Store you used to shop at "back in the day" . . .

[Chefzhat]

Some friends and I were reminiscing about stores that used to be sooooo cool when we were in High School - and most of them aren't even in business anymore!! So, here we go ladies - let's take a trip down memory lane :)

Feel free to add your own!!!

Just Pants/Just Jeans

Marianne

Jean Nicole

Foxmoor

Robert Hall

Gittlemans

Sagebrush

Who's next??

[stefania4]

The Limited is still in business, but the label Outback Red is looong gone. I was stunned to go through some clothes in my bottom drawer last year and find a black turtleneck by Outback Red!

[krispy spo]

Foxmoor
Joyce Leslie
Mandees
Gantos
Thom McCan & Kinney (shoes)

[Chefzhat]

Oh! I forgot about Gantos! They were headquartered here in our city so we got the added benefit of discount shopping at their warehouse. I still see some of the Gantos family out and about at social things.

[lhall]

Originally posted by stefania4
The Limited is still in business, but the label Outback Red is looong gone.

:o :o

I still have a few things that are Outback Red as well. I also used to do some shopping at 5.7.9, but they are still around.

Leigh

[Chefzhat]

Here's another:

Chess King

[krispy spo]

When I saw Chess King I immediately thought of parachute pants and white capezios!!:D

[jmarie]

Do I live in the boonies or what? I have never even heard of ANY of the stores you mentioned! I feel so drprived.:( ;)
J

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Chefzhat
Marianne
Jean Nicole


I remember these. Definitely 80's clothes. ;)

Perhaps it was just regional, but does anyone remember:

Grants (like K-mart)
Hills (like Target)

[jmarie]

Now, I can relate!

Grants (like K-mart) HILLs like Target?

[Jessica]

When I think of Foxmoor, I remember those 80s sweaters with the big, blocky patterns.

Also remember Gantos and Outback Red 10-button shirts :)

We had Venture, a sort of Kmart-type store. Anyone remember Venture??

[Grace]

Who remembers Zayre?? :p :D That was the "K-Mart" of the day....

And I used to love Gantos! Forgot about them, actually!

We also used to shop at Wieboldt's and Goldblatts.

[granolagirl]

I remember Jean Nicole, Zayre, Venture, Ganto's, Chees King, County Seat, Prange's and Prange Way.

[sneezles]

Originally posted by Grace
Who remembers Zayre?? :p :D That was the "K-Mart" of the day....
We also used to shop at Wieboldt's and Goldblatts.

Having grown up in Chicago I remember all those stores and I worked at Kresge's (the dime store that "grew into" K-Mart)!

[BarbaraL]

A waaaaay long time ago, I remember buying record albums at Two Guys. For clothes (but this was after high school), I loved Hahnes; I still miss that store.

[ellamay]

Wow, talk about flashbacks! I got the coolest jacket at Chess King back in 1989. I was the envy of all my friends in the 8th grade. :D

Did anyone have a TG&Y in their town? They were like five-and-dimes.

[Gail]

Judy's.

TERRIBLY '70's. Very in at the time. If there are still any of those old Bob Newhart shows circulating around, Judy's used to provide Suzanne Pleshette's clothing.

I remember that if you didn't have a salesgirl help you (which I personally HATED since I'm a very independent shopped) they wouldn't give you a private dressing room and you'd get banished into an area known as The Group.

I hated The Group.

[jjsooner73]

Originally posted by ellamay
Did anyone have a TG&Y in their town? They were like five-and-dimes.

Yep, we did. It was one of not many stores in my hometown. I won a Cabbage Patch Doll there in a Christmas time drawing while in 2nd grade. :)
I always thought TG&Y stood for Toys, Games, and Yo-yos.

There were Venture stores in the OKC area, but I think they have all closed down in the last 8-10 years.

We had Anthony's for clothes/shoes. I also remember getting most of my 8th grade wardrobe at Paul Harris in the mall (big deal for a small town girl).

[Wendy w]

Yes Gail, I remember Judy's well. The one that I used to go into didn't pull that nonsense that you endured.

