Lee Steele the design director for the Connecticut Post, has written and directed the design for several newspapers and magazines in New Jersey, New York City and Connecticut. His interests include cartooning and collecting vintage magazines and newspapers.« A beast, but in a good way | Main | Give HCC everything it wants »
March 9, 2006
Why is Read's such a mystery?
I went to one of Joe Celli's salsa parties a couple of weeks ago. It was on the top floor of the old Read's Department Store building on Broad and John. If you've been reading any of my former entries here, you know how significant that was for me.
Before I go any further, I wish to extend a pox to whoever has been placing ads for online poker, prescription medicines or whatever in our comments area. That's blog abuse!
Anyway, back to Read's. The top floor, I'm told, had offices, a beauty salon and a bank of public telephones. I can tell by the existing architectural elements that the top floor wasn't just retail space. There is a central corridor with faintly decorative arches and some arch-shaped niches in the wall, which I'm guessing was glassed-in retail display. Still, I can't quite picture how it all came together. It seems like such a large space for so little. I had assumed the restaurant was up there, but I'm told it was on the main floor.
Mind you, when this all shut down, I was a teen-ager living in New Jersey. I had never been to Bridgeport, although Mom used to take me to Philadelphia, Allentown and Atlantic City for our own version of Read's: Homberger's, Lit Bros., Wannamakers, Hess's. They all had storied histories and depressing endings similar to Read's.
You'd think working at the Post, I'd have access to vast archives that would fill in the blanks. I don't. And the newspaper coverage at the time seemed much more concerned with being optimistic about the future (Read's moved to the Crossroads Mall in 1981) than being sentimental about the past. And you'd think being surrounded by people who remember Read's, and who I've grilled about those memories, I'd be satisfied. But interior photos are rare, and oral histories are not very reliable.
It would be nice to see comments other than spam. If anyone has memories, or even photos!, please send them this way for us all to enjoy. I've gotten all I can from Google searches and our microfilm.
Posted by lsteele on March 9, 2006 10:58 AM
Comments
Understanding Bridegport has a fascinating history...I think we should take a look at whats new and coming? We all know it has had a rough few decades. Is it changinging? Are the urban pioneers correct? Tell us about "Joe Celli's salsa parties"....Tell us where do you go for a nice cocktail and enjoy a piano player? Bridgeport is a city close to many other beautiful towns like Fairfield and Westport. The residents of these fine communities would love a reason to visit the city but no little about it's so called revitalization. Are there art galleries? antique shops? fine resteraunts? Many Fairfield County residnets feel the city is questionable.
Perhaps once a week you can discuss new establishments you visit. Thoughts?
Posted by: Patrick Woodhouse at April 3, 2006 12:53 PM
Thank you, Mr. Woodhouse, for your comment! I'll say this much -- downtown is so cool these days that even the President is stopping by. Seriously, so far it's not really a shopping destination. There is a cool art gallery, good restaurants, lovely architecture, and I'll be taking adult ed classes at Housatonic in a couple of weeks, but we still need more than that to make it an actual destination. I wouldn't be downtown that often if I didn't work here -- but being here is a lot more fun that it used to be!
Posted by: Lee Steele at April 3, 2006 1:53 PM
Read's had s store at Crossroads Mall near Albany, NY? How many stores did Read's own and how many are still in use today as other stores? Did Read's feature it's own store brand Credit Card?
How about New Jersey? Were there any Read's stores there as NJ is the Shopping Mall Capitol of The Country.
Other Pennsyalvaia loses besides Lit Brothers was Pomroy's with nearest NJ Store at Levitown, PA Across Delaware River in Trenton, NJ. How about Sun Ray Drug Store in Philalphia which had a cafeteria in the basement near Lit Brothers.
Similar to Lit Brothers in th Mid-Hudson Valley of Poughkeepsie, NY was Lucky Plat's Deparment Store, not to menton long gone Montgomery Ward (Jefferson Ward in NJ)which was throughout the country including CT.
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