Remember When....

[tvguy]

I remember how frustrating it was to call someone and get a busy signal, and having to call them back until you could get through. And using a rotary phone to dial the number. L.

LOL given how many cell phone users I seem to encounter that either never have set up their voicemail, never clean it out so it is full, or never check their voicemail, I haven't gained anything!

 

[mjkacmom]

This law is STILL in effect in Bergen County, in northern NJ, (right across the George Washington Bridge from NYC.) They had a new vote on it a few years ago to repeal the law and the residents voted to still keep the Blue Law in effect. It may be the only county in the U.S. which still keeps it's Blue Law.

https://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/behind-bergen-countys-blue-laws/

And they have large shopping malls and stores.

 

[maxaroni]

Finally hit me ----

LONG AGO Paramus Boy here so yes, I remember when

Myself, a former Ridgwoodite and DH a former Paramus boy! Forgot to tell DS25, who went to college in Bergen County, needing to get supplies on a Sunday, only to find stores closed. Off to NY State to find supplies.

 

[Floridaman999]

 

[fla4fun]

I was three when we shifted from a party line to a private line in 1960, so I never had to deal with party lines myself. But my mom talked about the few times her work (she was a nurse) had to call her into work in an emergency and they would have the operator cut in and tell the other person on the party line to hang up so they could reach my mom.

My grandparents got a party line after they moved from the farm and still had it until my grandmother moved out of that house in the 80’s. One time a squirrel chewed on the line and it caused all the phones on the line to ring whenever anyone got a call.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Most of the stores had restaurants in them. The dime stores, department stores like Pennies, drug stores and nice stores had tea rooms.

My first job outside of babysitting was at the Woolworth's lunch counter (1985). Learned how to make all of the food and ice cream treats, because then, servers also cooked. Customers thought a quarter was a great tip.

I remember finding a nickel on the playground and using it to buy an orange twin pop at the local store. Sigh.

 

[Dancind]

I remember waiting by the phone for a guy to call. If you left, you missed the call.

I remember using a map when I needed to go somewhere new.

I remember using the Yellow Pages when I needed a service or a store. That's where the plumbers advertised.

My Mom, a realtor, had one of the first "car phones". Thing was huge.

 

[macraven]

Wringer washers

Lava lamps

Playing flash light tag in the dark outside

 

[luvsJack]

My grandparents got a party line after they moved from the farm and still had it until my grandmother moved out of that house in the 80’s. One time a squirrel chewed on the line and it caused all the phones on the line to ring whenever anyone got a call.

We had a party line up until I was in high school. It was soooo frustrating! We had an elderly woman on it that talked on the phone all day and another home with a teenage boy who talked to his girlfriend all night.

If we picked up the phone during the day to use the elderly lady would start yelling at us. Well, until she did it to my mom one day. Lol did not end well. Mom really told the woman off. Right after that Mon called the phone company and paid extra for a private line.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Playing flash light tag in the dark outside

That was one of my fav games to play!

 

[goofyernmost]

My grandparents got a party line after they moved from the farm and still had it until my grandmother moved out of that house in the 80’s. One time a squirrel chewed on the line and it caused all the phones on the line to ring whenever anyone got a call.

At one point it had nothing to do with squirrels. Party lines used to ring when others got calls, but, one might have one ring and another might have two or maybe three in rapid sequence so you only picked up with your ring. I met my first girlfriend because we had a party line. She lived about 3 houses from me.

Spoiler

I remember my grandmother used to listen in on a neighbors call to get all the gossip.

 

[OhMari]

Sears catalogues and JC Penneys, having to call and getting some bored lady on the phone and trying to figure out page number and item and size and color to place an order by telephone. If you sent it to the store shipping was free. I remember right before our stores both closed, free shipping to your home became finally pretty common.

 

[RedAngie]

Most of the stores had restaurants in them. The dime stores, department stores like Pennies, drug stores and nice stores had tea rooms.

It was a treat to get to eat at the lunch counter at the Woolworth's in my neighborhood. Once or twice a year it was a REAL special occasion to each lunch downtown at the Crystal Room at John Wanamaker or the Corinthian Room at Strawbridge & Clothier department stores in Philly.

This reminds me that many stores used to carry records (now known as "vinyl")

The long defunct EJ Korvettes discount department store had the BEST record department. Huge selection and low prices. The prices were much higher and the selection more limited in the major department stores.

It was a draw that certain shows were broadcast in color. And now...Marlo Thomas in That Girl... IN COLOR!

I remember the daily newspaper TV listings having a bolded C to denote programs that were broadcast in color. And I always liked That Girl. I wanted her flip hair-do.

I was three when we shifted from a party line to a private line in 1960, so I never had to deal with party lines myself. But my mom talked about the few times her work (she was a nurse) had to call her into work in an emergency and they would have the operator cut in and tell the other person on the party line to hang up so they could reach my mom.

Phone books had a warning that it was a criminal offense (misdemeanor) to refuse to relinquish an party line when informed the line was needed for an emergency call. It was likewise an offense to falsely state a party line was needed for an emergency.

We had a party line up until about 1968 when I was about 7 years old. We switched to a private line because there were always two women jabbering in Polish whenever we wanted to make a call. I would sometimes say something kiddie rude in English and then hang up.

