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debm55

(50,220 posts)
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 12:59 PM Aug 7

It's back to school time, What store did you get your clothing and shoes at, that are no longer around. Mine were

Gimbels for clothing and Kenney"s for shoes. How about you?

85 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
It's back to school time, What store did you get your clothing and shoes at, that are no longer around. Mine were (Original Post) debm55 Aug 7 OP
Sears and Montgomery Wards sinkingfeeling Aug 7 #1
Thank you very much, sinkingfeeling. Yes, they were both great places to buy back to school clothing. By to both. debm55 Aug 7 #2
Gosh... when we were kids we called it Monkey Ward. FalloutShelter Aug 7 #29
HAHAHHAHAHAHHA, That is funny. I remember that. debm55 Aug 7 #51
Same. OldBaldy1701E Aug 7 #64
Thank you very much, OldBaldy1701E. debm55 Aug 7 #66
Sears anciano Aug 7 #3
Thank you very much, anciano. At one time Sears was the go to store for everyone. It's a shame what happened to it. debm55 Aug 7 #5
Sears and Kmart Americanme Aug 7 #4
Thank you Americanme---we always went to K-Mart for school supples. Sears was for holiday dresses. Shame they are are debm55 Aug 7 #7
This message was self-deleted by its author Midnight Writer Aug 7 #6
Thank you Midnight Writer. My cousins-one older and one younger, would pass the clothing down. I made some of my debm55 Aug 7 #10
Sears and Roebuck Dave in VA Aug 7 #8
Thank you Dave in VA. We had three kids in our house also. Just a couple of dresses and the shoes at Kenney;s. Our play debm55 Aug 7 #12
K-Mart or Twin Fair SamKnause Aug 7 #9
Thank you SamKnause. We had K-Mart, but I don't remember Twin Fair. debm55 Aug 7 #39
Sears and the Navy Exchange LogDog75 Aug 7 #11
Thank you very much LogDog75, Sears was good for kids clothing. debm55 Aug 7 #40
Montgomery Ward for anything our mother couldn't sew. Ritabert Aug 7 #13
Thank you very much Ritabert. I have found that boys clothing is especially harder to sew. debm55 Aug 7 #41
The Broadway and Nash's in Pasadena Beatlelvr Aug 7 #14
Me too, Beatlelver. May Company was a mainstay as a child and even after I got married. debm55 Aug 7 #42
Do you remember Bullocks? BuddhaGirl Aug 9 #84
Sears and Penny's, with Brown's Shoe Fit (the only shoe store in town) for shoes.👞 rsdsharp Aug 7 #15
Thank you very much rsdsharp. As I teen I did my school shopping at K-Mart. For some special occassions , I switched debm55 Aug 7 #43
When I was in elementary school, there was a local children's clothing store called Small Fry. Aristus Aug 7 #16
Thank you very much. Aristus, It;s amazing you remember that. The sweater sounds very nice. debm55 Aug 7 #28
Robert Hall Bmoboy Aug 7 #17
We did shopping at Robert Hall in our town.. It was the first clothing clothing store in McKeesport to close, I remember debm55 Aug 7 #26
Mervyn's & Montgomery Wards... FirstLight Aug 7 #18
Me too, I hated trying on dresses, Pants for girls were not allowed until 10th grade. debm55 Aug 7 #23
Mervyn's and Gallenkamp's or Kinney's. Nt Fiendish Thingy Aug 7 #19
Thank you very much, Fiendish Thingy. I think Kinney's shoes was very popular back then, I am still very concerned with debm55 Aug 7 #21
We got my clothes at JC Penny. FuzzyRabbit Aug 7 #20
Thank you FuzzyRabbit,---from a fellow sewer. debm55 Aug 7 #22
Horne's when we lived in Pittsburgh, Sears when we lived in Philly. n/t malthaussen Aug 7 #24
Hi Mal, I remember Hornes downtown, Thank you for the memories. debm55 Aug 7 #25
We had a store in Dover named Emmanuel's. They had the quality stuff in town my grandmother used to work there Walleye Aug 7 #27
Thank you very much ,Walleye.for sharing with us debm55 Aug 7 #67
