I came across these pictures today and thought I'd just throw 'em up here as a tribute to 1950's, one of my favorite decades. It's the old Stonestown Shopping Center on 19th Avenue in San Francisco. Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember when it looked like this (but only because it still looked like this in the 80's)If you click the first picture, you will notice what appears to be a ferris wheel on the roof. It was a Christmas time tradition for The Emporium to have a holiday carnival on the roof of it's flagship Market Street location in San Francisco, complete with a Santa town and rides for the kids. When the department store opened it's location at Stonestown, they continued the tradition there as well. This was revived at the downtown location in the early '90's with great success.
Originally opened in 1952 by the Stoneson Brothers, it is now called the Stonestown Galleria and is a two-story indoor mall. The Emporium was replaced by Macys after it went out of business many years ago.
Grammaw always used to give me an Xmas present of a shirt or sweater from the Emporium. Seems like anyway. She liked to shop right there at the Stonestown store. For some reason, that "E" on the gift-box always gave me a good vibe. And yeah, I stopped going there when they made it into a "mall." I remember the old days too.
ReplyDeleteI was at the market street location one christmas and almost stole an "E" of one of the trees. not a christmas goes by when I wish that I had taken it now.
ReplyDeleteI wish you had too. Maybe they're still available somewhere, in someone's garage? Hell, doesn't Grace Slick own one of the Doggie Diner doggy heads? (Ga'Bless her!)
ReplyDeletethat sounds familiar, i think she does. they did restore one and put it up on the median divider btwn the old SF ZOO entrance and the old Doggie Diner that was across the street.
ReplyDeleteOh, i miss Doggie Diner.