Here's some more and yes, I am probably dating myself. :o

TG&Y
Kresges
Woolworths
Grant's
Sally Shops
Leeds
CH Baker
Foxmoor
Fedco
Patrini's
Haggerty's
I Magnin
Charles Magnin
Fashion Conspiracy
Cal Stores
The Treasury

Food stores:
Fazio's
Thriftimart
Food Giant
Market Basket

[Jessica]

Grace, I totally remember Zayre and Wieboldt's.

Do they still have Service Merchandise stores, where you would order in the department and pick up your item near the front? I bought my school scientific calculator there for $60--a huge expense for my family at the time--and still have it; it still works great. Probably costs about $20 now :)

[SandyM]

I think all of the Service Merchandise stores went out of business. There was one like that in New York called Brand Names. Neat concept, and we bought some stuff there - I can't remember what.

[Gail]

Originally posted by Wendy w
Yes Gail, I remember Judy's well. The one that I used to go into didn't pull that nonsense that you endured.

Here's some more and yes, I am probably dating myself. :o

...Charles Magnin...


Is that like Joseph Magnin's brother? :p

[BarbaraL]

Wow, Jessica, we bought everything at Service Merchandise. The store in Wayne, NJ closed just a year or so ago.

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by Gail


Is that like Joseph Magnin's brother? :p

Could be. I never knew the relationship. :p

I want to add Zody's (my grandma used to call it a "schlock" shop)

and the Akron (kind of like an earlier version of Pier One)

[Gail]

Originally posted by Wendy w


Could be. I never knew the relationship. :p

I want to add Zody's (my grandma used to call it a "schlock" shop)

and the Akron (kind of like an earlier version of Pier One)

First off, I was putting you on 'cause I thought you made a mistake. Have never heard of Charles Magnin. Joseph Magnin, I Magnin, but Charles is a new one for me. But then again, I don't remember seeing TG&Y, Kresges, Grant's, Haggerty's or Cal Stores around here either. The first two I've heard of, the others no.
I used to shop at a lot of small shops in Century City, plus Robinson's Beverly Hills. I don't remember the names of any of the small shops except Judy's. I'm not a shopper, so it's easy to annoy me. I remember a lot of those places, as soon as you walked in the front door, someone would approach me and start following me around.

I'd leave.

Second thing I was going to say is: You're good. I'd forgotten most of those places. Zody's of course, made me think of White Front. Or maybe that was before YOUR time...

For some reason, I just thought about Papagallo (forgot spelling) though I guess that was already in college. LOVED that place. For an independent shopper like me, being able to just try on a shoe in the style and size I wanted was WONderful.

It's funny, right now I live within like three minutes of a major shopping mall (Del Amo Fashion Square.) HATE it. I do more shopping in your area than around here. Similarly, when I was growing up, I lived within walking distance of the Miracle Mile, which had loads of shops. What did I do? Took the bus to Beverly Hills and Century City. Classic case of the grass always being greener, I guess... :rolleyes:

[stefania4]

Originally posted by Wendy w
the Akron (kind of like an earlier version of Pier One) Speaking of which, I remember when Pier One had clothing!

[HRJ]

Originally posted by BarbaraL
For clothes (but this was after high school), I loved Hahnes; I still miss that store.

Yes! I still have a winter scarf with the Hahnes house label on it. And I always liked Bamberger's better when it was still Bam's, not Macy's.

I'm not too familiar with a lot of the stores the rest of you are mentioning -- I guess there used to be more regional retailers, or maybe they were more '80s stores -- during the '80s, I was suffering through those awful "dress for success" junior career-girl outfits, with the floppy little bow ties. :eek:

Stores I remember (I think these were all NY/NJ regional):

E.J. Korvettes -- in high school, the best store ever! Bought all my vinyl record albums, cheap makeup and perfume there.

Alexander's Had my first-ever "real" job as a salesgirl at the Alexanders in Rego Park, Queens.

Orbach's and A&S.

Also, when I was in high school ('70s), a very cool place to buy stuff was any Army-Navy store -- carpenter's pants, overalls, etc.