Bambergers...(pre Macys) FalloutShelter Aug 7 #30
Oh wow, that sounds great. Thank you for sharing. I love those big multi floor stores . In Pittsburgh we had Kaufmann;s. debm55 Aug 7 #73
In HS, I sewed alot of my clothes because I was so small. LeftInTX Aug 7 #31
Thank you very much, LeftInTX. My husband did the same as his dad was in the service. debm55 Aug 7 #74
When I was in high school (class of 1969), sears had really stylish and well made... 3catwoman3 Aug 7 #32
Great post, 3catwoman3, Shoes have always been a problem for me too. Thank you for sharing. debm55 Aug 7 #54
Montgomery Ward Jilly_in_VA Aug 7 #33
Thank you, Jilly_in _VA, We had a Hills stores here in Western PA. too. I remember when my girlfriends and I went to debm55 Aug 7 #56
Sears, Howlands or the Stratford Town Fair Store. TommieMommy Aug 7 #34
Thank you very much TommieMommy. Sears seems like a favorite of a lot of families. It is a shame they went downhill. debm55 Aug 7 #57
Woodward & Lothrop oberle Aug 7 #35
Thank you very much, oberle. I ,too, liked the stores with lunch rooms. We made a day of it. debm55 Aug 7 #58
Bambergers (bought by Macy's). beaglelover Aug 7 #36
Thank you very much beaglelover. I shopped at Macy's after I got my first job. Liked their clothing. debm55 Aug 7 #60
Kmart JMCKUSICK Aug 7 #37
thank you John for sharing, We wenh to Kmart too debm55 Aug 7 #52
Sears, K Mart, Grant's Mad_Dem_X Aug 7 #38
Thank you very much, Mad_Dem_X, We had a Grant's here in our Western PA , town. debm55 Aug 7 #50
Rich's, downtown Atlanta. Solly Mack Aug 7 #44
Thank you very much , SollyMack. debm55 Aug 7 #49
Just looked up the old shoe store and was surprised they still exist. Eugene Aug 7 #45
Oh wow, that is neat that they are still around, Eugene. Thank you very much for your post. debm55 Aug 7 #48
Sears or we'd drive 180 miles south to Wurzburg's Department Store in Grand Rapids, MI. catbyte Aug 7 #46
Thank you catbyte. That is a long journey. debm55 Aug 7 #47
Greenberg's Men and Boys Shop, pdxflyboy Aug 7 #53
Thank you pdxflyboy. Yes, I remember the stores that sold just men's and boy's clothing. All gone. But many memories. debm55 Aug 7 #69
Mailman's in York PA Freddie Aug 7 #55
That's a great post Freddie. Thank you for sharing. debm55 Aug 7 #62
G Fox & Company Coolgoober Aug 7 #59
Yes, I loved those multilevel old stores. Each floor had its own theme---children;s, men's women;s etc. The escalators debm55 Aug 7 #65
My mom worked there, too. I posted below. We would skip school Cloudhopper Aug 8 #77
Montgomery Wards BigMin28 Aug 7 #61
Thank you for sharing with us, BigMin28. I bought some of my fabric at Hancocks Fabric. There were three to pick from. debm55 Aug 7 #63
pennys . may co. west covina. AllaN01Bear Aug 7 #68
Thank you very much AllaN01Bear, We had the May Co and Pennys here too. It was always a delight to visit at Christmas debm55 Aug 7 #70
i was fawscinated with sking . loved to visitt that section. AllaN01Bear Aug 7 #72
Thank you, Bear debm55 Aug 8 #83
Kmart, Zayres, Bradlees, Thom McAn Cloudhopper Aug 7 #71
Thank you Cloudhopper, My husband is from Boston and when we would visit, we would visit Filene's basement and get debm55 Aug 8 #82
For clothes, probably Wieboldts or Goldblatts. boonecreek Aug 7 #75
Thank you very much, boonecreek. We went to a different shoe store one year that had the xray machine to measure your debm55 Aug 8 #81
The State Street Mill bargain center. PoindexterOglethorpe Aug 7 #76
Thank you very much, PoindexterOglethorpe. Yes, your mom was amazing. debm55 Aug 8 #78
Meis Brothers department store. Emile Aug 8 #79
Thank you very much, Emile. I always liked getting back to school clothes and especially new shoes. debm55 Aug 8 #80
Local Shoe Store ProfessorGAC Aug 9 #85