 

[Kitty 34]

I remember when all five of us kids (1 to 11 years old) would pile in the back of Dad's old Chevy and have to listen to the ballgame in static all the way to Granny's house while he smoked his pipe and once in awhile flicked the ashes out those little triangular windows in the front. We learned to keep the back window behind Dad shut when he did that or have ashes on us.

 

[Micca]

The long defunct EJ Korvettes discount department store had the BEST record department. Huge selection and low prices. The prices were much higher and the selection more limited in the major department stores.

I'd heard of Kovettes but I thought it was a dedicated record store! So it was more like a K-Mart or Walmart? I always loved to buy and look at records, I distinctly remember getting some at Woolworth's and even Safeway (grocery store.) The discount stores all had record departments as did Macy's. Our local equivalent of a Walgreens had a record department. Records were everywhere and even though they're making a bit of a come back, they are far from common.

 

[karmic]

When you could only get a phone from the phone company
Watching Christmas programs only when they were broadcast
The yearly showing of the Wizard of Oz-always an event
Taking the bus to shop downtown
From a young age playing outside all day without adult supervision

 

[Micca]

The yearly showing of the Wizard of Oz-always an event

This came up on another forum I visit (not Disney related.) Someone speculated that WOO isn't a big deal anymore now that you can watch it anytime. I see it's at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, so I'm thinking it's still pretty special. DGD 6 watched it from our DVR endlessly for several months.

 

[RedAngie]

I'd heard of Kovettes but I thought it was a dedicated record store! So it was more like a K-Mart or Walmart? I always loved to buy and look at records, I distinctly remember getting some at Woolworth's and even Safeway (grocery store.) The discount stores all had record departments as did Macy's. Our local equivalent of a Walgreens had a record department. Records were everywhere and even though they're making a bit of a come back, they are far from common.

Korvettes was a full-fledged discount department store that sold clothing, housewares, hardware, toys, seasonal items, furniture, etc. Not really like Walmart or K-Mart because I don't think they sold groceries or health & beauty items like aspirin or shampoo. They did sell cosmetics and fragrances. Many stores had more than one floor. I think the chain was mostly in the northeast US and went out of business around 1981 or so.

The record department was larger than many Sam Goodys or other mall music stores. They had a wide selection in stock, including a lot of punk and new wave that was difficult to find in other stores.

I saw some vinyl albums in Kohls the other day. Reissues of classic albums like the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I still have about three dozen vinyl albums from way back and listen to them occasionally.

 

[monorailsilver]

This is the Korvettes from my mall back in the 70s before the mall expanded 2-3 times.

Below the korvettes was a grocery store, waldbaums from my memory. And there was an escalator to go up. Woolworths was 2 floors although I feel like there was a small 3rd floor but I could be crazy...I think it was still there when I was a teen in the early/mid 80s. The lower level had the pets, like gerbils and birds and stuff my grandmother liked such as sewing stuff, lol! Upstairs had the records and the coffee shop.

I don’t recall too much of korvettes other then there were 2 entrances to the mall, Main Street and Madison Ave. We always tooo Madison Ave to avoid the traffic on main just before the mall, lol, the entrance to the parkway. But there was a 70s corvette coming up the hill leaving the mall and I always thought that the car owned Korvettes.

It was a treat to get to eat at the lunch counter at the Woolworth's in my neighborhood. Once or twice a year it was a REAL special occasion to each lunch downtown at the Crystal Room at John Wanamaker or the Corinthian Room at Strawbridge & Clothier department stores in Philly.

The long defunct EJ Korvettes discount department store had the BEST record department. Huge selection and low prices. The prices were much higher and the selection more limited in the major department stores.

I'd heard of Kovettes but I thought it was a dedicated record store! So it was more like a K-Mart or Walmart? I always loved to buy and look at records, I distinctly remember getting some at Woolworth's and even Safeway (grocery store.) The discount stores all had record departments as did Macy's. Our local equivalent of a Walgreens had a record department. Records were everywhere and even though they're making a bit of a come back, they are far from common.

 

[Dan Murphy]

The long defunct EJ Korvettes discount department store had the BEST record department. Huge selection and low prices. The prices were much higher and the selection more limited in the major department stores.

Korvettes always had a phenomenal record department. All my 33's came from there. And I still have them. No player, but I do have several hundred LP's.

I'd heard of Kovettes but I thought it was a dedicated record store! So it was more like a K-Mart or Walmart?

Korvettes was a full-fledged discount department store that sold clothing, housewares, hardware, toys, seasonal items, furniture, etc. Not really like Walmart or K-Mart because I don't think they sold groceries or health & beauty items like aspirin or shampoo. They did sell cosmetics and fragrances. Many stores had more than one floor. I think the chain was mostly in the northeast US and went out of business around 1981 or so.

The record department was larger than many Sam Goodys or other mall music stores. They had a wide selection in stock, including a lot of punk and new wave that was difficult to find in other stores.

We had an EJ Korvettes by us also back then. Good description. I think ours was 3 floors. There were a number of the stores in the Chicago area, maybe 5 or so.