Old stores you went to as a kid
- Thread starter heybatter
- Start date
Safeway is still in business on the West Coast.
Gemco comes to mind, as does Roos Atkins. I Magnin and J Magnin always left me wondering if there was a K Magnin somewhere. Pacific Stereo.
Let's not forget Kinney Shoes. I bet every single person on the board over the age of 40 had at least one pair of shoes from Kinney.
But my favorite was: White Front. Even back then it seemed such an odd name for a store.
Oddest, most (nowadays) inappropriate store (restaurant) name: Sambos. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Defunct_restaurant_chains_of_the_United_States
Gemco comes to mind, as does Roos Atkins. I Magnin and J Magnin always left me wondering if there was a K Magnin somewhere. Pacific Stereo.
Let's not forget Kinney Shoes. I bet every single person on the board over the age of 40 had at least one pair of shoes from Kinney.
But my favorite was: White Front. Even back then it seemed such an odd name for a store.
Oddest, most (nowadays) inappropriate store (restaurant) name: Sambos. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Defunct_restaurant_chains_of_the_United_States
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Montgomery Ward
Woolworth
Grants
JM Fields
Lafayette Radio Electronics
Two Guys
Big N
Korvettes
Grand Union
A&P
Barkers
S&H Green Stamps
Carl Co.
Woolworth
Grants
JM Fields
Lafayette Radio Electronics
Two Guys
Big N
Korvettes
Grand Union
A&P
Barkers
S&H Green Stamps
Carl Co.
I remember Kress' Five and Dime... when five and dime was really 5 cent and 10 cent products.
Let's not forget Blue Chip stamps and Hawaiian Dollars!
Let's not forget Blue Chip stamps and Hawaiian Dollars!
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Kresge's, Woolworth's and Grant's were all places my friends and I went when I was a kid. If I had a little bit of money from somewhere (my paper route or maybe a couple of dollars that my grandmother might have slipped to me), my friends and I would walk to the other side of town and go in each of these. We'd check out the pet departments and then go through the displays of plastic models like the 12-year old collectors we were. Maybe one of us would end up with a Sherman tank or something like that. If we were really flush, we'd grab a hot dog at Grants--the ones they made with a grilled bun that looked like it was made of two slices of bread were very mysterious. The sodas were served in disposable paper cones that fit into a reusable metal cupholder--also something that seemed to only exist in Grant's world. We'd also stop in the lone stationary store in town that also sold books, and a bar that had a newsstand in front of it. I would occasionally buy a science fiction magazine there. As far as I know, the only thing left in town is the bar/newsstand--all the rest are just vacant storefronts.
I also miss the neighborhood stores. I suppose that adults bought stuff there too, but I felt like they existed only to provide me with comic books, baseball cards and the occasional popsicle. My favorite one was owned by a guy who lived next door to my grandparents. I remember trying to buy a copy of Famous Monsters of Filmland that had a story about "Jason and the Argonauts" (or something like that) on the cover. He flipped through it and made me put it back--he said he couldn't let me buy something like that, then say hi to my grandparents later that day.
Finally, I miss Marshall Fields. I don't live in Chicago any more, but it was such a part of the downtown. Going Christmas shopping at Macy's in Chicago, or meeting someone under the clock at Macy's in Chicago sounds awful.
I also miss the neighborhood stores. I suppose that adults bought stuff there too, but I felt like they existed only to provide me with comic books, baseball cards and the occasional popsicle. My favorite one was owned by a guy who lived next door to my grandparents. I remember trying to buy a copy of Famous Monsters of Filmland that had a story about "Jason and the Argonauts" (or something like that) on the cover. He flipped through it and made me put it back--he said he couldn't let me buy something like that, then say hi to my grandparents later that day.
Finally, I miss Marshall Fields. I don't live in Chicago any more, but it was such a part of the downtown. Going Christmas shopping at Macy's in Chicago, or meeting someone under the clock at Macy's in Chicago sounds awful.
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We still have Piggly Wiggly and Payless. I think Piggly Wiggly is moreso a Southern chain now, though.
