Posted 8 years ago
fortapache
(3420 items)
One would not think that Bakersfield CA would be an antique mecca. But it has 6 large antique malls in its old downtown area. One of the most notable of them is the old Woolworth's with it's semi-famous luncheonette. It is currently an antique mall with a Woolworth's diner inside. The diner is separated from the mall by a short metal fence. Three floors of antiques in a vintage building in a vintage downtown.
The last photo is the old Kress department store across the street.
I used to shop in Woolie's with my mom when I was a kid in the 1960s. I also remember the old Ben Franklin store. I sure do miss them.....thanks for the photos!
I remember my Grandma taking us kids there for lunch or a soda too. The last Woolworth's was in our mall back in the early 70's. It was gone a few years later.We still have two Ben Franklin's in Ohio where I live. One's in downtown Oberlin by the college and the other is in Amherst where I used to live. Still run by the third generation of the same families. :)
So COOL!! Louisville has quite a few antique malls, but none like this. Our biggest is an old meat packing pant that;s two stories and each floor covers more than 4 acres. No luncheon though:(
Oh boy, would I like to be let loose in this town!! Lol
Thank you very much Efesgirl. We had one at a shopping center I used to go to when I was a kid.
Thank you very much Mike. All the 5 and Dimes here are gone but many live on as antique malls.
Thank you very much Scott. That sounds like a pretty fair sized antique mall.
Thank you very much TassieDevil. It's a good way to spend a day. Plus there others in the area in addition to the 6 I mentioned.
Thank you very much Thomas. People were chatting here. It was quite nice.
San Jose, CA, where I grew up, like so many cities and towns across America, had a Woolworth's in downtown, on First Street. All the stores back then, in the '50s and '60s, were located in downtown -- Woolworth's, Sears, the 5 & Dime, J.C. Penny's, Macy's....... Then, in the late '60s and early '70s, first outdoor malls and then indoor malls began springing up -- Old Towne, Valley Fair, West Gate, Eastridge,..... and in quick succession, one by one, first Macy's, all the stores vacated downtown and moved to the suburban malls, even Woolworth's, being the last holdout into the late '70s....... I, too, sure miss them old days! :</
Thank you very much NevadaBlades. I was hanging out at the Stonewood Shopping center in the late 60s/early 70s. There was a toy store in old downtown Bell I really liked though.
Thank you
vetraio50
Efesgirl
mikelv85
jscott0363
fleafinder
TassieDevil
brunswick
Caperkid
nutsabotas6
pw-collector
ttomtucker
valentine97
newcombe67
rniederman
NevadaBlades
gargoylecollector