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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Bird in a Window

Astoria, Oregon ~ June 1, 2008

This window has been empty as long as I can remember. Does anyone know the story? I took the photo in 2008, but I don't remember anything changing since then. The building is at the top of 8th Street.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

4 comments:

Gayle said...

Sheryl -

If this is the building mid-block on the west side of 8th Street between Madison and Niagara, I might be able to help.

In the 50's and 60's, and I think before that, the building housed Clark's Confectionary. It was a combination soda fountain, candy, comic book, novelty, toy and sundries store that was a magnet for kids even before the middle school was built not far away. I believe the last owner / proprietor was Art Stromsness, a wonderful guy who had previously been a letter carrier.

tapirgal said...

Hi Gayle,

Yes, that's the location. It seems like it's been empty at least since I got here in 2001 or when I found it sometime after that. Thanks for the info. It makes it come alive in imagination! Must have been nice.

Francisca said...

That's a LONELY bird in that window!

Jan said...

Gayle's comment is right on. I was about to send you the same info when I saw her comment.

I have vivid memories of visiting Clark's in the late '40s, early '50s. Penny candy, bubble gum with baseball cards, bright red wax lips and other goodies were in a glass display case at the rear of the store. Magazines and comic books were on the left near the rear. On many Saturday evenings my mom would take us kids with her to Clark's where she'd buy the latest issue of Redbook or Ladies Home Journal and we'd each get a new comic book. The soda fountain was on the right, and sundries were in the middle. A favorite purchase was a balsa-wood airplane that was assembled by sliding the wing through a slit in the fuselage, then building the tail by inserting a smaller wing and upright peice at the rear. I think they cost a dime.

My friend and I walked past the store on our way to school, but we often spent too much time looking in the window of Clark's instead of hurrying to school.

Your picture brought it all back in my mind's eye. Thanks.

Jan

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