Woolworth, Service Merchandise, LS Ayres (not too long ago) 3D, Big Wheel, and Farmer Jack's when we visited my grandparents in Detroit. 3D was based in Indianapolis, and accoring to Wikipedia only had 35 stores throughout the midwest. Big Wheel and 3D were very similar to Kmart.
Ben Franklin, I remember while my mom was getting thread and fabric I'd go play with the army guys and tanks they had in the toy section.
Lots of chain stores mentioned.
Anyone from Poughkeepsie remember Lucky Platt and Wallace's?
How about Davies Hardware in Arlington?
Big Ben? (which we of course called Pig Pen)
Nick Bennie's?
Anyone from Poughkeepsie remember Lucky Platt and Wallace's?
How about Davies Hardware in Arlington?
Big Ben? (which we of course called Pig Pen)
Nick Bennie's?
People's Drug
Dart Drug
GC Murphy's
Tower Records
Crown Books
Waldenbooks
Erol's Video
Circuit City
BEST Products
W. Bell & Company
to name a few....
Dart Drug
GC Murphy's
Tower Records
Crown Books
Waldenbooks
Erol's Video
Circuit City
BEST Products
W. Bell & Company
to name a few....
City of Paris Department stores. Montgomery Ward. Rexall drug Stores. Thrifty Drug Stores. AGE Stores. Kinney Shoe Stores. Woolworth's. Kresge and S&S Kress. S&H Green and Blue Chip Stamp Stores. J. Magnin and I. Magnin. Stuckey's. Filine's. Levitz Furniture Stores. Breuner's Furniture. White Front Stores.
There's still one near me. One of my buddies likes to claim that Andy Griffith yelled at him once in a Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Manteo for parking too close to his car.
The nearest video arcade
Mpls....
Daytons, Powers, Donaldsons... downtown with the decorated windows at Christmas.... M&M Johnsons Hardware and Red Owl, Super Value grocery stores....Rexall drugs, Clark 100 and Sinclair Gas stations..... theres lots more but this old brain doesn't remember that well
Daytons, Powers, Donaldsons... downtown with the decorated windows at Christmas.... M&M Johnsons Hardware and Red Owl, Super Value grocery stores....Rexall drugs, Clark 100 and Sinclair Gas stations..... theres lots more but this old brain doesn't remember that well
Newberry's, Getz, S Kleins, Gimbel's...
Rike's
Elderbeerman's
IGA Groceries
Foodarooma
Dayton, OH area stores.
Elderbeerman's
IGA Groceries
Foodarooma
Dayton, OH area stores.
From the 1950's through 1960's in my home town of Akron, NY, Maggie George's variety store. Family owned. Toys lined up in price order, so we always knew how far we could look. Rexall Drug store was also on Main Street.
There's a Ben Franklin about 15 miles from me.
I'm a bit younger (36), and grew up in Rural Iowa. So, I never got to experience most of these stores. But I DO remember a pharmacy in my hometown that actually had penny-candy. They had a soda fountain, too. There was a true five-and-dime in my Grandparent's town in Minnesota. That was always a treat to go into.
I had my hair cut by a barber until I graduated High School. His name was Edgar. It was a true barbershop, too. I can still remember the smell!
I'm a bit younger (36), and grew up in Rural Iowa. So, I never got to experience most of these stores. But I DO remember a pharmacy in my hometown that actually had penny-candy. They had a soda fountain, too. There was a true five-and-dime in my Grandparent's town in Minnesota. That was always a treat to go into.
I had my hair cut by a barber until I graduated High School. His name was Edgar. It was a true barbershop, too. I can still remember the smell!
downtown oakland calif. had many great places prior to 1970....housewives market,swans market and to ogle hundreds of beautiful women all in one place it was hartfields....big box corporate terrorists wiped out all the small shops,it was nice to go into a shop and have a sincere conversation with the people that owned or worked there....oakland is one of americas heaviest murder capitols today...
Kmart stores are still around in Michigan.. they are just now part of Sears.
A local Ice cream shop call High Wheeler, Montgomery Wards, Steketees, Bob's Hobby Shop was another local only shop.
A local Ice cream shop call High Wheeler, Montgomery Wards, Steketees, Bob's Hobby Shop was another local only shop.