debm55

(50,220 posts)
2. Thank you very much, sinkingfeeling. Yes, they were both great places to buy back to school clothing. By to both.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:07 PM
Aug 7

debm55

(50,220 posts)
5. Thank you very much, anciano. At one time Sears was the go to store for everyone. It's a shame what happened to it.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:14 PM
Aug 7

debm55

(50,220 posts)
7. Thank you Americanme---we always went to K-Mart for school supples. Sears was for holiday dresses. Shame they are are
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:17 PM
Aug 7

past.

Response to debm55 (Original post)

debm55

(50,220 posts)
10. Thank you Midnight Writer. My cousins-one older and one younger, would pass the clothing down. I made some of my
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:21 PM
Aug 7

clothing, We always got an outfit for the first day of school and a new pair of shoes that lasted the whole school year.

Dave in VA

(2,229 posts)
8. Sears and Roebuck
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:17 PM
Aug 7

and Kenney's for shoes.

Two new shirts and two new pairs of pants. One new pair of shoes from Kenney's. There were three school age boys to buy for.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
12. Thank you Dave in VA. We had three kids in our house also. Just a couple of dresses and the shoes at Kenney;s. Our play
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:25 PM
Aug 7

shoes were either passed down or bought at the thrirt shop.

LogDog75

(792 posts)
11. Sears and the Navy Exchange
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:23 PM
Aug 7

My father was in the Navy so we bought at the Navy Exchange. In my early teens, he was the Navy liaison with Sikorsky Aircraft in Connecticut in the early 60s. No nearby bases so we bought our clothes at Sears.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
41. Thank you very much Ritabert. I have found that boys clothing is especially harder to sew.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 06:41 PM
Aug 7

BuddhaGirl

(3,689 posts)
84. Do you remember Bullocks?
Sat Aug 9, 2025, 01:28 PM
Aug 9

Macy's bought the chain out and ruined them...the Bullocks in Pasadena was so nice

May Co, Robinson's, Broadway...seems so long ago!

debm55

(50,220 posts)
43. Thank you very much rsdsharp. As I teen I did my school shopping at K-Mart. For some special occassions , I switched
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 06:48 PM
Aug 7

over to Penneys.

Aristus

(70,630 posts)
16. When I was in elementary school, there was a local children's clothing store called Small Fry.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 01:53 PM
Aug 7

IIRC, the owner's name was Fry. We got our new clothes from there. One year, I got a baby-blue turtle-neck sweater there that I wore for my school photo. I have the photo around somewhere. (The turtle-neck is obviously long gone...)

debm55

(50,220 posts)
28. Thank you very much. Aristus, It;s amazing you remember that. The sweater sounds very nice.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 02:42 PM
Aug 7

debm55

(50,220 posts)
26. We did shopping at Robert Hall in our town.. It was the first clothing clothing store in McKeesport to close, I remember
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 02:39 PM
Aug 7

it wasn't very big.

FirstLight

(15,676 posts)
18. Mervyn's & Montgomery Wards...
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 02:03 PM
Aug 7

sometimes Capwell's downtown if the had a good basement bargain going... They had a nice little soda fountain dwnstairs and if I was good, I'd get a sundae!

debm55

(50,220 posts)
21. Thank you very much, Fiendish Thingy. I think Kinney's shoes was very popular back then, I am still very concerned with
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 02:22 PM
Aug 7

trying my shoes on before I buy, Not a lot of places to that anymore,

Walleye

(42,043 posts)
27. We had a store in Dover named Emmanuel's. They had the quality stuff in town my grandmother used to work there
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 02:39 PM
Aug 7

And we got our essential name brand loafers. Weejuns

debm55

(50,220 posts)
73. Oh wow, that sounds great. Thank you for sharing. I love those big multi floor stores . In Pittsburgh we had Kaufmann;s.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:57 PM
Aug 7

LeftInTX

(33,174 posts)
31. In HS, I sewed alot of my clothes because I was so small.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 03:17 PM
Aug 7

We shopped where ever....
Dad was in the AF. We got some stuff on base and at discount stores. We got some stuff at department stores, which were local to where he was stationed.

