With a national recession going on, who would have thought that the second half of 1974 would be as successful as it was for Fountain Hills?

Yes, despite the recession and the oil embargo, Fountain Hills’ growth rate did not slow down in the second half of l974.

The balance of new business openings in 1974 will be the subject of this week’s Fountain Hills History Lesson.

Although I previously mentioned this business, Lawyers Title of Arizona, opened in March of 1974, in a 1,200 square-foot Spanish-style building on the Avenue of the Fountains. Dwight Bowen was named manager of the branch.

Also opening in that building in March was Cherie’s on the Avenue, the second ladies fashion shop. (Kay Kinder’s Fountain Fashions was the first.) Owner Cherie Forsmark was also the Chamber’s first secretary.

The third apparel shop, Paradise Boutique, opened on May 1 on the Avenue of the Fountains, just west of Saguaro Boulevard. The store’s owners were Robert and Mary Lu Cushing.

Don Western Wear opened as the fourth apparel shop. It was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Don Morey and was located in the Enterprise Plaza shops.

Parker Scott installed most of the swimming pools in the early days of Fountain Hills. He was the sales representative for Master Pools.

Bashas’ opened its supermarket in mid-June in a 10,080 square foot building in a shopping center at the corner of La Montana Drive and Palisades Boulevard. Bill Fisher, Fountain Hills project manager at the time, said “A supermarket close to home will be a welcome addition to the community for all residents and should be a major factor in the decision of other families considering a move here.”

Coinciding with the opening of Bashas’ was Don’s United Drug Pharmacy, adjacent to the Bashas’ store. Owner of the store was Don Klepach. He owned the drug store for about a year, then sold it to Jerry Comeau, who operated it for another nine years.

Jerry’s brother, Dr. Bernie Comeau, opened the first dentistry practice in Fountain Hills in the Vista Plaza Shopping center.

U Totem Markets opened their second convenience store in the community in mid-July. It was the first location in Fountain Hills where residents could buy gasoline.

The Fountain Hills Times published its first edition on June 27. It was started by me and Arthur Hewitt. Our first employee was reporter Rick Snedeker.

Fountain Hills Pool and Patio Supply opened for business in the Enterprise Plaza building. The store was owned by Bernie and Gerry Osburn. The store sold swimming pool chemicals, pool heaters, pool equipment and games and automatic pool cleaners.

A major announcement was made by McCulloch Properties in mid-summer that it would be relocating its national headquarters to Fountain Hills in a three-building complex that would be built on Palisades Boulevard. The offices would house more than 200 employees who moved here from locations in Scottsdale and Los Angeles. The complex would be built at a cost of $2 million. Mardian Construction Co. of Phoenix was named as the contractor.

Arris Interiors opened a branch office in Coplaz I. Preston Lee Larson was the office manager and was assisted by Martha Mitchell and Barbara Greengard.

Fountain View Appliance opened a store in Enterprise Plaza in March offering a complete line of appliances and small items such as irons and electric can openers to kitchen appliances and televisions. They also offered a 24-hour repair service.

Rainbow Electric Co. opened an office in April at 12016 Colony Drive. With Ed and Anita Thibault in charge, the family-run business also started a new company called Fountain Hills Lighting Center. It was built across from the Model Home Center and featured lamps and lighting displays for kitchens and baths.

A kid’s game center with the name Electric Circus opened in December with three pool tables, pinball machines, electric games, a jukebox and an ice hockey-like game called German football. It was owned by Phil Young and Bob Farrow.

With real estate booming, new offices were opening all over the community.

The first independent real estate office to open in Fountain Hills was Fountain Realty & Investment Co., opened in mid-1973. Broker was Bob Farrow.

Other realty offices that opened in 1974 were Country Club Realty, Tom Sweeney, Broker; Los Cerros Realty, John Kuhfuss, Broker; Hoffman Realty West, Lloyd Hoffman, President; White Sun Realty; Sun Valley Realty, Inc.; John F. Johnston Realty, John Johnston, Broker; Fountain Shadow Realty, Linda Stovall Young, Broker; R. J. “Dick” Stewart Realty; Dick Stewart, Broker.

In other news of 1974 openings, Southwest Savings and Loan opened with Phyllis Jahnke as the first branch manager. The savings and loan firm was located on the Avenue of the Fountains close to Verde River Drive in a modular building. The building later became the Fountain Hills Library.

Special events really got going in 1974. First there were Easter activities sponsored by Developer McCulloch Properties; the July 4th fireworks put on by the Fountain Hills Jaycees and the first of many park concerts, sponsored by McCulloch Properties, were held featuring noted conductor and composer David Rose and the Phoenix Symphony. Rose had written the music scores for 22 television shows. and his music was popular with the crowd.

Two young Fountain Hills women launched the first Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts in Fountain Park.

Work began on the Fountain Hills Racquet Club in May 1974.

I’ll talk about the club’s special grand opening celebration in my next column.