I was just thinking yesterday about stores I remember from when I was a kid....stores that I dont think exist any longer. Maybe some of these DO still exist, but I havent heard of them or seen them in my own life for quite some time. I guess this means I'm getting old. Living in Maine, I always hear the "old timers" talk about what "used to be" on Upper Main St in Waterville, or Halifax Street in Winslow, etc. A funny thing about Maine is that when a store has been there for a long time and then that store goes out of business and another store replaces it, people, for the most part, still refer to it by its old name. Forever. In Fairfield Center there is a store called "Damon's Quick Stop." Its a popular destination because it intersects some key snowmobile trails going to Waterville, Fairfield, Skowhegan, or Norrigewock. But don't ask anyone where "Damon's" is....they won't know what you are talking about. They only know of "Jock's Variety," the store that was there like 10 years ago before it became Damon's. Maine is funny like that. Anyway, here is my list. I wonder what you can add to it....
ZAYRES: Cool old department store. Orange lettering and fancy design font.
ALMACS: Before we had the "big box" Shaws move into Easton, my mom would do all the shopping at Almacs....the grocery store off of 140 in Mansfield. It was right next door to her aerobics studio
PURITY SUPREME: A grocery store. I thought they were a chain. Papa Goldsmith used to shop there, and I remember they had a red heart in between the "Purity" and the "Supreme."
FRANKS: A nursery/greenhouse/crafty kind of place. Across from the old Paperama at the Westgate Mall. I think there were some in Maine too....
HQ: The "other" big-box home improvement store. Remember them? They had the big green letters? They must have lost out big to Home Depot somehow.
GROSSMAN'S: The orginal hardware store, as far as I know. My dad always needed to go to "Grossman's" to pick up something. I think they had a big orange sign you could see from the highway. Again, I think they existed in Maine too.
TAPE WORLD: I think their name implies they are now an obsolete store. But they sold wall to wall tapes....
RECORD TOWN: Same thing. But records.
THE WALL: Another music chain store....they tried to be all "right brain" by having the gimmick that their CDs were guaranteed for life....AS LONG AS you kept the sticker on the cover. If you broke it, they would give you a new CD. The only problem was that they only stayed in business for like two weeks.
CHECK FARM: This one's for Johnny C.....its all about the Now & Laters and creepy pedophiles with inoperable cataracts.....
MISTER DONUT: I found out, while researching for this blog entry, that Mister Donut has re-marketed itself in the Asian donut theater. Those are three words I bet you've never seen all together. But apparently, they are pretty big in China, Japan, etc. Seriously. Which means they've come a long way from their days at Westgate Mall across from Lazarino's pizza....
SUPREME DOUNUT: Never had their donuts, but heard they were actually pretty good. A pretty boring logo as I remember. What's funny is how I remember these stores by their logos, colors, designs, etc.
NICKELODEON: Another donut place in Brockton...near the fairgrounds. I probably only remember it because it had a creepy clown on its sign....and weird little mirrors inside (like the ones you'd see in a funhouse)
STRUCTURE: I think they virtually INVENTED the whole male-metrosexual clothing genre...haha. Basically they were 50 dollar collared pullovers with stripes on them
DUNNINGTON SUPER DRUG: Before RITE AID took over the world (and CVS for that matter), we had two wonderful drug stores: Osco and Dunnington. There was also Sedells, and they deserve their own category too. But I remember there was a Dunnington in Brockton, and I remember the "logo" was green and showed an old man pushing a cart through the store. Call me crazy, but that is how I remember it!
CHILD WORLD: What is this Kay-Bee and Toys R Us crock of BS? Everyone knows Childworld is where it was at. Being a kid started and ended with Childworld. Word to Peter Panda.
LAURIAT'S BOOKS: An independent mall chain of bookstores. Are there any still in existence?
BRADLEES: Everyone remembers Bradlees, right? I loved Bradlees. They had Icees!
JORDAN MARSH: Currently known as Macy's. This didnt happen TOO long ago, right?
RAVE: Amanda wondered about this place. Do they still exist? Kristin used to get a lot of her clothes there...sort of a teeny-bopper type of clothing store!
LERNER'S OF NEW YORK, G.FOX, and CHERRY WEBB AND TERRAIN: Three more random clothes stores I dont think exist any longer.
*****
(Amanda had these "New Jersey" offerings for the list....I've never heard of any of these places, but then again I didnt grow up in New Jersey!)
Kiddy City
Chi Chi's
Golden Corral
John Wanamakers (tea sandwiches with watercress)
25 comments:
I apologize for all the "space" in between everything....that was not intentional....sometimes Blogger formats things weirdly....
I remember RAVE! I think they must have gone out of business.
nice work Ja. everything we bought at check farm was labeled 'not for individual resale' if it was in a wrapper at all. How bout Angelo's and Heartland which combined with Purity Supreme completes the B supermarket triumvirate.
I think you got most of them, how about Turnstyle?Some of the restaurants, York steak house,are there any Brigham's left?
Good call with the Brighams Hank! And Johnny with the "B" trifecta!
