CATALOG SALES were very common when I was growing up. Two places in Liberal, KS that I can think of had Catalog Departments. JC Penney. Sears. Montgomery Wards. That'd be three. Each had catalogs. JC Penney was the only large brick and mortar shop with a catalog. The other two had small stores with a counter across the room to place your personal order or phone it into a actual warm body that wrote your order down and called it into the large warehouse. You'd wait about a week when the clerk would telephone you to let you know your order was ready for pick up.
I not only liked looking through the thick catalogs, but when Mom was finished with them, we the children would play with the pages that we had torn out of the catalogs. My pretend house that I made while lying on the floor were pages torn out of the catalogs. My house might have 5 kitchens, 7 bathrooms, a multitude of bedrooms and living rooms. It was truly a treat to lay out on the floor my floorpans for the house of my dreams.
Back in the day, it was typical to look through a catalog and order from the store location either in person or in the comfort of ones HOME. When the articles arrived, you'd go to their store and pick the item up after paying by check or credit card. Sometimes cash. Was a thrill to carry the brown wrapped item to the car and return HOME to open. A thrill. Still a thrill when the wrap turned to transparent plastic. I can see a item in there folded in a funky arrangement. Waiting to get HOME to unfold the article was expected. Quickly we could tell if the item was going to work out for us or not.
The Department stores that were on Main Street were Penney's, Levine's and Anthony's. Other cute clothing stores were on the main drag. Mom and Pop Businesses. Some CHAIN STORE small shops. We had a real downtown to shop. Visions are in my head. Dime stores, clothing stores, restaurants, just about anything you wanted. Even a Movie Theatre with snack bar. Grocery stores, Barber Shops, Beauty Parlors. Pharmacy. Card and Gift Shop. Antique Store, Dairy Queen, Photography Studio. Ice Cream Store, Library, Post Office, City Building, Phone Company, Newspaper Office, Banks, Fire Department. Schools and Hospital.
I remember well the day the Gibson Discount Store opened. It was the talk of the town. They'd do well and move into a new building to sell their items much like a Way-Mart of todays.
There was a special time in the summer where the shops placed items out on the sidewalks on racks and tables where people would shop for bargains galore. The sales clerks dressed as clowns because the special day was called BAZAAR DAY. This is when I saw a young child sporting a mohawk haircut. It appeared strange to me as I had never seen one on a real human. Barely illustrations in books let alone one in my space. The little boy with the mohawk was holding a man's hand. I suppose the man was his Dad. I gawked at the boy as I shopped in the Woolworth's Dime Store. Gosh, I liked this wide open store that had so much in there that a person could practically decorate a whole house from their inventory. I still recall the boy. A memory I have held for years. 57 years or more. I haven't seen a mohawk lately. Wonder why.
Since the PANDEMIC, I have not ordered any clothing from a catalog. I've ordered a book. The ordering through mail is similar to ordering from the catalogs in days gone by. It can be done. Slow to spend and slow to save. Blessings to you.
SPRING IS HERE and I need to take a walk while I still can,
d
