Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

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Do you remember the Country Boys Market with its wooden floors? Walter Smiths was the place to go for clothes on the Fulton Mall. Penny Candy had great blacklight posters and don't forget Whitie's Pet Store on Blackstone. What vintage retail do you remember growing up in Fresno?
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oldschool
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Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by oldschool » Fri Sep 20, 2013 10:01 pm

I know there are many of you here that can add to the list. After looking up I. Magnin and some other stores on the internet, not many mention being in Fresno or the Central Valley at all. I will just mention what I remember. I will include other things as well. Feel free to add more.This is what I remember before moving in 1973.

I. Magnin
Coffees
Roos Atkins
Learner Shops
Liberty House
White Front
Walter Smith
Western Boot and Shoe
Cuttings Golden Horse
The Hacienda
The Place
Grants
J J Newberry
Thrifty
Rudy's Drugs
White Front
Afco
Coney Island Hot Dogs
Rawlings Motor Maniacs
Maruko Cyclery
C & J Custon Cycles
Bud and Panchos Cycles
Boys Market
Country Boy Market

oldschool

jtsmama47
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Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by jtsmama47 » Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:59 am

Cooper's, downtown Fresno. I used to take clarinet lessons at Hockett Cowan and then went over to Cooper's to wait for my "Mom" (lady whose family I lived with as a child), who worked at that store.

Bev Larios
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Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by Bev Larios » Thu Oct 31, 2013 4:42 pm

I worked for Bruckners downtown before it became Berkeleys and moved furture down the street.What a beautiful store with the elite of Fresno shopping there. In high school during the 50's we did our Capezio and Spalding shoe shopping at Rodders another great beautiful store. I can still smell the leather.

Big J
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Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by Big J » Fri Jan 03, 2014 1:38 pm

Always enjoyed Bob's Hobby in Fig Garden.

senpaidonna
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Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by senpaidonna » Sat Feb 15, 2014 12:34 am

There are so many places I miss. In Fig Garden Village: DW2, Jack-Be-Nimble candle shop, Party Tips, Blum's, MacDonald's, Christensen's Food World, the Fig Garden Cinemas (not a store, I know, sue me). In Manchester: Rhodes, Liberty House, Home Express, Party Tips, Gottschalk's, Annie Laurie's. In Fashion Fair: Foxmoor's, Pigeon's, Contempo, Bennetton, Rodder's, Gottschalk's, Weinstock's, Earth Craft, Crabtree and Evelyn, Morrow's Nut House, Woolworth's, Toy World, B. Dalton, Youngster's, Walter Smith, Suzie's Casuals, Parklane Hosiery (THE place to buy legwarmers!), The Wherehouse, Doktor's Pets

And elsewhere in town: Potter Drug, Bullard Village Drug, Foodland, Country Boy, McLane market, Tammy's Boutique, Merry-Go-Round, Ivory Tower Boutique, Huebner's Sports, Bernie's Skateboard Shop, Gordick's Books, Capezio, Fresno Danceworks, Tots and Teens, Not Just Paper (the first one at Opus One, not the glorified mess now in FGV), Gemco, Whitefront, Major Video, Video Zone, Caro-Lyn Beauty Supply, H and H Craft and Floral, Penny Candy, Komoto's Department Store, Fresno Bookland, Bistro Books, The Book Hotel, White Front., Zip and Go (and their delicious hot dogs, 3 for a dollar), Newberry's, Rudy's Triple J, Sprouse Reitz, Safeway, Alpha Beta, Ollenberger's, Pocket Pleaser's, The Briar Patch, Miss Cornelia's Cupboard, ar West Books, Tandy Leather, McVideo...man, I could name sooo many more.

Mixyll

Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by Mixyll » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:47 am

Also Breuner's Home Furnishings! Malibu Grand Prix!

Scott Whitney
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Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by Scott Whitney » Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:42 am

I was sad to read Bob passed away last year. Even though Bob could seem a gruff at times, he did more to promote R/C aviation than anyone in Fresno. I remember watching him teach people in the old parking lot of Woodward park. (North of the current dog park - approx 1977) He was always willing to help anyone sincerely interested in model aviation.

As for me: I miss the underground surplus electronics store near the Fulton Mall. (I forget the name & exact location) It was a parking lot with a small structure and stairs leading underground. Before the days of RTF drones, R/C aviation was an eclectic mix of retail items, re-purposed electronics and individual creativity. This place was a gold mine.

ruebers

Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by ruebers » Wed Jun 23, 2021 4:51 pm

Hendrich's on Fresno & Olive Streets was a upper class variety store. My mother, older sister and I took knitting lessons there in the mid '60's. I also remember Hanoian's Grocery Store on Cedar & Belmont (I think) where my grandmother used to shop.

SJM77
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Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by SJM77 » Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:14 pm

One big memory from the 60's tied to a specialty shop was the old Fresno Hobby store on the north side of Tulare west of First near where it turned into Divisadero. The store provided our rocketry club with a room to have meetings and sometimes helped with support for competitions.

I remember the streetcar tracks still being in Tulare at that time. Sure spent a lot of paper route and lawn mowing money in that store. If one wanted anything related to crafts, Fresno Hobby likely had it. Later on they had a store near Cedar and Shields, northeast corner.

Guest

Re: Great Department Stores and Specialty Shops that are gone

Post by Guest » Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:00 pm

Hanoian's was on the southeast corner of Cedar & Butler. Rudy's dime store was in the same shopping center.

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