FIRST ONE?: Rena Ward of Colegrove spotted a robin last Tuesday
during our marvelous January thaw. Was it the last one to leave for
winter or the first one to arrive for spring? Maybe it was neither.
Maybe it was one which doesn’t migrates and just came out of its
winter shelter to briefly enjoy the warm weather – like the rest of
us.

MO’ STORES: More stores to add to our growing list of former
Bradford retail establishments:

Louie ‘Corky’ Galloway of Tucson, Ariz., writes: “The Buster
Brown Shoe Store. Does anyone else remember the device (some kind
of flouroscope) that was used to determine if your shoes fit.
Checking out your feet in new shoes was a highlight of getting a
new pair. I cannot recall any other shoe store or department store
using such a machine. Buster Browns shoes were the choice for this
skinny kid as they had the AA and AAA widths that would fit my
stiletto feet. This was the case until I was 10 years old in
1944.”

Joan Kan Schmidt of Cream Ridge, N.J.: “Let’s not forget Kan’s
Grocery Store on West Washington street and Pat’s meat market and
Cohen’s. How about Booke’s bakery?”

Tony Coronati of Sidney, Ohio, writes: “Right next door to my
family’s barber shop on the corner of Washington and Pearl street
was Taft’s News Stand (later it became Bove’s) with real penny
candy. Fifth ward had Carey’s Store on the corner of High and Grove
Street convenient to the 5th Ward park. They also had real penny
candy. My Uncle Ralph had a store – “Campogiani’s” – on High Street
and right around the corner was Mongillo’s. Oh, the days of the
neighborhood stores. Now it’s how far is the nearest ‘box
store’?”

Jill Moore of Bradford: “A few more stores downtown: Headwall
Ski Shop on the Square. The Little Folk Shoppe, a children’s
clothing store, was on Main Street then relocated to the Square,
next to Headwall. The Jan Jam, located where Eye Care is on Main
Street and the Square. CVS was at one time on the corner of Main
and Pine.”

We have not yet depleted our supply of stores so stay tuned.