tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post6355505352858704300..comments2024-03-19T02:28:22.065-05:00Comments on Pleasant Family Shopping: A Charming Day at WardsDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-42403091299638879652011-10-23T11:23:00.096-05:002011-10-23T11:23:00.096-05:00I found this recollection of a California girl who...I found this recollection of a California girl who was a Wendy Ward graduate:<br /><br />I grew up in Santa Ana, and one of my fondest memories is of attending the Wendy Ward Charm School which was located in the Montgomery Wards on 17th Street. Every Saturday we trekked upstairs, through the furniture department and spent a couple of hours learning how to paint our nails, walk and sit with good posture and conduct ourselves like ladies. Lots of lights and mirrors, costumes and instructional posters made that space very glamorous to my 10 year old girlie side.<br /><br />Serena, with the big blond hair and long red-lacquered fingernails was our instructor. The best part was when we got to go downstairs to the girls department and pick out 3 of the prettiest outfits we could find (and matching shoes of course!), which we then modeled during a fashion show on a Saturday afternoon. They had stage risers set up and music playing. I loved it!!Paul Ducanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-49183833631729357402010-10-13T15:54:00.748-05:002010-10-13T15:54:00.748-05:00Love your blog. Wards had an earlier fictional ic...Love your blog. Wards had an earlier fictional icon in the '30s, named "Mary Ward". They even produced a soap opera around her. Mary advised young lovers, poor people, and oldsters about their problems, and for some reason the solution always involved Wards products! <br /><br />Several episodes survive; you can hear a sample here:<br /><br />http://www.otrcat.com/travels-of-mary-ward-p-1941.htmlPolistrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09594313902571823549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-38317032234354600422010-09-07T22:16:58.836-05:002010-09-07T22:16:58.836-05:00Nessa - Sounds like your chair was built to last.....Nessa - Sounds like your chair was built to last...they've been in "that big shopping mall in the sky" for a while now...<br /><br />Very nice to hear from you - hope you're doing well!Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-79072267806374355502010-09-07T16:56:02.472-05:002010-09-07T16:56:02.472-05:00How cute/nostalgic... I miss Ward's. And I ty...How cute/nostalgic... I miss Ward's. And I type this sitting in a chair purchased at Ward's shortly before it went to that big shopping mall in the sky...still pretty comfy, hehe.Nessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00560592169560020750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-82748770698263205182010-08-17T18:47:39.980-05:002010-08-17T18:47:39.980-05:00Adrienne – No, your mom’s threat was real, I’m afr...Adrienne – No, your mom’s threat was real, I’m afraid! You obviously developed charm and manners on your own, so thankfully she didn’t have to resort to that. :)<br /><br />I remember my last two Wards purchases – a set of tires at North Riverside Park mall in ’87 (the place is now a Sears) literally the week I moved away from Chicago, and then around 1991 or so, my wife and I received a microwave oven as a gift, bought from Randhurst and shipped to us in Tennessee. We looked up the closest Wards, which was in Clarksville, an hour away (very cool 60’s-era store), and exchanged it for a then $100-dollar plus Wards-brand VCR. Lasted for years!<br /><br />Having said all that, I still miss the golden age of Sears more.<br /><br />Ken – I agree, especially in the 60’s, Wards’ marketing was excellent. Had they started earlier and then not faded away so fast, people would be more inclined to put them in league with Penneys and Sears. Their gigantic missteps in the 40’s and 50’s held them back for the rest of their existence. <br /><br />A wider geographic dispersion of stores (including the South as you cite) would have helped. And speaking as a fellow 70’s kid, the Wards Wish Book would have scored points with me. I think they did issue one for a good number of years, but only Sears and Penneys’ Christmas catalogs ever seemed to make it to our house.<br /><br />And addressing your other comment, I would imagine that Carol Brent might not have cut it with every girl as a substitute for the iconic, heavily advertised and accessory-rich Barbie. But I’m not in a great position to say one way or another! :)<br /><br />I agree with you on the wagons – I actually had a Wards “Hawthorne” brand wagon. The ones I really admired were the Radio Flyer wagons with the removable wooden sides, because mine was a standard steel wagon. I still had fun in it, though! <br /> <br />Michael – You’re very welcome, thanks for commenting! I got a kick out of the very serious way Wards explained “Carol Brent”. Fun stuff!Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-53585871648578588202010-08-11T13:34:26.525-05:002010-08-11T13:34:26.525-05:00In reality how many little girls were disappointed...In reality how many little girls were disappointed that Santa brought them a Carol Brent doll instead of a Barbie? I wonder if any of those dolls are still around or if they ended up as unwanted/unloved toys that went to the dump.<br /><br />Of course we got our share of private label toys growing up, ranging from Otasco, Western Auto, Sears and Penney's, so I understand that a market for the would exist. I didn't really worry about what brand such things were until my teens, which by then was the go-go 80's. As a boy I didn't mind the red wagon being Western Flyer, but as a teen I didn't want a knock off Atari from Sears.Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-42280421446236665822010-08-10T08:20:19.828-05:002010-08-10T08:20:19.828-05:00Thanks for this powerful nostalgia.
