I found this picture of two guys pushing this ’59 Chevy ragtop up the slippery 69th street hill on Christmas Eve 1961.
It was a common occurrence back when cars were riding on narrow bias-ply tires and people didn’t expect streets to be absolutely,
positively, ice/snow free at all costs.
Most people not from the immediate area call it Philly but it’s actually Upper Darby, abutting West Philly.
A busy place with thousands of commuters coming by car, bus, trolley, or rail, to take the Elevated into Philly, or heading home.
69th Street also had the Tower theater, a great 3000 seat venue where I saw Bowie, Tull, Starship, Mason, and tons more,
but we’ve talked about the Tower before.
The daily volume of human traffic was irresistible to commerce. attracting branches of biggies like Sears and Penny’s.
But what I noticed about the original picture was;
1- all the stores open at night.
Well Christmas Eve I suppose they are hoping to catch last minute shoppers, ones who heard that afternoon some relative they
didn’t expect was coming for Christmas, and Mad Men who boinked their secretary after the office party picking up a guilt gift...
...or an unstained shirt. But all the stores used to be open on set nights and people could count on being able to go there.
2- the variety of stores.
A stand alone millinery shop, a hosiery shop, when was the last time you saw those? Everything got gobbled up by department
stores, discount stores, variety stores, and Malls, which in turn got eaten by wally world.
Now most of those stores are food, nails, travel, temp agencies, sporting goods, and an occasional massage parlor.
Also shoes, which I have enough of (said no women ever
), and people would rather try before they buy.
But the face of retail is changing, evolving, keeping plaster surgeons busy.