I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

berri

All fin wants is his "fair share" of those MB for Christmas

A&P was in Chicago competing against local grocer Jewel and St. Louis based National food stores growing up, but by the latter 60's A&P and National were both in retreat as another local grocer, Dominick's came on board. These days Dominick's is gone and I forget who currently owns Jewel these days (there have been several owners including Albertsons in the past). Dominick's was bought out by Safeway (and their prices and service seemed to run them out of popularity as they closed down within a few years after that buyout).

fintail

I'd be happy with any of those. Only thing I could likely afford might be one of the SLCs in the larger garage shot. The ship set sail on most of those a while ago - you're not going to find a legit widebody SEC at an affordable price anymore.

benjaminh

1945....

benjaminh

1945....To go with the parachute factory pix.

benjaminh

1945....

benjaminh

1945....The top photo is the repair room of Montgomery Ward. The middle image shows a Lexington Water Co. control room. The last photo is of equipment that was part of the University of Kentucky's flight research program, which is also the place where the close up images of engine parts is from.

andre1969

On the subject of A&P, back in the late 60's, my Dad worked for a local one in Greenbelt, MD. Mom worked at a Hot Shoppes in the same shopping center, and that's how they met.

Around these parts, at least, A&P became Super Fresh foods, although these days, there's a Giant supermarket where Dad's old A&P had been. That particular Hot Shoppes was a Bob's Big Boy throughout my childhood, and teen years. I forget when Big Boy went away, but I remember it being some kind of steak roadhouse place, where the in thing was to eat the peanuts they left you as an appetizer, and just throw the shells on the floor for them to sweep up. These days it's a Silver Diner.

tjc78

The peanuts place was Lonestar. Pretty sure they are gone now everywhere.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

The peanuts place was Lonestar. Pretty sure they are gone now everywhere.

Lonestar had pretty good pork chops, and the world's largest baked sweet potatoes. One of those potatoes could feed a whole village.

xwesx

tjc78 said:

The peanuts place was Lonestar. Pretty sure they are gone now everywhere.

Mostly gone, anyway. They have a website, and it says they have one location each in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Sometimes, it's a looong way down....

thebean

Wow, that parachute looks a wee bit tight in the "inseam" area. Imagine the feeling when the chute popped out and the strain on those straps. Yowzaa.

Mr_Shiftright

Well if you're parachuting in a business suit in the first place, you're probably not all that up on the latest techniques.

kyfdx

xwesx said:

tjc78 said:

The peanuts place was Lonestar. Pretty sure they are gone now everywhere.

Mostly gone, anyway. They have a website, and it says they have one location each in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Sometimes, it's a looong way down....

Wow... by I-75 in Middletown.. I knew a bunch had closed but no idea that they were almost all gone.

ab348

kyfdx said:

xwesx said:

tjc78 said:

The peanuts place was Lonestar. Pretty sure they are gone now everywhere.

Mostly gone, anyway. They have a website, and it says they have one location each in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Sometimes, it's a looong way down....

Wow... by I-75 in Middletown.. I knew a bunch had closed but no idea that they were almost all gone.

Just checked. That one is gone too as of October. Building is for sale.

xwesx

ab348 said:

kyfdx said:

xwesx said:

tjc78 said:

The peanuts place was Lonestar. Pretty sure they are gone now everywhere.

Mostly gone, anyway. They have a website, and it says they have one location each in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Sometimes, it's a looong way down....

Wow... by I-75 in Middletown.. I knew a bunch had closed but no idea that they were almost all gone.

Just checked. That one is gone too as of October. Building is for sale.

Crazy. I only recall going to one once, in some little podunk place in Washington... Lynden, I think? The restaurant itself was a pretty hoppin' place - very busy. I imagine just bad management at the corporate level is what brought it down.

kyfdx

I think the whole mid-priced steakhouse chain is problematic.

Tastes are moving away from beef. And, for those that want it, the price points seem really high for a chain restaurant. Seems like the only people going out for steak are going high end.

