It's another of those things that seems odd now...
I was thinking of the stamps retailers used to give out as incentives to shop at their stores...
"Top Value" and "S&H Green Stamps".
I think the IGA in the Smith Valley Shopping Center gave out Top Value stamps. My Mom would wait until she had lots and lots of them to add to the books you were supposed to stick them in, then she'd use a sponge to wet them and apply them to the books. We'd all look through the catalog they supplied to see how many stamp-filled books we had to accrue in order to get an appliance or some other doo-dad.
More memories...
Glasses or towels as premiums in boxes of laundry detergent. When I first set up independent housekeeping as a bachelor I think my cupboard was filled with glasses I got as premiums for buying gasoline at the "Gulf" Service Station...
Whatever happened to "Good Gulf" gasoline?
When I went lookin' for an image of the stamps I found the above photo of the General Store in Nashville, Indiana. (Click it to see the full photo.) Stores don't actually give those things out anymore, do they?
Two weeks from tomorrow we'll be meeting in Evansville...
Are ya comin'?
It's the last Friday in July. Time to sound off!
25 comments:
I got a set of white milk glass glasses and a matching pitcher with S&H green stamps. I think that's where I got my set of Courier and Ives plates, too.
Ferdy
Quiet group.
Anonymous,
Thanks for the update!
dj
Our Mother worked at the IGA for awhile and as a family, we shopped at that 'shopping center' Everything from gas for the cars; malts and shakes from the soda fountain at the drug store; groceries from the IGA, bats, gloves, balls and hardware - even barbwire from the hardware store and last but not least, my first 'store bought' haircut.... even walked out with a sucker. What were some of the other original stores? Over the years, a lot of different busineses moved in and out. can anyone name some of them? The 'old' Valley was aging and this was a great addition. Some newcomers even considered this as being the 'Valley'. I do not remember when this got started. It seems as if the 'center' was build in stages. Does anyone remember how,when and who was behind the SV Shopping Center? I'm not even convinced that it had a name back then. I think it was built the same time as some of the last houses were being completed in the Hiatt Addition - maybe in conjunction with that Addition??? Was this built by Mr. Hiatt? We had a classmate that married the child of this man. Does anyone remember that?? What is the initals of this person?
Getting back to the stamps - Later, we did our grocery shopping at the new Standard market in the Wilgro center. No, we had not disowned the Valley - we had a reason - my older brother worked there and that was reason enough for Mom...
The Standard gave S&H stamps. We had lots of 'things' from both sets of stamps. Great promo back then - for the grocery stores.
In a previous blog post I named the stores I could remember there, TD-
Walden's Drugs, Baker's 5&10 cent store, the IGA, Dempsey's Hardware, and that last segment held several different businesses from a Dentist's office to Dr. Onyett's practice...
I don't remember who was there initially. I don't remember ever hearing who actually owned the property.
The classmate who married Mr. Hiatt and then seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth? Initials K.R.?
My Mom also worked for a while at the IGA, then also worked at the Standard store at Wilgro while TPO and D.F. were stock boys there. (They both have interesting stories about D.F.'s innovative ways of avoiding work.) I think your big bro. was gone by that time, right?
TD,
I don't know nearly as much about the shopping center as you but I did think it had just about everything you could want! I loved
going there; you could just "shop till you dropped"!
I do remember that Dr. Onyett had an office there and gave out Prescriptions for free Ice Cream Cones for sick kids.
I didn't know that "your older brother" worked at the Standard Store in Wilgro. Thank goodness he didn't follow Daaaviid Lettterrrrman's example at Atlas! But I guess it was the beginning of his fame and fortune! HEE HEE!!
Bo
We didn't move to the Valley until summer of 1958; started the 6th grade in the middle bldg with miss Hicks. I do remember that mom shopped (54-58) at the new "HUGE" Standard food store on Madison Ave. (which is now a Goodwill or Vets Store). Part of the Miracle Mile.
She for sure got green stamps at the standard store, and that was always a topic of discussion as to what to get with the stamps. When we moved to the Valley, they had the top value red? stamps. I'm thinking that Krogers had the top value stamps too. I remember too that dad had collected "coupons" from the back of Raleigh cigarettes that he traded in for fishing gear and other outdoors stuff. (That was pretty much in the early 50's) My brother still has a split bamboo fly rod that dad got with those coupons. He had it reconditioned years ago and it was worth quite a few bucks even then. I remember sitting in the barber chair at Red's Barber Shop and seeing an older gentleman arriving by car at the doctors office next door. He passed away with heart failure there at the office. Strange, the things you remember.
One more . . . . I remember mom going into a dress shop that opened after the hardware closed and the song "Sugar Shack" playing on the piped in music. I hated that song. . . . . . . .
Enough of I remember.
Question: What kind of car did Mr. Hiatt get for graduation. (Make, Model, Color)
Later dj
Mom saved the stamps too. One day someone came along with a truckload of handmade yard furniture--made with large tree branches. Mom wanted a set, but had no money. She ended up trading 12 books of stamps for two chairs and a love seat.
As for KR, his sister also married one of the Hiatts. Couldn't say if he was related to the same Hiatt, but he did live in that addition. He and C&C almost had a "date" one day, right C&C? Anyway, JH was always a creep, even as a kid. When he and KR's sister had a baby, he beat the baby when it was a month old--to stop it from crying. Don't know what ever happened to him, but hope he never had any more kids.
I used to hang out at LaMastus's Texaco Station and I also remember there was a photography studio in the shopping center for awhile.
Also the pizza parlor had some pretty good pizza for Valley Standards.
I spent a lot of time at Walden's drug store fountain, there were some really cool guys that worked there, uh, HF? Broke my heart when Bill and Jo closed it.
