Fashion Way, the complex right across the street from Fanar Mall in Salmiya is getting demolished. I personally don’t have much attachment to it but I know a lot of people do.
Construction on that building started in the late 80s and it was rumored to be Safeway the supermarket chain opening there, right next to Sultan Center. The building wasn’t covered in the ugly grey alucobond panels like today, I think I remember it being white ribbed metal panels. But then the 1990 invasion happened and the main Safeway store in Farwaniya got burnt down and they never reopened in Kuwait again. I also just realized while digging up old photos of Safeway that Americana owned it in Kuwait. I never knew that even though it clearly says Americana right next to Safeway on their sign. It now makes sense why Americana had their fast food brands there 90s onwards.
The building eventually finished construction and opened in the mid 90s I think. I remember Sbarro Pizza opening there, it occupied the whole area where Americana was today, but back then it was just Sbarro and it was a dine in experience. Hardees was located in a blue and white colored standalone building next door where Starbucks is right now. When that Hardees building got demolished, they eventually moved in with Sbarro and KFC into Fashion Way.
Inside Fashion Way was Mothercare with their huge animated tree inside. Mothercare was still there until they closed down a couple of months ago as well.
I just tried finding out when Sbarro opened in Kuwait but couldn’t find anything. I found an article from 1995 in the New York Times which mentions Gennaro (Jerry) Sbarro being 29 years old when he came to Kuwait to open Sbarro. I tried to find his date of birth online and I found multiple Jerry’s but the closest one might be 1966 which means Sbarro opened in 1994-1995. I contacted Jerry to find out and see if he has any photos, will see if he responds.
Anyway, the building is getting demolished. Not sure what the plan is, but my guess is they’re going to build an office tower in its place.
If you work at Americana, get in touch with me since I’d love to dig up old stuff with you together. I previously got in touch with the Wimpy social media team because I was working on a post about the history of Wimpy in Kuwait and they were a disaster. Firstly they replied saying they would get in touch with me if there was a potential for future collaborations. I told them they misunderstood and I wasn’t looking for them to advertise with me or send me free food. I explained that I just needed some information for a post I was working on. So then they gave me a phone number to call.. the Wimpy delivery phone number. I called them out on that move and they just copy pasted the same information all over again about how they would get in touch with me in the future if there is potential for a collaboration.
31 replies on “Fashion Way Getting Demolished”
Is the Chiken Tikka restaurant in this building or is that separate?
same building
Could you show us photos of it now demolished
Hardee’s curly fries and frisco sandwich whenever we went to cinema salmiya. this was THE spot in the 90’s. always packed in the weekends. until Fuddruckers opened in gulf road.
lol on wimpy response.
need to find photos of that standalone Hardees. I remember it was blue and white building and I remember it had a lot of neon lights inside.
It was called fashionway because the first clothing store in there was called fashionway, a long time before shaya started using it for their clothing brands.
If I remember rightly fashionway also ran the restaurant upstairs, could have had a different name but way before tikka.
I came back to kuwait 92 and the complex was open as I got asked to do a promo picture in the restaurant (I was shopping in sultan and they wanted a westerner, but didn’t want my wife in the picture and put a random Filipino with me for the picture). Company I worked for ran Jeans in the store next door so weren’t impressed.
interesting, do you remember the restaurant? I kinda feel it was called Sizzler but having a hard time remembering.
Dunno if it was the first , but there was a sizzler there at some point.
Is it confirmed it’s getting demolished
Unfortunately, the Wimby in the 80s was not what like now, the menu totally different, and I don’t like it.
Mark, do you remember the dessert banana boat? 🙂
well Wimpy I think was the first burger franchise to open in Kuwait so that’s what’s so cool about it.
And no, I don’t remember Banana Boat, was it for Wimpy?
Yes, in the ’70s and ’80s, my mother used to take us to Wimby Fahed Alsalem branch and eat Banana Boat 🙂
I heard from someone in Americana that the lady who owns the complex wanted Americana to take over the whole thing after Alshaya got out of there (Mothercare, Pinkberry, Boots, etc), but Americana did not want to do so, so she is asking them to vacate, demolish and rebuilt it as a big commercial complex.
It caught Americana off guard, as they had just recently refurbished the whole place
Safeway brings back so many of wonderful memories… would you happen to know why it did not start up after the invasion and who the owners were and where they are currently? It seemed like a pretty profitable business then…
Owners were Americana
back then Americana was a government owned and after the invasion they sold Americana to AL Kharafi as privatizing movement
That small strip of restaurants was *the* hangout spot in the 90’s right up until all the big malls like Souq Sharq and Marina started opening up. It was packed every weekend inside and out. Dudes with sport cars always parked out front and often times turn up the speakers and turn the outdoor spot into a party. Lot of fights happened too and of course with that cops were always in that area tryna break up crowds. Inside there was a staircase that took you upstairs to a kids area for birthday parties. I think my younger brother had one of his bday’s there.
I think the first Starbucks in Kuwait was inside between BHS & Mothercare… right next to the tree & the upstairs escalator.
In the 90s, every Wednesday, my dad would take us to fashionway… eat at Sabbro… then buy toys in BHS & go upstairs to buy teen magazines & cassettes. Then, go to Sultan to buy groceries & more magazines. Thursdays was cinema salmiya or then Fanar sometimes he would make us walk from Fanar to marina to catch a movie. Didn’t matter how hot it was. & ofc, then go buy movies from Blajat.
I think the first starbux was in souq sharq if im not mistaken
Can i still go visit the tree one last time ?
if you have a Time Machine and head back like 15 years it might be possible
is Fashion way no longer available ? or has it been demolished.
demolished
oh the great Deku tree 🙁
Very sad to see this go. The recent refurb made the restaurant area look like a morgue lol. The last refurb was much better. Also, I remember when they first opened Krispy Kreme there around ‘06 or ‘07, it was so huge that the public restroom wasn’t available!
The tree brings back so much nostalgia!
And I believe there was also a kids bookstore on the second floor called Spectrawide. Makes sense now why they are temporarily closed.
There was a cats cafe on the same floor as tikka owned by someone who passed away in corona. It was then taken care of by the former owners friends. Anyone has any idea where that went? its called perfect paws I think.
This was a real trip down memory lane.
Nice post
There was lot of Shaya stores, apparently they lost customers due to poor service or dunno why but all closed down
They closed down cuz they’re demolishing the building
What do the signs covering the KFC logo, half of the Baskin Robbins logo, and below Chicken Tikka say?