshaw Street. It was a time when the Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Oasis dominated the charts and Cream dominated the city's nightlife.
Since then decades have passed and the city has completely changed shape - for better or worse - but no doubt the nineties will live on in the fond memories those who lived it have.
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Here we take a look back at some of the things that have been lost from Liverpool and Merseyside from the iconic era. Tell us if there is anything we've missed out.
1. Enjoy a meal at Caesar's Palace
Caesar's Palace was a popular Italian restaurant located on Renshaw Street. Offering a variety of dishes including pasta, pizza and burgers, most main courses cost less than £10 and many deemed the restaurant as a "special occasion place," only visiting for birthdays, anniversaries and work parties.
The exterior made it literally look like a palace, with its neon blue lights and it also had large fish tanks. Despite its success in the 1990s, Caesar's Palace sadly lost popularity and by 2008 it was no more.
2. Have a pint at The Legs of Man
The Legs of Man was a popular pub in Liverpool for years. It was ocated on the corner of Lime Street and London Road, next to the Empire Theatre.
In its heyday, it was a regular haunt of Empire actors, theatregoers and lawyers working at Liverpool’s main courts at St George’s Hall. Despite fierce opposition the pub was demolished in 1999 to make way for an extension to the Empire.
Is there anything we've missed out? Tell us in the comments.
3. Visit Owen Owen
Owen Owen was founded by Welsh-born Owen Owen in 1868. Becoming an institution in Liverpool, the business later grew into a national chain.
In 1924, Liverpool's Owen Owen chain moved from Audley House to Clayton Square into an impressive building on Parker Street that was originally designed as a luxury hotel. Known for selling everything from furniture to clothes and crockery, the department store shut its doors in 1993 and later became a Tesco Metro and is now a Flannels store.
4. Rent a video from Blockbuster
Before streaming services like Disney+ and DVDs - there was Blockbuster. In the 90s, video was king and many Merseyside families would head to their local branch to pick the perfect film for a night in.
The region had several Blockbuster branches. But by the end of 2013 all UK stores were closed.
5. Dance the night away at Garlands
Opening in 1993, Garlands quickly achieved legendary status in the city. Located on Eberle Street, the club was known for taking risks with extreme entertainment and being the backbone of the city’s LGBT+ nightlife.
The first after-hours gay club in Liverpool, it welcomed an army of visitors from Merseyside and beyond for over two decades. Known for its infamous catchphrase - "Garlands made me do it." - it closed its doors for good in 2019.
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6. Get the bus from the old Paradise Street station
It's been years since we've been able to get a bus from the old Paradise Street station. In 1999, the biggest redevelopment in Liverpool city centre's recent history was signed off as the council approved a complete overhaul of the Paradise Street area - for what would come to be known as Liverpool ONE.
Construction began in 2004 and part of the project saw the demolition of the concrete bus station and car park, past the old Moat House hotel near to where Argos used to be. It was all change on one weekend in November 2005, as the last bus left the old station - which was knocked down a couple of months later - and the new site outside Merseyside Police HQ opened for business.
7. Go to the old Rapid Hardware store
Founded in 1971, Rapid Hardware gradually expanded across the length of Renshaw Street, becoming one of the city’s retail landmarks. The iconic family run department store soon became famous for its DIY, garden and home improvement products.
Many will remember visiting in the 90s, before it moved into the former George Henry Lee building in 2009. By 2017, Rapid as we knew it closed but today, Hardware Coffee & Kitchen opened by husband and wife Callum and Rachel Scott offers a modern twist on the site's history.
8. Eat at Deep Pan Pizza
Once one of the largest pizza restaurant groups, in the 90s, Deep Pan Pizza had chains all over the UK. Known for its bold and bright red and yellow logos and décor, inside groups would be shown to an American-style booths and could also watch "the latest music videos" on TV screens.
In Liverpool itself, many will remember chains at Edge Lane and on Stonedale Retail and Leisure Park off East Lancashire Road. In April 2005, the ECHO reported how Frankie & Benny's was opening its first Liverpool outlet on Edge Lane Retail Park on May 9, creating about 45 new jobs in the former Deep Pan Pizza site.
Do these awaken any memories for you? Tell us what you remember from the 1990s in the comments.
9. Watch a film at the old Odeon cinema
Located on London Road, the former Odeon cinema was built on the site of a former boxing ring and was originally a Paramount picturehouse before being taken over by Odeon in the 1940s. In the 1990s, many Liverpudlians saw the likes of Jurassic Park, Titanic, Home Alone, Pulp Fiction and more at the site.
Many will remember tucking into popcorn there or visiting for a first date or friend's birthday celebration. It grew to eventually have 10 movie screens but was closed when the new Odeon opened in Liverpool ONE in 2008.
10. Follow the footy on teletext
Before the days of Sky, streaming and casting, the easiest way to watch the football was to follow it on teletext. If you turned to page 301 of Ceefax, crossed your fingers and hoped, you might just have gotten to see what had happened in the match.
Children of today would probably think it looks like something from an old sci-fi film. But many Liverpudlians will remember using this to try to follow a number of Liverpool FC and Everton FC games back in the 1990s.
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11. Party at Cream (Nation)
Last year marked 30 years since a small underground club night in Liverpool first burst onto the scene. Later becoming a global superpower, Liverpool's super club Cream was at the cutting edge of dance and electronic music in the 1990s and through to the early 2000s.
Based in Wolstenholme Square, superstar DJs travelled from around the world to get to play sold-out sets. Sadly, the iconic club closed its doors in 2007, and the venue was demolished in 2016 as part of the regeneration of Wolstenholme Square. But Cream events still take place today.
12. Shop at Kwik Save
Kwik Save, with its familiar logo of white block italics against a red background, grew to become a common sight in Britain after the first store opened in Rhyl in 1959. The business adopted the model of successful continental supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, buying a limited range of goods on favourable payment terms.
The chain continued to expand, and by the mid-1990s, they had more than 800 stores spanning the country with Liverpool's most prominent Kwik Save store on Hanover Street in Liverpool city centre. The stores were primarily aimed at the lower end of the market and vanished from our high streets in the 00s.
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13. Have a day out at Pleasure Island
The opening of Pleasure Island, a sprawling amusement complex situated on the site of The Festival Gardens, provided entertainment for different generations. It couldn't be sunny without parents being begged for a trip there.
The park was loved by a generation of Scousers for attractions which included The Works, billed as "the world’s biggest indoor adventure play structure", and the Quasar Labyrinth for laser shooting games. But much to the disappointment of many people, Pleasure Island closed its doors for the final time in 1997.
14. Get pick n mix at Woolworths
The first Woolworths to open in the UK was actually established on Church Street, the heart of Liverpool's shopping district. Woolies was the epicentre of our high street visits, the best place to buy your Christmas presents - and pick and mix sweets.
The 'pick n mix' was legendary and the store had so much variety it was hard to choose - so we just got everything. Sadly the Woolworths dream died in 2009 when the company entered administration in the UK but many still remember the store.
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15. Go to the original Disney store at Clayton Square
Back in 1989, Clayton Square first opened and with it brought a host of new stores to the city. In the coming years, we saw huge brands such as Tammy Girl, Virgin Megastore and Oasis open - as well as Disney. In the 1990s, Liverpool was one of the earliest UK Disney stores to open and products linked to the likes of Toy Story or 101 Dalmatians were proving to be a hit.
The store later relocated to Liverpool ONE when the shopping centre opened in 2008. And in October 2021, it was announced that Liverpool ONE's Disney Store was closing its doors after more than a decade at the shopping centre.
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