History Lessons

Yesterday I went into town for a haircut.  The barbershop is pretty old-fashioned.  It is sort of a 'male only' bastion.  The guys show up, watch some TV, talk sports and local politics, joke with the young kids who come in, and read outdated magazines (the shop even as a stray Plaboy or Maxim magazine kicking around)!

The barbershop sits on a one-way street which houses a  bunch of store-fronts.  One of them is an office supply store which was getting renovated.  Underneath the old sign was a Rockefeller campaign sign, circa 1960.  Nelson Rockefeller was a NY governor who ran for the republican ticket in the 60s.  The Rockefeller campaign predated me a little, but I remember when he was the vice president under president Ford in the 1970s.

Down the street is an old J. J. Newberry store.  I surmise this one was closed in the late 1980s.  J. J. Newberry was a 5 and dime store which was ultimately acquired by McCrory's.  McCrory's went out of business in 1997, along with the remaining J. J. Newberry stores.  I grew up going to McCrory's.  It had a little of everything (clothing, fabric, dry goods, toys, magazines, and even a lunch counter).  It was considered basic quality stuff. Not a designer store, but perfectly acceptable.  It is kind of ironic that the J. J. Newberry store I saw was now a dollar store.  Now it is even lower quality. I'd prefer to have a 5 and dime back!