Happy Monday, here’s a neat ad for the newish Simpsons-Sears store at Devonshire Mall, dated from 1972. The ad indicates that the store opened in September, 1970, and features a nice rendering of the store.
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Richard, the next step may be something more like Costco, where they don't really stock the shelves, they just unwrap the pallet for you, and you pick at it until it's gone. They at least take the next one down off the shelf for you. Costco doesn't have a stockroom, it is a giant stockroom.
I wonder when they stopped using the basement?
As far as I know, the basement is still in use, at least it was a couple years ago when I repaired my vacuum.
The basement as far as I know has never been used as a retail showroom. The basement is essentially the service/parts department for all of the appliances, etc. You need something repaired, they send you to the basement. I believe the shipping/receiving/stock rooms are also in the basement. There is no escalator down to the basement. The stairs to get down there are off of the South entrance if I recall correctly.
I was down in the basement for some repair, or parts several years ago. It's the Bay that uses the basement, correct? They actually have escalators that run down, though. That's where menswear, and shoes are, if I remember correctly.
Uzzy, that is correct. The Bay (and formerly Simpsons) has always used their basement as retail space and thus has escalator access.
Sears (formerly Simpson-Sears) on the other hand has never used their basement for that purpose, at least not during my lifetime and therefore only has stairwell access. I believe that there is an elevator that goes down there as well for the disabled.
They should use the basement to make more parking.
I heard something on tv last night that COSTCO started life in a airplane hangar
Gary, that is true. But it was their pre-cursor Price Club that was in the hangar. But that store is still in operation. And you can still get a foot long hot dog and a 20oz. fountain drink for $1.50 at all locations.
Devonshire Mall was built on the site of the Devonshire Horse Racetrack. The cement grandstand was still there in the 1960s. The infield pond was still wet enough most of the year to allow kids to float rafts. Across Howard was the giant railroad roundhouse. It was for maintaining locomotives and seemed to be the biggest building in town. South on Howard and across the tracks was Kenilworth, a horse stable and dirt track. If you were a kid using the track as a shortcut you could be run over by a horse.
The names are still there but that part of town has been "repurposed".
I worked at Bowrings part-time (72-74) during High school. There was Miracle Mart at one end and Simpson-Sears at the other. This was before the theaters were added. Lots of good memories.