Old retailers you miss or don't miss (Long Beach, Huntington Beach: Home Depot, buying)

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by BlackShoe

Not a retailer, but miss Security Pacific Bank. Absorbed by Bank of America, boo.

I had an account with them - they did have good service for a large bank. I stayed with B of A after the merger and to be honest, I've never had an issue with them regardless where I've lived.

Going into the way back machine about the only bank I feel a bit of nostalgia for is Crocker Bank. Such a long history in California and they had really good customer service.

[jw2]

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

I had an account with them - they did have good service for a large bank. I stayed with B of A after the merger and to be honest, I've never had an issue with them regardless where I've lived.

Going into the way back machine about the only bank I feel a bit of nostalgia for is
Crocker Bank. Such a long history in California and they had really good customer service.

That is a bit down memory lane for me. I was an employee of Crocker in Los Angeles and San Francisco (data centers). I left them just before Midland bought them (1981) and I had some shares of Crocker that I happily sold to Midland. At the time, I had a brokerage account at Shearson Loeb Rhoades and I remember when I placed a call to my broker to sell, they answered the phone "Shearson American Express". I thought, wow, mergers everywhere. To finish the history of Crocker, Midland ended up selling to Wells Fargo a few years later.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by Bulldogdad

Ah you must be talking about Dave Wong's famous fried garlic chicken.

Yup have to agree with you on that one. Next time your in FatCity hit me up I've got a couple of other places you might like.

Sounds good man

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Agree about Woolworth's, in particular the lunch counter. Used to go there with my Nana.

Doggie Diner in Oakland - also went there with my Nana.

Also, the original Straw Hat Pizza Parlor in San Leandro. I grew up there, and the original parlor had live ragtime style music with banjo and I think piano, and maybe a stand-up bass? Remember the banjo for sure. The newer versions of Straw hat Pizza were nowhere near as great as that original restaurant. I think they had a player piano that they played when the musicians took a break, too.

Great memories.

[Hawk J]

Chuckie Cheese was much FUN when the kids&i were juveniles.............heeheehee

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

Chuckie Cheese was much FUN when the kids&i were juveniles.............heeheehee

Chuckie is still in operation....

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Bullocks, Bullocks Wilshire, Buffums, Broadway, I. Magnin, Ohrbach, Two Guys, Gemco, FedCo, May Co, Mervyns, Lucky, MarketBasket. How did I miss this thread??

[bigdumbgod]

Peanut Records in Torrance, Recycled Records in PVE mall, and Tower, of course.

Farrell's Ice Cream ( airplane from Torrance Airport crashed into it); Swenson's.

Pioneer Chicken, Love's BBQ, Scandia, The Derby, half the Redondo Pier, Tonio's, Shakey's, Two Guys from Italy, JC Penney (was a little kid buying something called The White Album by this really cool band there...still have that - sounds great!), and of course, Greeko's in Hermosa Beach!

[Bonez765]

Circuit City.

[saibot]

Nature Company. I knew I could always buy my mom a gift she would like there.

Tower Records, B. Dalton and Crown Books. And Egghead Software! My first boyfriend worked there and I have fond memories of hanging out there, playing King's Quest.

Also, we had such a great choice of department stores. Bullocks, Buffums, May Co, Robinsons, The Broadway (which was going out of business as I was about to get married, so I bought a lot of my dishes/cookware/linens at deep discount).

And Home Savings! not a retailer, but I opened a savings account there when I was about 8 and had it for years. There were murals in Home Savings painted by a well-known artist, was it Millard Sheets? The one in my branch (East Whittier) had horses of different colors and I loved those.