P & S Chicken Shack
During Prohibition there were lots of so-called “chicken shacks,” which were often fronts for speakeasies. These photos from the Minnesota Historical Society show some folks in Minneapolis who worked at such an establishment in 1930. How could they not have had music? The notation in MHS’s files say that this was the P & S Chicken Shack, located at 629 Sixth Ave. No., a hotspot of action. The P & S goes back to at least 1919, and was marketed as Mammy’s Fried Chicken for a while.
The building at 629 Sixth Ave. No. was demolished in 1946. It may be that the company operated out of the Kistler Building from 1931 to 1933, and even put on shows, as the ad below indicates. It’s a mystery!
Minneapolis Tribune, February 5, 1931
Minneapolis Tribune, October 14, 1933
Photo courtesy Minneapolis Historical Society
Photo courtesy Minneapolis Historical Society