Okay, two Laurel posts in a row. My Dad moved to Laurel when he was a kid. Before that, he and my grandparents lived in Toronto, Canada. Anyone who grew up in Laurel can attest that the two main places to go were Laurel Mall and Historic Main Street. Pal Jacks Pizza was a denizen of the latter.
A family favorite since my Dad was 9 years old, Pal Jacks Pizza was a regular dinner option in our family for all occasions. This tradition continued through my childhood and well into my adulthood. In fact, I think we ordered some Pal Jacks for my birthday last year.
With that in mind, I was sad to learn and later confirm by driving by that Pal Jacks has indeed closed its doors for good. Below is an email my Dad sent me that eloquently describes a brief history of one of our family's oldest traditions:
Pal Jacks had survived the falling apart and rebuilding of a lot of Main Street, and a lot of the rest of Laurel too. It survived the Main Street Theater closing, re-opening as a cinema draught house, closing, re-opening as a community theater/comedy club and closing again. It survived the Laurel Mall’s birth, peak, and slow slide into the living death that it is now. It survived Montgomery Ward’s opening and closing. It survived the creation of Laurel Lakes. It survived the re-paving and rebirth of Main Street.
What I guess it ultimately could not survive is time. For 44 or more years, the place whose name was also it’s phone number (301-PAL-JACK = 301-725- 5225) managed to stay afloat even after having been sold once to new owners who changed things a little bit. But time catches up I suppose, and now, along with the Chilli’s that we used to hang out in, Pal Jack’s becomes another memory.
Well said, Dad. So long Pal Jacks.
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