I grew up in the Northeast, so places like Fondren have the appealing mix of the rural familiar and the slightly exotic in my mind's eye. My Swiss grandparents retired to rural Connecticut and their town had a similar pull, a blend of the known and unknown surrounded closely by a looming countryside.
The place I go to see acts come through and imbibe with the local community is the building I got my GED in back around 1988. Right outside the back hall door for a smoke shows you the church building that I went to elementary school in.
I sure never expected my old neighborhood (and home all over again) to be hip. It is though.
Our local family-owned pharmacy still has a soda fountain, counter, and booths. Mayor has coffee there on a regular basis to be available to locals. It's also a compounding pharmacy. We are very fortunate. The pie is wonderful and the chili is pretty good, too.
Our local family-owned pharmacy still has a soda fountain, counter, and booths. Mayor has coffee there on a regular basis to be available to locals. It's also a compounding pharmacy. We are very fortunate. The pie is wonderful and the chili is pretty good, too.
This is what I'm talkin' about. My hometown—not especially known for its warm community spirit—had a Friendly's restaurant for years that served as one of the local gathering spots. When you lose places like that, a lot of small but good things disappear. Bedford Falls turns into Pottersville.
FourFortyEight wrote:
Down here in J-town, Mississippi, I live in Fondren. A community that's trying to hold this city together tooth and nail. Lots of places to eat, hang out, etc. We have Brent's Drugs. It's been there for eons. It's still open. Soda fountain and all. Back in the back, after closin' time though, there's a sophisticated speak-easy atmosphere - no sign. Wonderful food and spirits in a dimly lit, low-keyed atmosphere. I think sometimes meshing the old with the new is a win-win for everyone.
I grew up in the Northeast, so places like Fondren have the appealing mix of the rural familiar and the slightly exotic in my mind's eye. My Swiss grandparents retired to rural Connecticut and their town had a similar pull, a blend of the known and unknown surrounded closely by a looming countryside.
I love this photo. There are parts of it that definitely fit into my hazy vision of the 50s—the clothes and hairdos, the prices—along with parts that don't fit—the jumble of signs and the vividness of the colors. Definitely a snapshot of a bygone Washington, a white-dominated DC that Pat Buchanan has romanticized. That soda fountain area was a "third place"—a communal spot apart from school and home—that is sadly lacking in our culture today.
Unfortunately, Peoples Drug got bought out by CVS. If you ever want to experience the feeling of death by sanitized corporate culture, walk around in a CVS store. They are utterly soulless. Years ago a DC paper's cover story about CVS pharmacies called them the worst retail experience in DC and yes, that story sure got it right. You cannot pay people enough money to hang out in a CVS.
Down here in J-town, Mississippi, I live in Fondren. A community that's trying to hold this city together tooth and nail. Lots of places to eat, hang out, etc. We have Brent's Drugs. It's been there for eons. It's still open. Soda fountain and all. Back in the back, after closin' time though, there's a sophisticated speak-easy atmosphere - no sign. Wonderful food and spirits in a dimly lit, low-keyed atmosphere. I think sometimes meshing the old with the new is a win-win for everyone.
I love this photo. There are parts of it that definitely fit into my hazy vision of the 50s—the clothes and hairdos, the prices—along with parts that don't fit—the jumble of signs and the vividness of the colors. Definitely a snapshot of a bygone Washington, a white-dominated DC that Pat Buchanan has romanticized. That soda fountain area was a "third place"—a communal spot apart from school and home—that is sadly lacking in our culture today.
Unfortunately, Peoples Drug got bought out by CVS. If you ever want to experience the feeling of death by sanitized corporate culture, walk around in a CVS store. They are utterly soulless. Years ago a DC paper's cover story about CVS pharmacies called them the worst retail experience in DC and yes, that story sure got it right. You cannot pay people enough money to hang out in a CVS.
Our local family-owned pharmacy still has a soda fountain, counter, and booths. Mayor has coffee there on a regular basis to be available to locals. It's also a compounding pharmacy. We are very fortunate. The pie is wonderful and the chili is pretty good, too.
Peoples Drug Store - Coca Cola Fountain - Signs - Washington, D.C. - Cherry Blossom Festival - Circa: 1954
I love this photo. There are parts of it that definitely fit into my hazy vision of the 50s—the clothes and hairdos, the prices—along with parts that don't fit—the jumble of signs and the vividness of the colors. Definitely a snapshot of a bygone Washington, a white-dominated DC that Pat Buchanan has romanticized. That soda fountain area was a "third place"—a communal spot apart from school and home—that is sadly lacking in our culture today.
Unfortunately, Peoples Drug got bought out by CVS. If you ever want to experience the feeling of death by sanitized corporate culture, walk around in a CVS store. They are utterly soulless. Years ago a DC paper's cover story about CVS pharmacies called them the worst retail experience in DC and yes, that story sure got it right. You cannot pay people enough money to hang out in a CVS.
Those sculptured nylon frieze upholstery fabrics were mandated during WWII because they're so durable. But it looks like they've replaced some of it with some other floral pattern? So yeah, a decade after the end of the war makes sense.
I inherited a couple of awesome upholstered chairs from my grandma's but 20 years ago it was really hard to find the period fabric. It's all the rage now tho, but one of the chairs has been thrown out. We'd had it recovered with some plain jane stuff and the person who did it really wasn't up to the task.
the solid pinkish color looks like a throw over the floral original fabric.
Those sculptured nylon frieze upholstery fabrics were mandated during WWII because they're so durable. But it looks like they've replaced some of it with some other floral pattern? So yeah, a decade after the end of the war makes sense.
I inherited a couple of awesome upholstered chairs from my grandma's but 20 years ago it was really hard to find the period fabric. It's all the rage now tho, but one of the chairs has been thrown out. We'd had it recovered with some plain jane stuff and the person who did it really wasn't up to the task.
Ah, right! 
