Hoping everyone is having a wonderful July 4th
weekend. Another anniversary occurs this weekend, albeit one far less
significant – today is the 7th anniversary of Pleasant Family
Shopping, which began on July 5, 2007.
Over those seven years, 315 posts have appeared (a too-small
percentage of them appearing in 2013 and 2014 – a trend I hope to reverse), and
as always, your comments have contributed immensely.
So I decided to put together a list of the Top 10 percent of
posts, as gauged by the amount of comment activity. A “Greatest Hits” post, if
you will. This leaves out a few stalwarts like Safeway, Zayre and Publix that
were covered earlier in the site’s run, but nothing’s perfect.
My thanks (and amazement) to those who have stuck with PFS
for years now - from the bottom of my heart. And to those who have joined us
more recently, welcome, and many thanks to you as well!
Dave
1. Suburban Shopping in the 70’s – If this had been a real
shopping trip, it would have taken three days. Local and national retail chain
stores from two neighboring west suburbs of Chicago.
2. Holiday Inn – The World’s Innkeeper – Pioneer of “Family Travel
Fun!”, with signs that remain seared in our collective memories.
3. You’re the Topps, Baby! – Well-remembered discount chain
from the Eastern and Midwestern regions.
4. A Tale of Two Guys – “Those two b***ards from Harrison,
NJ”, and the discount chain they started, which eventually spanned two coasts.
5. The Golden Age of Gas Stations – A tribute to the bygone
era of service stations through a look at some 30-odd famous brand names, some
still here, many now gone. Yes, I forgot
Hess, Crown and numerous others. Next time!
6. The Original Big K – Southern discounter, later acquired
by Wal-Mart. I’ve heard from more former employees of Big K than any other
chain except Korvette, and virtually all recounted their years there with
fondness.
7. Save at Venture, Save with Style – Discounter from the
Midwest (and Texas!) that was stylish indeed. They got stripes!
8. E.J. Korvette and the Dawn of Discounting – About the
chain that started it all, and its visionary founder, Eugene Ferkauf. My
favorite discounter of all time.
9. Requiem for Randhurst – My personal tribute to Randhurst,
triangular architectural masterpiece and pioneering Chicago-area mall. To my
childhood eyes, ‘twas a wonderland.
10. The First Target Store Opens, 1962 – The birth of a
legend.
11. Randhurst is 50! – Exquisite early promotional photos
from Randhurst.
12. The Opening of Dixie Square Mall, 1966 – Some history of
the most famous “dead mall” of all, and photos from when it was vibrantly
alive.
13. When It Was Penneys – The origin of the famed “Funky P”
logo.
14. It’s the Montgomery, Not the Ward – The last days of the
legendary Montgomery Ward, where I got my little red wagon, among other things.
15. The First Woolco Stores – The early years of F.W.
Woolworth Company’s discount store division. Zig-zag awnings at their finest.
16. One Small Step for Woolco – Woolco on the move in the
late 1960’s.
17. The General Cinema Experience – Remembering everyone’s
favorite mall and shopping center-based theatres. Who could forget that catchy
“Feature Presentation” theme?
18. G.C. Murphy – Dime Store Pioneer – A look at one of the
great “5 and 10” chains, who later brought “Murphy’s Mart” into the world, then
succumbed to Murphy’s Law, unfortunately.
19. The Kroger Superstores! – The apex of 1970’s supermarket
style. Let’s Go Krogering!
20. Kmart – Eat Here and Get Gas! – Kmart branches out into
auto service and fast food, late 1960’s.
21. The Dynamic Dominick’s – Remembering a Chicago supermarket institution on the eve of its
closing, though a look at one of their most striking stores. Still hard to believe
they’re gone.
22. The Beat Goes On at Dillard’s – A shameless attempt on
my part to hitch this site to a celebrity bandwagon, and a capsule early
history of Dillard’s.
23. A Real Early American A&P - A Colonial-style A&P
grocery store, before Colonialism was in fashion.
24. A Farewell to Mr. Paperback – A reflection on the
closing of a favorite store, written by my friend Kendra Bird. Substitute your
own most-missed store for “Mr. Paperback” and your local mall-that’s-seen-better-days
for Airport Mall, and it will very likely hit home.
25. Kmart - That 70's Store – Because it most certainly was “that 70’s store”. TYFSAK!
26. A Look Through Penney’s Window – And a rather wistful
one, at that. Time waits for no one. (Hold on, did I just name-check a Rolling
Stones song?)
27. The Art and History of Cermak Plaza – Berwyn, Illinois’ landmark
shopping center, built in the late 50’s and transformed into a legend with the addition
of some controversial modern art sculptures in the 1980’s .The sculptures are
gone, but the legend remains.
28. A Primer on A&P Centennials. – Does it get more American than A&P? Or
more “Early American”, to be specific?
29. The First Kmart Opens, 1962 – Celebrating 50 years of
Kmart. Not taking bets on a second 50 years, unfortunately.
30. Wards in Huntington Beach, 1966 – A classic Montgomery
Ward store that stood for a very long time after it closed, finally being torn
down sometime after this post was written.
31. Shopping in Los Angeles in the 1950’s – A day in postwar
shopping paradise. The only thing missing was a stop at Van de Kamp’s.
31.5. Ralphs Granada Hills Reloaded, 1965 - An incredibly
awesome 1960 supermarket made even awesomer by a 1965 remodeling. Cooler than
your grocery store. Cooler than mine.
Note: the photo above is a Container Corporation of America (Marcor)
publicity shot, circa 1969.