And thanks fo...Thanks for this powerful nostalgia.<br /><br />And thanks for the explanation of "Carol Brent," which makes it possible to appreciate the presence of her name and hometown ("Anywhere") in the first commercial.Michael Leddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-68097518994920123862010-08-09T19:41:33.765-05:002010-08-09T19:41:33.765-05:00The more I learn about Wards, the more I realize h...The more I learn about Wards, the more I realize how dull modern retailing has become. MW really deserved the iconic status that Sears and JCPenney have acheived, but due to a few misteps and miscalcualtions from the 50's onward, became an also ran until its eventual liquidation.<br /><br />I basically grew up with every mall having a JCPenney and Sears with 1 or 2 mid-range regional department stores filling the other anchor pads. For many years I thought every mall followed this basic configuration- ultimately most would. It would have been cool had Wards survived in the Southeast beyond some scattered stores. Christmas would have been especially great as I recall eagerly awaiting the Sears and Penney's wish books, adding a Monty Ward to the mix would have been too cool.Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-15648050910041729032010-08-09T16:24:55.807-05:002010-08-09T16:24:55.807-05:00I really thought my mom was joking about sending m...I really thought my mom was joking about sending me to Wendy Wards charm school when I belched at the dinner table. Guess she wasn't! <br /><br />One of my last Wards purchases, a lovely red boombox ca. 1986, is still functioning beautifully as our home workshop entertainment center. <br /><br />Too bad Wards didn't last that long, though honestly I don't miss them all that much.Adriennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667744737769066870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-80558120381806513442010-08-08T17:03:28.011-05:002010-08-08T17:03:28.011-05:00Chris – Good to hear from you! It was fairly commo...Chris – Good to hear from you! It was fairly common at the time of these photos for Penney’s, Wards and Sears auto centers to sell gas, though to my recollection a lot of them began to drop it in the 70’s, sticking instead with tires, batteries, oil changes and the like. <br /><br />Looks like it may an oil dipstick – the hood’s up! <br /><br />Rachel – Thanks so much – glad you enjoyed the site! <br /><br />The Hot Topic thing may be a bit farfetched, I realize… :) <br /> <br />Didi – Maybe the idea’s a natural, after all…I can see the girls now with their “Tina Topic” certificates! <br /> <br />Doug – You’re exactly right, that’s mainly what it was. Mail order had been around forever by that time, and ordering by phone, heavily promoted by that time, was gaining popularity, but lots of folks still preferred to place their orders in person. They would also pick their shipments up at those counters when they arrived.<br /><br />As a side note, I like the way Wards had the giant catalog replicas on the back wall. <br /> <br />Steve – I agree, the commercials are great. I wish more examples from that far back were available.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788722183424550052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-6771525775176380412010-08-07T00:04:43.039-05:002010-08-07T00:04:43.039-05:00These are pretty groovy, especially the commercial...These are pretty groovy, especially the commercials.Livemallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01567198484359363455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-26334301508475587172010-08-06T18:17:11.536-05:002010-08-06T18:17:11.536-05:00Can I ask a dumb question? What's a catalog co...Can I ask a dumb question? What's a catalog counter do, exactly? Just a place to go order something out of the catalog? Wouldn't that have been done over the phone by the sixties? <br /><br />I don't think my folks ever ordered anything from a Wards/Sears/Penneys catalog, so I've no idea how this would have worked.Dougnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-61669114661925323452010-08-06T16:59:44.197-05:002010-08-06T16:59:44.197-05:00It’s a shame that no society-minded 21st century r...<i>It’s a shame that no society-minded 21st century retailer has picked up the mantle and introduced a “charm center” program of its own. Rumors that Hot Topic is considering the idea are unsubstantiated at this point. </i><br /><br />Oh come on, Dave! Everyone knows that the class at Hot Topic is a mere hop skip and a jump away at the Hot Topic nearest you. Lesson Number One: How to apply bright orange eye shadow. (which I almost bought myself last time I was there. Someone talked me out of it) Lesson Number Two: How to dress as good as Marilyn Manson. Lesson Number Three: How to act like a band member from Metalica's early years. <br /><br />Kidding aside, I love these sets of photos. Realistic for being publicity shots. Weird to say, I know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-30782912297926177552010-08-06T07:31:10.085-05:002010-08-06T07:31:10.085-05:00Oh, I am laughing so hard at the Wendy Ward charm ...Oh, I am laughing so hard at the Wendy Ward charm school and the Hot Topic reference! Thank you for a great website!Rachelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033289293807518844.post-50830918307495183162010-08-06T03:11:14.729-05:002010-08-06T03:11:14.729-05:00I never realized that you could buy gas a a Montgo...I never realized that you could buy gas a a Montgomery Ward? I assume it's getting maintenance of some kind and the gentleman with his back to the camera is actually somehow involved with MW. I can't for the life of me determine what he's holding though.Christopher Duvahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14031483767032260473noreply@blogger.com