When I saw the post on Facebook about Sears being torn down, it brought back a lot of memories of that store and that area. Eva and I lived in an apartment not far from that store and she would park her car there and ride the bus to work downtown. We bought our first TV there and so many things there. We bought clothes there and at the JC Penney’s next door.
I remember going there with my Dad when he finally decided to get an air conditioner for their house. It was after all of us were married and we convinced him to get one. The store had a few models set up of different sizes and brands at different price ranges. The salesman who was helping was very pushy and told Dad that if he did not buy a certain one, he would be throwing his money away. I remember his response was, “Sir, it is my money, I worked for it, and I will decide what I will do with it!” He walked away and I asked him if that was the one he wanted to buy and he said he would not buy anything from that guy. I walked over to a woman who was working in that area and asked her if she could sell air conditioners. The look on the face of that man was shocked when he saw Dad buying the same unit from her. My Dad gave him a big smile as we walked out. I have to admit, I am a lot like my Dad in many ways.
I remember shopping for nieces and nephews Christmas presents there before we had our daughters. Back then, there were no Walmarts, Toy-r-Us, or other Toy stores. Our basket was full of Tonka toys for boys and dolls for girls and games for older kids. The Sears auto center there did all kinds of service and repairs and that is where I had an under-dash air conditioner installed in my car when I was working at NASA and got tired of the long hot drives home. We did not have tire stores everywhere back then, so they sold a lot of tires and other maintenance work and stayed busy Mondays through Saturdays.
The Garden Oaks Theater was right in that area and a bowling alley was close and there were some good places to eat as well. It was a time before shopping malls or big-box stores. The employees worked there long enough that you could get to know them, and they might ask how your children are doing. Our graduating class had their senior class bowling party at that bowling alley. I took Caroline to the Garden Oaks Theater for our first date after the 9th Grade Prom where she was my date.
Life goes on as the years go by and many things are better, but the memories of a time when things were saner and more peaceful make me appreciate the past.
Written 7/8/2024 4:22 p.m.
