🚀 go-pugleaf

On Mon, 2 Jul 2018, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> On Sunday, July 1, 2018 at 4:56:03 PM UTC-4, Chris wrote:
>
>> Bought my first HP calculator (25C) from Sears NY while working in the
>> states in 1977. I mean, HP calculators in a dept store ?. Half the price
>> of the same thing in the UK, but not the sort of thing you would find
>> at John Lewis or Selfridges...
>
> In old the days, department stores, even in the branches, sold a very
> large variety of goods.  Our branch Gimbels had a nice art, book,
> toy, and scouting department.
>
Yes, and slowly the books went, and the stereo/tv department and I think 
one department store here had a photo department, something I'd not 
thought of in a long time.  Even the remaining downtown department store 
dropped its toy department for at least a year, though I notice it was 
back this past Christmas.  So department stores have become less 
"department" and more "clothing and some furniture" than in the past.

> Some specialty departments were leased.  That is, they were operated
> by a contractor.  To the customer, it all looked like one store.
>
ONe long running store here, it was a "chain" only in the sense taht they 
had a store or two elsewhere, maybe thirty years ago went that route. 
They did end up with a good book store in there, though that's gone and 
I've not been inside in a long time.  But they made a big deal about the 
change, so we knew.

One of the early computer stores, I think it was Stan Veit's store, opened 
up within a larger "hobby Mart" or something like that.  It's probably a 
good idea, a way to start out without investing as much. We ahd a complex 
downtown, other places have had similar things, a ground floor with a 
bakery a fish place, a fruit and vegetable place, etc.  Small fast food 
sort of places on the third floor, except they weren't all chains, and 
then a floor of boutiqes, fairly small spaces which could easily be 
reconfigured.  I assume rent wasn't too high, and it was a good place to 
try out your product or whatever.  They even had space that was rented out 
short term, for seasonal things.  But at some point they started 
renovating and it went on "forever" and it never recovered.  The 
building's still there, but the only thriving businesses are at street 
level, with access from the street.  Inside it's dead.

   Michael