If I went shopping with my mom, we went to Loehman's -- that's still around, isn't it? It was basically like TJ Maxx or Marshall's, with only clothes. They had these big communal dressing rooms -- as a teenager, I dreaded having to try things on in there. And then they had something called the "back room" -- lots of designer stuff with terrific markdowns, but no dressing rooms at all -- only women were allowed to shop in there, and you just tried the stuff on right there at the rack. :eek:

About Grants -- one summer when I was in college, I had a job as a clerk/typist for a big real estate corporation. I spent the summer typing and filing papers related to the closure of all the Grants all over the country. It was actually a fairly low-stress job that paid really well. I remember being amazed how many Grants there had been.

Helene

[sneezles]

Originally posted by stefania4
Speaking of which, I remember when Pier One had clothing!

OMG, I worked for them at the time and I always thought the clothes were awful! That company went through quite a few morphs in the 15 years I worked for them!

[Barrie]

I really miss Winkelman's. I used to shop there all the time in high school.

I also miss Hudson's downtown store, the one with all the (3? I forget how many) basements.

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by Gail


First off, I was putting you on 'cause I thought you made a mistake. Have never heard of Charles Magnin. Joseph Magnin, I Magnin, but Charles is a new one for me. But then again, I don't remember seeing TG&Y, Kresges, Grant's, Haggerty's or Cal Stores around here either. The first two I've heard of, the others no.
I used to shop at a lot of small shops in Century City, plus Robinson's Beverly Hills. I don't remember the names of any of the small shops except Judy's. I'm not a shopper, so it's easy to annoy me. I remember a lot of those places, as soon as you walked in the front door, someone would approach me and start following me around.

I'd leave.

Second thing I was going to say is: You're good. I'd forgotten most of those places. Zody's of course, made me think of White Front. Or maybe that was before YOUR time...

For some reason, I just thought about Papagallo (forgot spelling) though I guess that was already in college. LOVED that place. For an independent shopper like me, being able to just try on a shoe in the style and size I wanted was WONderful.

It's funny, right now I live within like three minutes of a major shopping mall (Del Amo Fashion Square.) HATE it. I do more shopping in your area than around here. Similarly, when I was growing up, I lived within walking distance of the Miracle Mile, which had loads of shops. What did I do? Took the bus to Beverly Hills and Century City. Classic case of the grass always being greener, I guess... :rolleyes:

:o :o You caught me. I did mean Jospeh, not Charles. It's Monday and apparently the coffee hasn't hit all of the brain cells. :o I remember all these places because my Mom, an avid shopper, used to drag me all over. Yes, I am old enough to remember White Front. :o I remember that they had a Papagallo in the shopping center that you like to shop at near me. Great store!

I remember when Pier One had clothes too.

[ellery]

Wow. I've heard of maybe two of all the stores listed so far. Gantos and Papagallo (remember those cute purses?).

Apparently I was not a big shopper when I was a teenager. The thrill of my life back then was shopping at Limited (remember those deep V-neck sweaters? so cool) and department stores like Miller & Rhodes.

I wish we'd had Target and TJ Maxx and all that back in the day. Sigh. I'd have been in heaven... ;)

Leah

[Gail]

The Limited...

Did all stores have like a kajillion mannequins in the window like ours did? I remember walking by one day and doing a double-take. They'd stripped all the mannequins and it looked like a giant nude floor show!

[JanetJ]

Wow, I haven't heard of hardly any of those stores. We were just talking about this at work the other day and we loved to shop at:

Jay Jacobs
Maurice's
The Closet
Mr. Rags
The Limited

[Chefzhat]

Originally posted by krispy spo
When I saw Chess King I immediately thought of parachute pants and white capezios!!:D

Yup, and those goofy piano key scarves a'la St. Elmo's Fire. Rob Lowe - swoooooooooon. :)

[boisewinesnob]

Originally posted by JanetJ
Wow, I haven't heard of hardly any of those stores. We were just talking about this at work the other day and we loved to shop at:

Jay Jacobs
Maurice's
The Closet
Mr. Rags
The Limited

Oh, thank goodness! I was just wondering where the heck all the Pacific NW-ers were ;) as I know almost none of the stores they are mentioning here!!!

