newsnot
151 posts
Oct 17, 2009
4:16 AM
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what is or was your favorite shopping center? in this thread let's cover only "open air centers". no enclosed malls.
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maxed out
109 posts
Oct 17, 2009
4:45 AM
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I'm not sure it was my favorite, but growing up my family always took us to Elder- Beermans in Kettering I think, and a store somewhere maybe around Woodman called Maxams, Is that right? Wasn't there some kind of correctional institution close to it? and the drive-in? Heck, I don't remember.
In the words of Rosanne Roseanna Dana "Nevermind"
Last Edited by on Oct 17, 2009 4:47 AM
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Keugene48
75 posts
Oct 17, 2009
7:33 AM
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My mom worked in the layaway department at Beerman's in the Westown Mall. One time she had to bring me and my brother to work with her. I remember it being incredibly boring. There was a couple of stores there that I liked - don't remember the names - one had big chunks of chocolate candy, the other had what was called "frozen" ice cream cones, a very dense type of ice cream that didn't melt very quickly. One night Mom brought home a new toy that was brought in the store - hula hoops! There was a fast food place there, maybe Sandy's or Burger Chef. As you can tell I relate to food! Westown was walking distance and where the bus stop was to catch the Third Street bus going to downtown.
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JeffN
260 posts
Oct 29, 2009
1:27 PM
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I got my hair cut at Spin-Kemp from the time I can remember until I moved away. I used to have a friend named Mike Abney whose dad worked there. I think there's still a barber shop in that spot right next to old Rick's Pizza!
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tlturbo
216 posts
Oct 01, 2010
3:20 PM
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Airways also. Got my hair cut back in the corner and we played pool around the back side. I remember Penny's too. I loved it when they built the Long John Silvers out in front.
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JBlair
7 posts
Oct 03, 2010
7:57 PM
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Town and Country! I was allowed to walk to there-- alone--when I was as young as 10 and it was well over a mile each way. And I walked right on Shroyer Road. 'Can't imagine letting a 10-year-old girl do that now.
I loved Kresge's most of all, complete with soda fountain, Blue Waltz perfume, and jewelry I thought could pass for real diamonds for sure! Also bought paper dolls, pillowcases stamped with designs to embroider over, and Japanese wind chimes made of small pieces of glass I was sure I could get home without breaking each time I tried.
Ah. Thanks for getting us started on this!
And does anybody know how to spell Kresge?!
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samstone
98 posts
Oct 04, 2010
10:04 AM
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Yes Mickey, Northtown is one of my earliest shopping memories. We lived close and went there all the time back in the 50's.
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Lylen
2 posts
Nov 19, 2010
11:08 AM
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JBlair, I used to walk to that same center when I was in first grade and buy baseball cards. The rule was I could not go by myself but going wiht a friend was fine. Since the friends were all about the same age, you basically had 6 year olds walking down Shroyer and hanging out in the shopping center. I still cannot believe how casually we used to do that.
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AllenN71
112 posts
Nov 19, 2010
12:32 PM
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Mine was whar is now called Huber Center (On Chambersburg, where he Huber Heights Fricker's is). The Branch Library was at the time located in the separate building on the Brandt Pike end, which meant it was where everybody who had to tell their mom they were "going to the library" in order to get out of the house went. (Of course this gambit often backfired as the Kroger's was the first store on that end, and moms back in the day networked in a way that would put the twittwr/facebook crowd to shame).
The stores included a Revco drug, a Throckmorton's, a Woolworth's and a tavern where I had my first underage drink when I was 17. (I knew ordering a 7&7 or a sloe-gin fizz would be a dead giveaway. So would ordering a rum and coke, but I did my homework and found out that a "Cuba Libre" was just a run/coke with lime. No kid would ever think to order a Cuba Libre, so i did and got served. Thank you Loretta Gusman, for telling us the name of the drink in your Spanish class.)
Someone mentioned Town and Country. That was in Kettering just off Stroop Rd., wasn't it?
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phil pixley
25 posts
Nov 19, 2010
1:41 PM
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Miracle Lane,it was a shortcut walking home from Fairview.
