Odessa Spire next to Pinkie’s Liquor Store on Maple Ave. – Ben Powell/Odessa American via AP
About Us
Serving West Texas since 1934.
Pinkie’s, Inc. is a retail alcoholic beverage chain with 20 locations in West Texas. Pinkie’s Inc was incorporated in 1934. This was less than one year after the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. An extraordinary 73% voted to end 14 years of prohibition.
The company is named after its original founder, Thomas “Pinkie” Roden. “Pinkie” operated the company until the late 80’s. He sold the company to his brother Ted Roden. Ted then sold Pinkie’s to Austin Keith in 1997.
For over 90 years, Pinkie’s has been a chain of stores ranging in number from 9 in the 1950’s to 23 in the 1980’s. During that time, the stores were located as far west as El Paso, as far east as Abilene, as far south as San Angelo and as far north as Amarillo.
Carrying on the work that Pinkie started back in 1934, we have grown into a chain of 23 wine and spirits retail stores and wholesale stores. We employ more than 175 people in our stores in Abilene, Alpine, Amarillo, Colorado City, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Snyder, and Sweetwater. Our goal is to offer our customers quality name brands, reasonable prices and unparalleled customer service.
Storms Rage in “The Dust Bowl”
In May a three-day dust storm blows an estimated 350 million tons of soil off of the terrain of the West and Southwest and deposits it as far east as New York and Boston. Some East Coast cities were forced to ignite street lamps during the day to see through the blowing dust.
The drought came in three waves, 1934, 1936, and 1939–1940, but some regions of the High Plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years.
Bonnie & Clyde Gunned Down
Bonny and Clydes car (1932 Ford V-8), riddled with bullet holes after the ambush. Picture taken by FBI investigators on May 23, 1934. Author Unknown – NYPOST
Near their hide-out in Black Lake, Louisiana, FBI men ambush bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and fire, killing them.
Bad Year for Outlaws:
Notorious outlaws John Dillinger, “Pretty Boy” Floyd, and Lester J. Gillis (AKA “Baby Face Nelson”) are all gunned down…
Laurel & Hardy’s “Babes In Toyland”
Publicity still from the Laurel and Hardy film “Babes in Toyland” (1934), later reissued under the title “March of the Wooden Soldiers”. – Found in thrift store in Los Angeles. Publicity still from film that is now in public domain. Original nitrate film negative has almost certainly disintegrated by now. – Public Domain
The classic Laurel & Hardy film was released on November 30th, 1934. It has since been re-named at least five times, with other titles such as Laurel & Hardy in Toyland, Toyland, March of the Toys and Revenge is Sweet. Today, it is most commonly known as March of the Wooden Soldiers.