I forgot to mention Fernandes Lumber....as well as Somerville lumber, where me, jay,, and Papa's Special Ketchup used to hang out looking at ceiling fans....
before Rite Aid there was also Welby's and Laverdiere's. Nice post Jared, this was fun! I remember Rave and Jordan Marsh in fact, haha and Structure.
oh yeah, I forgot to mention McCrory's (a store with really random crap in it, but also a diner with the best meatloaf in town!) and Hannford (previously known as Shop 'N' Save) used to be in the Turnpike Mall! with Hit Or Miss and Fayva Shoes! hahaha, I love this reminiscing!
Chess King where John Crockett used to get his Z Cavariccis and Skidz overalls. and mesh tank tops with zippers.
I think most of the parents in our area all bought their kids clothes at RACHELS,
Jared had his first formal outfit for his first Barmitzva from Guys and Gals over at Westgage.
How about Tom McCann shoes anyone.
And Shaws supermarket use to be called BPM for (Brockton Public Market)
and yes there are still Brighams Ice Cream stores in Boston.
BLOG POST OF THE YEAR
1. Rave still exists. Go ahead make your "how would you know jokes."
2. Funny I know the owners of both Supreme Donuts (my friend Pete's filthy rich dad) and Sedell's (the live on my street, and their son owns the Wine Basket on Pearl St.).
3. Don't forget Somerville Lumber, Grossman's chief competitor in the 80's.
4. I can walk to the Nickolodeon, and I still call it that (15 years later).
5. You mentioned Paperama, and it belongs on the list.
6. Caldor's? Anyone?
7. Ames? Ditto.
8. Star Market. The amount of supermarkets on this list could be staggering. I can't wait until every supermarket in Mass is a MarketBasket. More for your Dollar!!!
9. Structure got you a standing ovation in this trailer. Could they have gotten any gayer than when they rebranded themselves as ExpressMen?
10. Lechmere. Circuit City is following their every last footstep. Ponticelli couldn't leave this store without a CD in hand.
-Yes my parents still call it BPM
-Hit or Miss is still hitting in Mass!!
-Thom McCann, good call!
-King's!!
-Chess King made me roar with laughter. My babysitter worked there, got me a discount.
-Service Merchandise. Between that place and Sears, was there anything you couldn't find???
ok guys,
What about Clover? the clothes store.
strawbridge and clothier? i think thats how its spelled.
Service Merchandise.
Wholesale Depot.
Poore Simmons!
Thats all i can think of right now.
Bonanza..... or as Gramps says it.
Bonzana
Does anyone remeber at Pizza hut.....Book-it?
Hey Jared, down in CT, we still have rave stores. Melissa will get something from there every once in a while. Also, the other day while flipping stations, i saw a commercial for golden coral... I had never heard of it before then.
Lechmere, Caldor, and Service Merchandise, yes!!! good tidbit on Shaws/BPM Nannie. and for the record i never owned any skidz. well, possibly skidz but no mesh tank tops w/zippers.
Kiddy City?! HAHAHA Far inferior to Child WORLD. THose new jersians only had a city...we had a world.
Ja, I remember all of those stores!
How about Lechmere? Back when CD's first came out, this was the place to go at Silver City to get $10 CD'S when everyone else was charging $20...
Also, Grossman's is still around.
Oh and how about when a store that replaced one of the stores you named gets replaced?! AMES replaced Zayre's...there was also a big dept. store in Brockton called Stuart's. Just some props to Panda and Callum.
Crap. Next time I'll read teh comments before I post...
Artie was Chess King's number one customer.
Did anyone mention Woolworth?? I loved that place in the Plaza in NJ. I loved sitting at the counter drinking a chocolate milk shake and a hot dog with all the fixins.
I cant believe I forgot Caldor!!! THese comments are awesome folks....I cant believe there are 18 comments....and not one of them is hateful or cynical....we're all just reminiscing!!!
Hey TImmy, THATS WHAT SHE SAID!!!!!
only kidding.
I was just going to mention Woolworths too, you would pop the baloon and get a banana split for the amount that was written inside the balloon.
Mammoth Mart, Future Foods, LaVerdieres, Sterns, Levines, Barney's Hotdogs (CRUSHED by Bolley's, but you could get salt pork on your dog), Rich's, Butler's...all in the Waterville area...I could come up with dozen's more, but I'm sleepy...
I remember a similar store to Ames called Jamesway. Re. Grossman's: Not only were the big letters out front orange, there were also broad orange and white vertical stripes across the entire storefront. I'll never forget the Grossman's in our town. That's where I got the copper tubing for my and my buddy's still. (We were 13...never drank anything that came out of it - too scared of poisoning!) Anybody remember the A&P?
Ya I remember A&P how about Super Fresh Markets
Although most of these will only be recognized by folks from NJ, here is a small list I came up with last night.
Food Fair and Penn Fruit grocery stores.
Two Guys, Korvettes, Kresges, W T Grants, Basco's and the infamous John's Bargain Stores. Sun Ray Drug Stores.
Some restaurants:
Greenbriar Inn (where Linda Sue and I went on our first date);
H A Winston (for French Onion Soup and Burgers in Cherry Hill);
Latin Casino;
Zaberers on the way to the shore; Hogates and Chris's for seafood in Ocean City NJ.
Captain Starn's in Atlantic City.
Although these are a little out of scope for "restaurants" etc.... Club Al-Jo in Mt Ephriam, Tony Marts, Bayshores at Somers Point and The Dunes Till Dawn in Ventnor!!!!
How about Hawaiian Cottage in Cherry HIll. I went there for my senior prom. I won't tell what year that was! LOL
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