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flikhem
1 post
Nov 19, 2010
3:11 PM
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AllenN71, there was also a card shop (Hallmark?) where I bought my first Blueboy magazine. What was all the way at the west end, the DMV or post office? I remember it seemed such a long walk from Kroger's to the other end, just for that one store.
I opened my first bank account at the Winter's Branch in the middle of the parking lot, and have many memories of carnivals in that center also.
Didn't Throckmorton's used to be a Ben Franklin? Where was Throckmorton's before? Maybe I'm thinking of Sutherland's lumber.
I had Mrs. Gusman for Spanish too, but I'm pretty sure her name was Fern.
Last Edited by on Nov 19, 2010 3:33 PM
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Nile
12 posts
Feb 24, 2011
5:13 PM
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Miracle Lane was a wonderful place for me.
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delcodude
152 posts
May 02, 2011
7:57 AM
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Juanita57:
You've definitely shined the light on a number of posters' questions concerning the shops at Spin-Kemp. Thanks!
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Juanita57
7 posts
May 05, 2011
5:52 AM
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JeffN - Gershows was before Super Duper. I loved Housers too.. got all of my Tiger Beat magazines there, and I seem to remember they played 40's music. LoL
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JeffN
388 posts
May 05, 2011
9:03 AM
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Juanita ... there was the nicest red-haired lady who worked the counter at Housers. she would wait until we came in to break out the new boxes of baseball cards. I got a lot of comics and magazines there too. and, of course, plenty of candy! LOL
That's strange that I don't remember Gershows. I remember all of the other stores. I loved Super Duper. The smell of fresh-baked bread and donuts when you walked in!
For some reason I remember getting a "Man from Uncle" playset from Throckmorton's. I recall them having great toys.
Last Edited by on May 05, 2011 9:06 AM
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JeffN
390 posts
May 13, 2011
9:52 AM
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Has anyone eaten at Rick's lately? I wonder if the pizza and soft pretzels are still awesome.
Last Edited by on May 13, 2011 9:52 AM
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unixTechie
7 posts
Jun 19, 2011
5:43 AM
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JeffN,
You're making me crave Rick's Pizza. I too, loved Spin-Kemp back in the day. When the Kroger across the street was built, Super Duper couldn't compete and was doomed. I think the only thing surviving from those days are the laundromat, Ricks Pizza, and the barber shop, all facing Spinning.
Does anyone remember the fire that gutted Houser's Pharmacy? Things there were never quite the same after that. Years later, in the late 70's, I worked at the Nationwise Auto Parts in Spin-Kemp, and before that at the Shell station at Spinning and Kemp. I'm trying to remember - Was the Nationwise in the same location as Houser's, or was it next door?
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 "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
Carl Sagan
Last Edited by on Jun 19, 2011 2:34 PM
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JeffN
402 posts
Jun 19, 2011
1:36 PM
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unix ... did you know Randy Dyer? He was my best friend growing up and I think he worked at Nationwise for a while. I don't remember the fire at Houser's ... around what year was that?
I loved Super Duper. It's a shame Kroger put it under. I still crave their donuts and fresh bread.
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unixTechie
13 posts
Jun 19, 2011
2:30 PM
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Did Randy have an older brother named David? I'm not sure if I remember Randy or not. It was a long time ago... I last saw David Dyer at the Class of '77 reunion in 2007.
Actually, come to think of it, maybe the fire at Houser's was actually next door, and caused a lot of smoke damage to Houser's, closing it down for a while. Jimbo's maybe?... I seem to remember it was in the late 60's/early 70's. Does anyone remember?
Remember the tube tester that they had in the front of Super Duper? In the '60's we had an old black & white tube-type console TV, and whenever it went on the fritz, my Dad would bring me with him to Super Duper to help organize all the tubes from the TV as he used the tester there.
Wow - I haven't thought about this stuff in a long, long time...
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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
Carl Sagan
Last Edited by on Jun 19, 2011 2:34 PM
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JeffN
406 posts
Jun 20, 2011
1:50 AM
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Randy's brothers were Richard and Robert, but they graduated several years before we did. I think Robert graduated in '73.
I don't remember the fire, which is strange because if it would have caused comic book and baseball card withdrawal for me had it affected Houser's!
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