(but, that might be me.. we avoid chain restaurants when possible)

Management could definitely be an issue, though. It makes or breaks a restaurant.
Longhorn: great service and management
Texas Roadhouse: crappy service and management

(my observations from years ago)

benjaminh

1946....

texases

What's the difference between 'seafood' and 'fish'? Seafood = shrimp?

benjaminh

1946....

benjaminh

1946....

xwesx

That little forklift is fantastic. I bet that was a sort of revelation when it was first introduced.

ab348

Towmotor is a name I haven't seen in a long time.

I just looked it up. The company was bought by Caterpillar in the 1960s and to sum up what I read, went continually downhill under their ownership before being essentially scrubbed in the mid-80s after numerous strikes and subsequent relocation of manufacturing to Korea.

It appears the name was sold off at some point and now is found on a variety of similar products made in Singapore.

fintail

On the road this evening spotted two very clean 2nd gen Integra 2/3 doors.

benjaminh

1947....The third photo is the maintenance and repair center for the Hudson dealer pictured above it.

fintail

That skirted 40 Dodge (I think) convertible is an eye catcher, not to mention the Hudson.

benjaminh

1947....

benjaminh

1947....Getting close to the end of the line for these photos. The Lafayette photo studio folded for reasons that are unknown to me at the end of 1949.

benjaminh

1947....

texases

"Conn Band Instruments" - neat, I played a Conn sax in school.

fintail

Interesting, 3rd car from L on the Nash used car lineup appears to be a 42 Chevy "blackout" model, and the rightmost car looks like another 42 Chevy, this one with chrome.

Mr_Shiftright

Back then, you could sell anything with 4 wheels---and sometimes 3 wheels! Americans were desperate for cars in the late 40s.

benjaminh

1948....

texases

That 'Checker Store' reminded me of something at a very young age, must have been one near me in Cincinnati. But I can't tell you where...when did they go out of business?

benjaminh

1948....

benjaminh

1948....The facility for rebuilding Greyhound bus engines.

benjaminh

1948....

fintail

39 Lincoln Zephyr 2nd car from R in the "Kawneer" parking lot looks to have led a hard life. Interesting that the original moderne elongated oval/teardrop headlights have been replaced by normal round lights.

benjaminh

fintail said:

39 Lincoln Zephyr 2nd car from R in the "Kawneer" parking lot looks to have led a hard life. Interesting that the original moderne elongated oval/teardrop headlights have been replaced by normal round lights.

I wonder why all the cars seem to be black. Military facility of some kind?

fintail

I think that was a standard color palette of the time. Some cars could be dark green or blue, I guess.

benjaminh said:

I wonder why all the cars seem to be black. Military facility of some kind?

benjaminh

1949....Ventiports! Doesn't seem like the guy driving the truck likes his job that much. Or maybe the photographer just forgot to ask him to smile?

texases

Looks kind of like a young Kirk Douglas.

ab348

Gee, that's a nice International truck. Can't recall ever seeing one like that before. At first glance I thought it was a Diamond Reo due to the bullnose grille.

ab348

This pic of a U-Wreck-'Em fest originally found at Shorpy.com (so it blows up to a good size) of a bad day for GM cars in Oakland, early '60s. I blame the guy on the bicycle.

Interesting how the windshield of the '60 Chevy lost an entire corner section.

benjaminh

1949....And with this we reach the end of the line for the long-gone Lafayette Photography Studio. The photo of the men around the painting are Pontiac dealers around a painting of Chief Pontiac.

berri

That guy looks like the ag guy on Green Acres

Michaell

I remember Thom McAn stores, growing up in SoCal.

stickguy

they had them by us too in the NYC area

Michaell

More than you ever wanted to know about Thom McAn

texases

Looks just like the Thom McAn shop near my home, bought all our shoes there.

kyfdx

texases said:

Looks just like the Thom McAn shop near my home, bought all our shoes there.

Ditto