Janet, I second:
Jay Jacobs
The Closet
The Limited

and have to add:
Mariposa
The Crescent
and remember when Nordstrom wasn't all over the country :p

[aggie94]

Does anyone remember Susie's (aka Susie's Casuals)? They also owned Kinney Shoes. I worked at both places - my first job ever while I was still in high school. I *just* got rid of a sundress about a year ago that I bought while working there. :o

Miller's Outpost is another one I didn't see mentioned. TG&Y sounds vaguely familiar to me -- I think we must have had one near me growing up. I can hear my mom mentioning it. And Chess King made me LOL. :D

[gertdog]

Miller's Outpost- the place to get your Levi's 501s!
The Limited- I still have a "Forenza" sweatshirt
Contempo Casuals- which is still around now but carries clothes my mother would NEVER have let me wear as a teenager.

[mlynn]

Originally posted by JanetJ
Wow, I haven't heard of hardly any of those stores. We were just talking about this at work the other day and we loved to shop at:

Jay Jacobs
Maurice's
The Closet
Mr. Rags
The Limited

Would you believe that a brand new Maurice's just opened up in a strip mall near my house?:confused:

I shopped at The Limited, Paul Harris, Pasta (a spin-off of Paul Harris I do believe) Express and Deb--good lord does anyone remember that awful store--lots of printed camp shirts which were worn over two or three polo shirts that had the collars turned up.

[ellamay]

Deb - I used to shop in one all the time in high school, because they would periodically put clothes on sale for $7 or $4. It was great back then, even though the clothes were really poor quality.

The one I shopped at closed after I left my hometown to go to college. Would you believe I went to the mall in DH's hometown the other day when we were visiting, and they had a Deb??? I got a suede jacket with wild fake fur collar and cuffs for $7! It will be great for Halloween, or some day when I feel like dressing up just to draw attention :)

I shopped at Maurice's and Jay Jacobs too - the only stand-alone clothing store in my college town was a Maurice's and the prices were outrageously high for the quality of clothing they were selling. $60 for a flimsy print rayon dress??? You've gotta be kidding me!!

Do they still have Gadzooks! stores? I bought a lot of clothes there in the early 90s...I also used to buy a lot of stuff at Clothestime...at one time they carried neat, more classic-looking stuff and then later on it turned into a hoochie-mama teenage clothes store.

Oh, and the coolest kids in my high school shopped at Miller's Outpost. I was only able to buy stuff there when it went on clearance.

[hollysmom]

Houston gone-but-not-forgottens:

Battlestein's
Woolco
Joske's
Sakowitz
Sage

SSM

[mbrogier]

I shopped at Gap, Limited, Express, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Belks. I also found a cool store that sold stuff from Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Gap, etc. that was off season, seconds, etc. for really cheap. I picked up some really great stuff their for almost nothing. I went in one day and it was a buy on get one free day. :D I still have a pair of Ann Taylor heeled sandals that a fabulous...$3.

[badunnin]

Units.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by mlynn
Paul Harris, Pasta (a spin-off of Paul Harris I do believe)

Yep, Pasta was casual and Paul Harris was more business or dressy attire.

Anyone shop at Brooks Fashions or Brooks Atelier? They were the same store, just different prototypes. They were similar to Paul Harris/Pasta. I mananged a store from them in the late 80s and early 90s before they went under in 1993. Their clothes were very basic, with some trendy thrown in here and there. They used to have the best hand-knit sweaters. Most of my paycheck went right back into the store. :rolleyes:

Some of you from the Lehigh Valley area might also remember Petite Shop/Junior Colony/Fashion Colony - a very local chain that also went under in the 80s. There was also Lady Bug - they also went under. I worked for those two chains too.

Hmmmm...all the stores I worked for eventually went bankrupt..... :o ..... :D

Alysha :)

[Loremma]

Gemco, the membership store that cost $1.00 a year, and that was a lot! It was like a Super K-Mart, with food, clothing, glasses and pharmacy. Loved that store.

[Lauren]

Fun thread! I remember shopping at Kay Baum's (in MI) when I was in HS.

