June 22, 2007
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Good heavens, is it Friday already?
My apologies for my unusual silence this week. We've had the girls staying here while they attend Girl Scout day camp, and having to get them up and out the door at a frightfully early hour, combined with just the stress of having a pair of seven-year-olds (well, Brianna turns seven on the 30th....close enough!) in residence, has caused me to fall behind in rather a lot.
Not to mention which, there simply hasn't been a whole lot to talk about. Dmitry began summer school on Monday, and apart from his fears he won't be able to complete the two courses he's taking, he's actually liking it alright. According to him it's surprising how much work he can get through when surrounded with peace and quiet, without the usual distraction of his friends, chatter in the classroom, etc. None of his particular friends are there, and everyone who is, is present with the goal of getting through the course(s), so it's an environment conducive to study. He's also been assiduous about working on the packs at home in the evening, too.
Charles has been trying to find a job, and to give both him and Dmitry their due, they've managed to share Dmitry's room without causing a ruckus. Of course, Charles spent the night at his friend, Aaron's, house the last two nights. ;^)
The other day I went to Stripling & Cox, a department store in the Dunlop chain, which is closing. Sad, sad time. Not a surprise, mind....one of the mysteries of life here in Fort Worth has been wondering how on earth Stripling & Cox managed to stay open at all. The selection wasn't much, the prices weren't much, and the facility itself was tired. But oh my....! Back when I was growing up, Cox's (as it was before merging with Stripling's) was a primo department store. By jingo, I remember when a department store was a department store, with a book department, toy department, millinery department, bridal department, and even a notions department. That last is where my sister, Jeanne, had her very first job. She was an excellent student so was able to get credit for working in the afternoons, and as she was also a skilled seamstress, she worked in the Cox's notions department.
Ah, well do I recall her receiving her first pay check, and Dad's having to go through it with her in the dining room, explaining what all those deductions were for. As is common when one first becomes employed, she'd simply multiplied her hourly wage by the number of hours worked and expected the check to match. Ha. That was a rude disappointment for her, as it's been for several of our children in their turn.
Cox's is where we ordered my wedding invitations, and I'm trying to remember if I got my veil there, too. It was the first place those of us living on the west side who got engaged went to register our patterns, and that's when you knew you were getting married....when you could go up to the china department, find your pattern and see the little card in front of it with your name and wedding date on it.
These are hard times for department stores in any case, as Target has made depredations even into Macy's and Dillard's market share. A mediocre store such as Stripling & Cox had become didn't stand a chance.
I wonder if the locally-owned department store will ever make a comeback? I'd love to see that happen, personally.
Comments (11)
I'd sure like to see those local department stores come back. Growing up, we had Griswold's which was right on the Green. And Fleischman's is where I always got shoes-- always brown oxfords-- for school. There was a drugstore with a soda fountain on the Green too, and a small grocery store, which is still there, unbelievably enough. I think it's gone Gourmet though. sigh.
Grandmother sure loved Coxes. Indeed, in the past two years it had become Mary's favorite store to shop in. She is very sad over its closing.
My dad was the manager of the fabric and notions department at Rich's in Atlanta in the 50s, and at Miller's (our local department store in Knoxville) in the 60s. Local Department Stores are the best - - - especially around Christmas time!
That's a heck of a coincidence, Brad, that we would both have close relatives who worked in the notions departments of department stores! I'll bet the younger folk weren't even aware before this that "fine" department stores even had notions departments.
I wouldn't be surprised to live to see the return of the locally owned and operated department store. As we Boomers get older, the mall looks less and less inviting, as do those Really Big department stores.
If I had the money I'd buy the S&C building and open my own department store, by golly. Ivy's.
I like it.
Clara worked in the notions department of a local department store, too! Well, a local chain. Ain't that somethin'?
I miss our one big, traditional local department store. It even had those chute thingies for the cash when I was really small. And elevator operators, and the elevator doors were gated! It was so much fun shopping there, especially, as you say, at Christmas. They had the best Santa Clauses, and wonderful decorations.
