Fuller Brush man and Blue Chip Stamps? (Santa Ana, Torrance: live, shop)

[SoCalMomma]

When I was little I lived in Culver City and the Helms bakery was close by. We went there a couple times on a field trip from school. I think it was after the trucks stopped running, though.

We had Blue Chip Stamps. My parents use to bowl and they went to this special night where you'd earn the Blue Chip stamps. My brother and I would sit there and fill up the books while we watched them bowl. Then we'd go with my mom to the store where we could redeem the books. I remember my mom got a toaster one time, it cost a bunch of books!

I dont remember Green stamps, maybe my mom didn't save those.

I remember the ice cream man use to come by our house almost every afternoon, that was fun. We'd have our money ready on the counter for when we heard him coming.

Some of the stores I recall from my younger years are: White Front, Grants, Woolworths, Federated, Montgomery Wards, Bullocks, Fedco, Gemco, and the grocery store Luckys.

In the summertime, we use to go to the movies every Tuesday afternoon for like a dollar, maybe less. It was for kids only. We'd get dropped off with our prepurchased card (you bought like a month or two's worth at a time). It was so much fun. My parents would also take us to the drive in every friday night, no matter what was playing. We'd get into our jammies and cram into the car. It was fun!

[Charles]

Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Movies of Tarzana.
Baronet Theater (On Topanga across from Canoga High)
Art Theater (Topanga and Ventura)
Holiday Theater (Topanga and Roscoe)
Canoga Drive In (Canoga near Saticoy)
Thousand Oaks (Or Conejo??) Drive in near 101 and Lynn or Ventu
There was a theater in Calabasas SE of the 101 and Mulholland, east of the movie stars hospital...which was right next door to
Val Surf (Cadillacs and Stokers, anyone remember those???)

[JTGJR]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

I used to put the S & H Green stamps in the books and even took a bag fuul of the books to the Green Stamp store near my parents home in Port Hueneme.

The Helms Bakery was a big thing also. Remember all the women of the neighborhood congragating around the back of the truck to buy bread and donuts, probably also went to the truck to hear how everyone was doing.

We also used to have neighborhood fish fries, bar bq's and parties like that. Seems that all went away.

I was a green stamper too. My mom used to let me gather them and put them in the books. It brings back some very pleasant memories of running through the catalog to see how many I needed for what. I remember getting my first bowie knife with green stamps. This was in the days that a couple of 10-year olds could wander around the rivers and lakes in Texas, by themselves, for an entire day. I used that knife to skin more than a few water moccasins and copperheads.

[tasmtairy]

OMG it's like you are me!! My Dad told me he worked at Helms Bakery for a while when he was young. I remember the truck coming down my Nana's street in Culver City. When he open up the side of the truck, the smell was heavenly. I got the glazed doughnut with chocolate on top.

We lived in Gardena, my parents passion was bowling. I used to kid around that I grew up in a bowling alley and at the race tracks (cars). I remember the books and books of blue chip stamps.

What a great thread to come back to after all these months!!

[LALady]

Originally Posted by SoCalMomma

We had Blue Chip Stamps. My parents use to bowl and they went to this special night where you'd earn the Blue Chip stamps. My brother and I would sit there and fill up the books while we watched them bowl. Then we'd go with my mom to the store where we could redeem the books. I remember my mom got a toaster one time, it cost a bunch of books!

I dont remember Green stamps, maybe my mom didn't save those.


Some of the stores I recall from my younger years are: White Front, Grants, Woolworths, Federated, Montgomery Wards, Bullocks, Fedco, Gemco, and the grocery store Luckys.

My mom carefully saved her blue / green chip stamps. It was a treat for us kids to be allowed to paste them in the book.

The rusty Gemco sign remained on Van Nuys boulevard to a few years ago.

[MLD012008]

My Mom was the Manager of the Blue Chip Stamp Redemtion Center in Ventura for years. We had everything from fishing poles to kites growing up. The Baronet theatre and Mid-Night Rock and Roll movies! How about the Canoga bowl where the post office is now on Canoga Ave.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by MLD012008

How about the Canoga bowl where the post office is now on Canoga Ave.

Was that just south of Roscoe?

I remember the Canoga Drive In on Canoga just north of Saticoy.

[MLD012008]

Yes, just south of Roscoe on the west side of Canoga. I just thinking Wasn't the Bob's on Sherman Way originaly an A & W? I remember one being in the area. Remember Security Pacific Banks?

[nmnita]

wow, even though we lived on the East side Of Los Angeles most of what I am reading here was part of our lives also, just not the same area of town. My mom saved the stamps and so did I. Yep, the kids always helped fill he books and lots of times presents came from the redeption center..Green stamps were way before Blue and I think I mainly collected Blue Stamps.

As for the Helms truck, he was there a couple of times a week when I was growing up and our oldest daugther remembers him as well. By the mid 60s we didn't see him as often, same with the Fuller Brush man. How about Jewel Tea? I had enough jewel Tea geliten to start a restaurant..

Nita

[trav5656]

Wow! Just stumbled across the thread from a google link to Helms Bakery trucks. So many memories of So.Cal. Room for a few more?

35 years later and I can't get Cal Worthington and his dog Spot out of a corner of my brain...made my Dad take me by his lot to see if he was real.

Met Soupy Sales at camp one year. Loved Tastee-Freez cones with the chocolate dip in So.Pomona, playing "over-the-line" baseball when you didn't have enough guys for a real BB game. Bought eggs from a couple that raised chickens on a small plot off Philadelphia st (even went into the shed and helped the old guy "candle" the eggs and look for double yolks) no FDA, No food inspector!

Loved the old Fox theater in downtown Pomona, drapes were at least 60 feet tall and pulled back when the movie was gonna start. If you were lucky, you could get your girl to sit with you in the balcony or the mezzanine.

Made my mom a pop bottle with neck stretched about a foot long at a fire made over a trash can dangling from a wire hanger. Tool 6 bottles to get it right. Set the fire myself and no-one thought any thing about it.

(btw...if the glue on the blue and green stamps was found to be toxic, I would be dead for sure!)

Sold walnuts off our own trees in our subdivision (if we didn't use them all in walnut fights). Avocados too! Right on the side of the road like lemonade!

Thought the LA County fair and the Winternationals where the coolest! Never found the submarines that were racing at Puddingstone either (spent a lot of time looking though!)

Then on to Farrells!