3catwoman3

(27,490 posts)
32. When I was in high school (class of 1969), sears had really stylish and well made...
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 03:54 PM
Aug 7

...clothes. I'd spend hours poring over their catalog, picking out my ensembles. I still remember what some of the looked like. My dad worked for Allstate, which was part of the Sears family (or vice versa, I've forgotten which) so we got a 10% employee discount on everything. My depression-era born mother was very upset when Sears discontinued that discount many years later when the company's decline began.

Also, some purchases from local department stores in the greater Rochester (NY) area - E. W. Edwards, Sibleys, McCurdy's and Forman's. All really nice stores, on a par with Marshall Field, and all long gone.

Don't remember much about shoes, other than having trouble finding ones that fit well because of high arches.

I used to get hand-me-downs from my 2 older cousins, which was a treat as their mom had good taste. The older of the two topped out at 5'0'', and her sister at 5'4", so that came to a halt when I passed up both of them at 5'8".

debm55

(50,220 posts)
54. Great post, 3catwoman3, Shoes have always been a problem for me too. Thank you for sharing.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 09:59 PM
Aug 7

Jilly_in_VA

(12,756 posts)
33. Montgomery Ward
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 04:01 PM
Aug 7

Sears, and a local outfit called Hills. My mom sewed some of my clothes, and when I was in HS I made a lot of mine too.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
56. Thank you, Jilly_in _VA, We had a Hills stores here in Western PA. too. I remember when my girlfriends and I went to
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:07 PM
Aug 7

see David Bowie, they all had satin pant suits--all store bought. I made mine and like my velvet bridesmaid gown, would never sew those materials again.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
57. Thank you very much TommieMommy. Sears seems like a favorite of a lot of families. It is a shame they went downhill.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:10 PM
Aug 7

oberle

(158 posts)
35. Woodward & Lothrop
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 04:10 PM
Aug 7

in downtown DC. They had the best lunch room with wonderful malted milkshakes and tuna fish sandwiches.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
58. Thank you very much, oberle. I ,too, liked the stores with lunch rooms. We made a day of it.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:12 PM
Aug 7

debm55

(50,220 posts)
60. Thank you very much beaglelover. I shopped at Macy's after I got my first job. Liked their clothing.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:15 PM
Aug 7

Mad_Dem_X

(9,996 posts)
38. Sears, K Mart, Grant's
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 05:54 PM
Aug 7

Grant's was a local store in my hometown (Pennsville, NJ). Not sure if they had stores in other locations.

Eugene

(66,217 posts)
45. Just looked up the old shoe store and was surprised they still exist.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 07:29 PM
Aug 7

I haven't seen Hanlon in the Boston area since the 1970s.

For clothing, my family shopped a local non-chain stores, including a place called The Bargain Center in Quincy, MA.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
48. Oh wow, that is neat that they are still around, Eugene. Thank you very much for your post.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 09:17 PM
Aug 7

catbyte

(37,609 posts)
46. Sears or we'd drive 180 miles south to Wurzburg's Department Store in Grand Rapids, MI.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 08:10 PM
Aug 7

Going to the "Big City" was always an occasion, lol.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
69. Thank you pdxflyboy. Yes, I remember the stores that sold just men's and boy's clothing. All gone. But many memories.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:48 PM
Aug 7

Freddie

(9,935 posts)
55. Mailman's in York PA
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:02 PM
Aug 7

Long-gone department store. Loved their clothes, Mom and Dad loved their prices.