Just outside their building, there was a row of mailboxes for all the businesses and I used to tie my horse there and go in for a cherry root beer, cost me a dime.
I use to think "Golden" and his brother behind the meat counter at the IGA was a nice guy. Used to love their old fashion loaf lunchmeat.
Also, "Jap" Merriman was all around that area also. He did a lot of remodeling and such.
I remember I saved green stamps forever and ended up buying a set of dishes, a trunk, still have it, and a chain saw and I can't remember what the other thing was, but it sure took a lot of licking stamps to get all of that.
GH - I wondered if any one would remember the photography studio. My mother had that studio! She and Daddy would develope the photos in the blackroom Daddy built in our garage.
Ferdy
The Smith Valley shopping Center. I remember the ice cream cone prescriptions from Dr. Onyett. There was a dry cleaners in the last segment,I think Dan F.’s dad had it. My dad & Elaine T.’s dad had the Texaco Station in the early 50’s before Bill LaMastus. Green stamps, seems everybody was getting card table & chairs.
Wasn’t there a George H. & a Larry H. ? See everyone Aug 15.
Are you going ?
Ferdy,
I sure do remember the studio. I went with mom to get my baby brother's picture taken there. It came out beautifully. Those were the best days.
GH,
Thanks for the memory and the compliment on my mother's work!
Ferdy
There was a George, Larry, and Jimmy H., all related. I beleive it was George that married KR.
Ferdy,
You are so welcome. Those were such days of innocence. weren't they?
I miss the ole valley days, awwww... Riding all over, on horse or bike, the gypsies, the tall corn fields, dogs running loose following their masters, playing hide and seek all over the addition, until way after dark,
red rover, statue, mother may I, riding in the back of a pick up truck, playing ball at the CC, playing in any creek we could find.
Playing under Sharon R. old weeping willow tree in her front yard next to the shopping center.
Going to a favorite swimming hole, Hilltop maybe?
Thanks for the memories everyone.
GoldenGirl, Do you remember 'Kick the Can'? We had the greatest fun playing that game. It was kind of a 'Hide and Seek' type game with a twist.
Hilltop was a favorite of ours. Early on, mostly for fishing - then swimming. Was 'Hilltop' just considered the swimming lake? If I remember correctly (Ha! Fuzzy at times..), before the swimming lake was built - it was just called Dillmans. Lots of family picnics there. Then there was the place over by the river called South Lake Beach or something like that.
In answer to DJ's question about young Mr. Hiatt's car, I can barely remember it...
But as I recall it was a convertible,
BIG- (Cadillac or Lincoln), and it had the first mobile telephone I ever saw in a car. He made a big deal of making a few calls on it in front of a gathered crowd...
What must that have cost back then?
(And that was actually the point, wasn't it?)
So DJ, what's the answer to your query?
'62 or '63 Big Red Caddy, I think????
George and Jimmy were cousins - Their Dads were brothers - I'm not sure who Larry was. Didn't know him. Older or younger than Georgie boy? It was George that married KR. Jimmy may have married one of KR's younger sister????
TD,
You won the door prize. (Be very aware of door prizes). It was a Caddie Convertible, Red with red leather interior and a white top.
GB, I didn't remember the phone, but I was never close to it long enough to really look inside. I'm thinking that even in the 70's a call could cost up to a $1.50 per minute. But then again that info came from the guy making the call, so who knows how much it really cost.
TD I had forgotten the old name Dillmans and the funny part is that the first time we ever went (family outing with aunts uncles cousins etc.) I was still a city kid living on S. Delaware St. in Indy. I remember the "Secret Cove" where all of the huge blue gills were. (Over the bridge and back to the right and down the narrow path that would let you slide down and "fall in the lake if you weren't careful")
Remember the catfish heads on the garaage?
DJ
TD
Oh yes, I remember Kick the Can. These kids nowsdays haven't a clue about fun, do they?
You remember the "wild" white/gray horse running loose kind of behind your house by the sand/gravel pit. I used to sneak back there and watch it. I also used to sneak down by the creek south of our house, where they built houses in what used to be a corn field and peek into a foxes hole and see her babies. Boy, was I dumb.
Hilltop, I remember, Nickie W. being a lifeguard there and in the summer she had the darkest tan possible. She would put iodine in baby oil and let er rip, er tan.
Now that you guys are bringing up George, I am remembering the very things you brought up. Wow, where did those memories come from?
So TD, congratulations on your big win! What do you intend to do with your new door?
I just called the "Log Inn" to see if there'd be a problem with our group showing up on the 15th. The nice lady there asked if I'd made a reservation. They want people to make reservations for groups of more than 12, so I told them we'd have 12 folks there at 6 P.M.. That number can be adjusted as necessary.
I just went back and reviewed the post beneath this one and noticed everyone voted for 4 P.M.
I'll call back and change the reseervation.
Uh oh, another door prize. I'm familiar with door prizes. I will be declining this one! But, Thanks anyhow, DJ. Probably should have turned down the last door prize offered to me.
So that's how Nicki got that dark tan back then. Iodine w/baby oil. Makes sense, I guess.. After a day of tossing hay bales, I had a dark tan, too. It wasn't a pretty color like her tan, though. And, most of it washed off in the shower. I wonder if Nicki's did? Don't answer that question. I don't even want to think about that.... BTW, Our own PT was a lifeguard at Hilltop, as well.
GB, Thanks for checking on the resv. and time. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Just name the time and we'll be there.
Tracy & I are gonna try to make the Log Inn gathering. Hope to see you all next week.
You know, the sad thing is...the memories of kids these days are liable to consist of, "Do you remember when I fell off the Wii board?". Do you think our grandkids have ever played Kick the Can, Hide and Seek, Red Rover, Jacks, or climbed a tree? Have they ever "flown" in their Superman cape made of a towel?
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