[Lauren]

Originally posted by Barrie
I really miss Winkelman's. I used to shop there all the time in high school.

I also miss Hudson's downtown store, the one with all the (3? I forget how many) basements.

Barrie, are you from MI? I remember Winkelman's and the Hudson's downtown store in Detroit.

[Escher]

JC's Pizzeria.

(I didn't do much shopping in HS)

[ErinM]

Prange's
Prange Way
Vanity
The Limited....remember Forenza sweaters? Boxy, with a vertical twisted pattern and a breast pocket? I had a pink one...
Outback Red
Guess clothing...when it was "new"

[Jewel]

When I was in high school in California the only place that one bought their skin tight Dittos jeans was at Miller's Outpost. :cool:

[newtricks]

Judy's. Good Lord. I got a prom dress there. Uh huh, green and white so my date wore a LIME GREEN green tux:o :o

Oh yes, Contempo Casuals

And let's not forget Windsor Fashions.

Can I say Montclair Plaza 1979???

Anchor stores were Robinsons and May Co.

Miller's Outpost was right down the road.

I'm trying to remember the shoe store where I bought my Candies and big clogs

[Chelle D]

The only one I can think of, which was not a clothes store is Witmark...my dad used to like going in there. The gave out greenstamps and my stepmom would fill her green stamp books and go to the greenstamp store to trade them in for something - very strange, but sort of cool :)

[stefania4]

Wow - there are a lot of these I've never heard of! But I do remember Deb, Paul Harris/Pasta (Paul Harris is still around), and Papagallos - home of the Bermuda bag.

I grew up in suburban Philadelphia and the department stores I shopped at - Gimbels (I worked there in high school!), Bamberger's, Abraham & Strauss, and John Wanamakers - have gone out of business.

I don't know if they ever had a store, but does anyone remember Camp Beverly Hills, Hang Ten, and Santa Cruz clothing?

[newtricks]

Originally posted by Jewel
When I was in high school in California the only place that one bought their skin tight Dittos jeans was at Miller's Outpost. :cool:

Oh oh OH! Dittos. Saddleback? You are talking saddleback aren't you? Yeah, I got those at Contempo. Now that's a flattering look. I need to remember those when I complain about the teenagers with their bellies hanging out.

So sad, my NJ friends just don't understand about Dittos. They were all wearing Lilly Pulitzer or something!

[Barrie]

Originally posted by Lauren


Barrie, are you from MI? I remember Winkelman's and the Hudson's downtown store in Detroit.


Yep, I am. :)

[boisewinesnob]

I thought of another....Bennetton (sp?)

And who else remembers when the gap was dorky :o

[Robyncz]

I just read through this thread and had a giggle. While I haven't ever heard of most of the stores listed, I know Judy's all too well. I worked at the store in Plano, Texas all through high school. I have great memories of that job! It was so much fun. I can't believe they paid me for it. However, Gail, we didn't have a group dressing room, so I don't know anything about "The Group." But that doesn't sound like fun at all!

I did most of my shopping, obviously, at Judy's, but I also shopped Contempo Casuals and Paul Harris. In college I really liked Esprit!

[mbrogier]

I tried Paul Harris a few times, but I got tired of their clothes falling apart...

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by boisewinesnob
And who else remembers when the gap was dorky :o

Me! Me! They were tiny little stores and you only went in to buy Levis! :D :D Funny how things change!

Alysha

[scrappycat]

I can't believe you all can remember all these stores. The only one I can add, I don't think it's been mentioned is Worths. My first business job out of college, I bought a ton of cheap suits there.

Also, I remember Santa Cruz clothing. It was my favorite, the only store that carried it was Stix, Baur, & Fuller (I don't think I spelled that right!

[Abbey]

Just hearing the namesfoxmoor and chess king cracked me up! I made fun of DH when we were first married, because he still had chess king clothes in his closet that he wouldn't part with. (thank God he didn't wear them anymore...just couldn't bear to part with them) :)

does anyone remember:

Barbara Moss ? I used to work there.

and

Caldor ...which was like a Zayre or walmart type...