In its place now is a transportation center - a bus terminal, with a transportation museum, an auditorium and several exclusive shops and a restaurant or two. Along with the locally owned department store would come the return of the downtown, I'd venture. Ours is largely a commerce center, with a few specialty shops and restaurants, along with the Federal building and the county courthouse. That's it.
me<><
I thought of that store too, Cindy, when I read this. It had atmosphere, something lacking in a, say, Target - if you've seen one Target ... It even had its own smell. Philadelphia had several big department stores when I was growing up, all within walking distance of each other. You could find anything you wanted in one or another of them.
Oh well. We'll never see their like again.
At least we lived to enjoy them, y'know? Along with real, honest-to-goodness soda fountains in drug stores.
Simple pleasures of a by-gone age, m'dears....simple pleasures.
I'm glad the LORD placed me when and where I am, that's for sure.
Well, here's something I wonder. If they do make a comeback, the local department stores I mean, what will I find myself saying years from now? "Boy, I remember when poor ol' Walmart was in every town. It had such low prices and put so many people in China to work. But now that Peterson fella put his department store back on Seventh Street. How 20th century." tee-he-he (As a reminder, that was all said in a light-hearted, joking fashion. I really enjoyed reading about my mom's pre-children days, and I do hope to hear about more of them. Cheers!)
I enjoyed the memories too. What is the Notions department?
I would have loved to try out the honest to goodness soda fountains in drug stores. Eckerds and Walgreens and CVS are just to boring.
My memories will be of Target (my favorite). Other than friends and family, that is what i miss most about the states. No Target in Japan, and shopping on-line just isn't the same. I don't even have to buy anything. Just walking around Target and window shopping (or aisle shopping, I guess) is OK by me (though it's tough to make it through the whole store without wanting to buy something).
My childhood memories include the Drive-in. That was so much fun. We used to go get KFC Chicken, back my dad's truck in, lay out sleeping bags, and enjoy the movies. I would fall asleep through the 2nd. We had the pleasure of having a working drive in right down the road in Memphis last year. Alex took me to see Cars for my birthday. So sweet. As a kid, the only movie I remember there was with Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron (I think), where they switched places (kind of like Freaky Friday, only with guys). Anyone remember what that movie was called?
I also remember playing outside with my friends until dark. Do kids do that anymore? It seems like they are inside glued to the TV and video games. Bummer. I pray Hannah and Faith spend lots of time playing outside and getting dirty.
Notions = sewing stuff, i.e. fabric, thread, etc.
There's a drive-in down in Granbury, IIRC. I tend to forget about it, but it'd be fun to take Dmitry and maybe one or two of his friends to it. Let him enjoy a real slice of Americana.
Kids don't do the play outside until almost dark thing any longer, at least not unless there are adults outside, as well. Too much risk these days. It's a pity, for we used to love playing outside in the dark....statues, and hide-and-seek, for instance. Hide-and-seek is lots of good fun when played in the dark!
Our kids do play outside until dark. At least Robin's kids at her house - they have a wonderful back yard with a woods at the end and a stream, and very safe. And at Hazel's. They can here, too, but it's not often there's a passel of children here at dark. One of the benefits of small town living, I guess.
Our Aaron will dig in the dirt (he loves Gram's flowerbeds, but Hazel's not so wild about THAT!) until you physically drag him away. He gets dirt everywhere on his body. So cute. He usually has to be hosed off outside.
I can remember Jason doing the same with the twins, and before that my nephew Duke with our (then) pastor's youngest son. DIRTY! But they had fun.
Most kids don't get out enough. Even here, our kids are generally the exception. When Rachel and Ethan have frends over to play and they can play with flashlights in the woods, you can tell they've never done anything close to that before. And they tire out before E & R do, too.
Hazel and I were talking just the other day about how when we were growing up, we could pack a lunch in the morning, and just run around the neighborhood all day long - til dark or til we got hungry, which ever came first. Of course, we lived in a neighborhood filled with family and long-time, nosy neighbors who were all keeping an eye on all of us, one way and another.
me<><
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