Coolgoober

(145 posts)
59. G Fox & Company
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:13 PM
Aug 7

My grandma worked there. It was in Hartford CT. My grandma worked there. It was something like 8 or 9 stories of retail. Each floor being it's own department, maybe two. The elevators and escalators were a blast to play on. Me and my brothers were always super polite and thoughtful and would even push the buttons for whatever floor the customers would want. I miss those times and those kinds of stores. I'd have to look it up but, I think a family owned it, maybe two, but not traded on exchange.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
65. Yes, I loved those multilevel old stores. Each floor had its own theme---children;s, men's women;s etc. The escalators
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:30 PM
Aug 7

were made of wood at the time. I loved going to the Bridal Floor and looking the all the gowns,

Cloudhopper

(118 posts)
77. My mom worked there, too. I posted below. We would skip school
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 07:04 AM
Aug 8

and take the bus into Hartford and play on the elevators, too. We weren't that polite though... kids.

It was originally owned by the Fox family, and eventually daughter Beatrice Fox Auerbach took over. Mrs. A had a full apartment on the top floor I got to see once.

BigMin28

(1,750 posts)
61. Montgomery Wards
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:16 PM
Aug 7

and Sanger Harris for clothes. Kenneys for shoes too. Although before my mother went to work, she made most of my clothes. I was the only girl of four. Great memories of going to the Hancocks Fabric store to pick out patterns and material. In no time she would have it made. Her mother retired as a seamstress from the first Neiman Marcus store in Dallas. Sadly, I did not inherit that talent.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
63. Thank you for sharing with us, BigMin28. I bought some of my fabric at Hancocks Fabric. There were three to pick from.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:24 PM
Aug 7

You may not have their talent for sewing , but you have the love you both gave each other.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
70. Thank you very much AllaN01Bear, We had the May Co and Pennys here too. It was always a delight to visit at Christmas
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:51 PM
Aug 7

with the store decorations and the fancy clothing.

Cloudhopper

(118 posts)
71. Kmart, Zayres, Bradlees, Thom McAn
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 10:56 PM
Aug 7

But mom had a bookkeeping job at G.Fox & Co., a large department store in Hartford, CT, and when employees got special extra discount on top of the normal discount, combined with a back-to-school sale, we made out pretty good,

That store was eventually taken over by Filene's and now Macy's.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
82. Thank you Cloudhopper, My husband is from Boston and when we would visit, we would visit Filene's basement and get
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 10:29 AM
Aug 8

really good buys.

boonecreek

(1,177 posts)
75. For clothes, probably Wieboldts or Goldblatts.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 11:03 PM
Aug 7

These were Chicago area stores. We got our shoes at a store on
North Ave. on the cusp of the Logan Square Humboldt park neighborhoods.
They sold the Red Goose brand of shoes. When you got a pair, they had this big
red goose on the counter and when you pulled its neck down, it would "lay" a
a golden egg which had a bag of M&Ms inside. This was far enough back that
the store had one of those Xray machines in the back, unplugged of course.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
81. Thank you very much, boonecreek. We went to a different shoe store one year that had the xray machine to measure your
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 10:25 AM
Aug 8

feet, I remember it was crowded as everyone wanted to use it.

PoindexterOglethorpe

(28,039 posts)
76. The State Street Mill bargain center.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 11:28 PM
Aug 7

Mid to late 50s and early 60s. Utica New York.

There were six of us kids, no money, and looking back I'm amazed and impressed that Mom took care of all of us.

debm55

(50,220 posts)
80. Thank you very much, Emile. I always liked getting back to school clothes and especially new shoes.
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 10:19 AM
Aug 8

ProfessorGAC

(74,080 posts)
85. Local Shoe Store
Sat Aug 9, 2025, 07:22 PM
Aug 9

And a fine fashion store a called Baskin's. Got a new suit or sportcoat, and they were the store for our school uniform stuff. (Black pants, white shirt, red tie, black or red sweater.)
Baskin's had a second floor for women, but no girls' stuff. The girls went to Fehrenbacher's. They had the market cornered on girls' uniforms for all the catholic schools, including the high schools.
My wife got new outfits there every year. Plus, her best friend's mom was a seamstress. Made wonderful clothes for both girls.

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