[granolagirl]

Units.
Hee! I remember Units!

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by Loremma
Gemco, the membership store that cost $1.00 a year, and that was a lot! It was like a Super K-Mart, with food, clothing, glasses and pharmacy. Loved that store.

OMG! I almost forgot about Gemco. My family used to go there frequently. I remember Units too. Jewel's mention of Dittos reminded me of this "Canice Classic".



http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39058&highlight=dittos

[memartha]

In Buffalo, I vagely remember shopping at Two Guys as well as Twin Fair -- the Target and Wal-Mart of the 70s, I think. We also had some type of discount drugstore called G-E-X. For groceries, it was Super Duper. Local preppy clothes retailers (my favorite!) were LL Berger, Burt Sweeney's and Papagallo.

[jpap]

Anyone remember Hit or Miss?


Lindrusso, I also worked at Brook Fashions.

[SandyM]

Originally posted by memartha
In Buffalo, I vagely remember shopping at Two Guys as well as Twin Fair -- the Target and Wal-Mart of the 70s, I think.

Oh my gosh Martha - I totally forgot about Twin Fair! :D :D :D

Also, fellow ex-Buffalonian - remember Sample? Oh, and there's always Lerner.

[donnamp14]

oh, I'm going to show my age, now! Kresge's, Gilchrist, Jordan Marsh, Raymond's, RH White.

Has anyone ever heard of Remick's in Quincy, Massachusetts?

[Wendy w]

Does anyone remember the Anita shops? Martha, I remember Two Guys.

[boisewinesnob]

Originally posted by Abbey
[B]Barbara Moss ? I used to work there.

I went to NY state about 9 years ago to visit family and my cousin loved that store. I still have some shorts and a sweater and a V-neck t-shirt from that store and I still love them!!! Are they only in the East and Midwest?

[rosie_one]

Oh yeah hit or miss!

And DEB... ugh. So cheap cheap.

The Buckle

Pranges and Prange Way (my DH used to appear in their catalogs, hehehe)

Lohmans

Kohls, when it used to be a grocery store.

How about Fredericks of Hollywood, back when it was the only strictly lingerie store around? I can remember their men's collection was hilarious. Elephant trunk thongs are just so macho.

Van Heusen, for sweaters with shoulder pads.

Treasure Island, not the grocery, it was a discount store.

Altons

Jessica McClintock

[memartha]

Sandy,

Yes! Sample or as my mother called it, "The Sample Shop." What a blast from the past!!

[d_ferrero]

Sorry... had to dredge up this walk down memory lane to add my own memories...

I remember shopping at many of the places you all have mentioned: Jay Jacobs, Miller's Outpost, The Gap (but ONLY - as others have mentioned - for Levi's jeans), Shirtique (for custom screen-printed tee-shirts), Capwells/The "E" (THE place in northern California to buy a prom dress in the 80's), and the Benneton store on Union Square (which is still there -- and sells some really ODD looking clothes. But then I think that's what my mom said about my purchases from there... :rolleyes:)

I remain the proud owner of one Outback Red five-button blouse and several Forenza sweaters that STILL FIT and a couple of pairs of limited pants with a million pockets in them that don't -- If I drop 20 pounds and attend an 80s party, I'll fit right in!

Finally, for those of you who mentioned Gemco -- at least in Northern California they were bought out by Target in the late 80's. There's one not far from here where you can still read the faded "Gemco" sign on the side of the building.

[kjl]

This thread is cracking me up!

The mention of Forenza sweaters ... remember the bright colored v-neck sweaters we used to wear with the v in back? And the big combs sticking out of the back pockets of our too-tight blue jeans? And some rainbow shoelaces to boot.

[aggie94]

Originally posted by rosie_one
Van Heusen, for sweaters with shoulder pads.

I still shop at Van Heusen. :o :o

Not for sweaters with shoulder pads, though. ;)

[stefania4]

Originally posted by rosie_one
Jessica McClintock Jessica McClintock is still around - I got my wedding dress there last year.

I believe the old Gunne Sax label is gone, though. I remember that everyone wanted a Gunne Sax prom dress!