Category Archives: Artifacts

Jan 15 2012
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Artifacts, Photos, Stores

Pantry Pride… Cook’s… and Magruder’s… Oh My!

Laurel residents of the 1970s—particularly those in the South Laurel/Montpelier area—filled their pantries with Pantry Pride products for more than a decade.

The popular supermarket occupied the north corner anchor spot in Montpelier Shopping Plaza along Rt. 197; a location it had enjoyed for years, essentially competing only against the pricier Giant Food at nearby Town Center. According to a July 16, 1981 clipping from the Laurel Leader, Pantry Pride had been considered the most economical supermarket in all of Laurel—until Grand Union introduced “Basics”, its new store (and a precursor to Shoppers Food Warehouse) a few miles further north at the Laurel Plaza Shopping Center. When Food Fair—Pantry Pride’s parent company—filed for bankruptcy, that spelled the end for 48 locations in the region. On August 1, 1981, the long-time grocery favorite closed its doors.

I was only 8 years old at the time, which might explain why I have no memory of Pantry Pride television commercials such as this:

I do, however, remember going there frequently—usually with my grandparents, who lived at nearby Crestleigh Apartments at the time. And in hindsight, Pantry Pride might have been the first store closing that I ever experienced. I can recall a distinct sense of disappointment upon learning exactly what that meant—”going out of business”—and a sudden desire to retain something of the store for sentimental reasons, before it disappeared for good. (Something I obviously never grew out of, huh?)

Oddly enough, I have very little recollection of the store that replaced it some three months later, aside from its name—Cook’s Supermarket, part of another small chain of independent stores in the DC area.

Instead, I seem to remember Magruder’s occupying the space for most of my youth… although neither it nor Cook’s ever made quite the same impression on me as Pantry Pride.

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Jan 13 2012
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Artifacts, Stores

Laurel Shopping Center, 1977

One year later, in 1977, the Laurel Shopping Center’s phone directory added another four listings (bringing the total to 88, while still touting “90 stores to serve you!”) And evidently, still no one noticed that misspelling of Montgomery Ward at the top. Hmm…

The most notable addition has to be that of Hair House, with their catchy phone number: 498-HAIR. It’s part of Bart’s Barber Shop, and is still in business today—with the same number.

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Jan 12 2012
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Artifacts, Stores

Laurel Shopping Center, 1976

If you lived in Laurel in 1976, chances are, you probably had to call one of the stores at Laurel Shopping Center at some point. Maybe to check what times Rocky was playing at the Cinema; or perhaps to see if Suburban Music had that new Bee Gees record in stock yet. And to do that, you probably referred to your standard Laurel yellow pages, or the annual Laurel Community Guide distributed by the Laurel Area Chamber of Commerce. Within either of those publications, you would have found this handy phone directory—which included an alphabetical listing of all “90 stores to serve you!” in the Laurel Shopping Center. (You probably never noticed that there were only 84 listed, but I digress).

You probably did notice, however, that the busy typesetter misspelled Montgomery Ward in the masthead banner. And you may also have wondered what the difference was between “Dentist Office” and “Dentist’s Office”, but again I digress.

Glancing at this list over 35 years later, you’re probably most surprised now at how archaic these once-common phone numbers suddenly look… without an area code.

At the time, everything in Maryland was area code 301—and more importantly, you never had to dial it for local calls. Seeing a phone number in print without an area code today looks almost as antiquated as those old telephone exchange names from the 1940s.

This was the heart of Laurel retail at the time, and it would be another three years before Laurel Centre Mall even came along. There are some unforgettable names on this list, and some that have have probably faded from memory over the years. And incredibly, there are a few that are actually still in business there to this day. How many do you recognize?

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Jan 08 2012
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Artifacts, Restaurants

Laurel’s Pizzas Past: Pappy’s

I have to say, really good pizza was abundant in Laurel throughout the 1970s and 80s. Delaney’s/Irish Pub, Pal Jack’s, Village Inn… even Pizza Movers wasn’t bad. (And hey, they delivered!) We’ll explore each of them in time, but let’s start with one of the earliest departures—a place that countless kids who grew up in Laurel retained countless memories of birthday parties, balloons, styrofoam party hats, and yes… really good pizza. This was Pappy’s—alternately known as Pappy’s Family Pub.

Pappy’s was located directly across from the Laurel Shopping Center, in the building currently occupied as of this writing by a Wells Fargo bank. (Yawn).

As many have fondly recollected, an additional treat at Pappy’s was the fact that one actually had a very good view of whatever happened to be playing on the big screen at Wineland’s Drive-In theatre, which was situated literally just behind the restaurant. For a kid, particularly, getting a free peek at an outdoor movie playing on a massive screen from the cozy confines of a pizza parlor only added to the mystique.

And there were some unique features within those cozy confines, as you might recall. Some of our Facebook friends have pointed out their favorite memories—including the player piano, the unique kitchen window that allowed customers to watch the pizza-making magic, the balloons with “feet”, allowing them to stand on the tabletops, funhouse-style “fat and skinny” mirrors, and those styrofoam Pappy’s hats.

Believe it or not, there is a Pappy’s still in business in Johnstown, PA. And from what I can tell, it’s got quite a bit of that familiar charm that Laurel’s Pappy’s once had. Minus the drive-in movie screen, of course. But they do have the player piano, the pizza-viewing window, the funhouse mirrors, and some of that familiar signage:

Photo: Josh L. (Yelp.com) 

Photo: Josh L. (Yelp.com)

Photo: Josh L. (Yelp.com)

I’ve come across a few other Pappy’s artifacts from the Laurel location, including coupons and newspaper ads:

And while perusing another popular Laurel nostalgia Facebook group, I came across the following unique Pappy’s photos:

Photo: Bradley Frederick Holmes, via facebook.com/groups/147258845411/photos/

Pappy’s staffmembers (Photo: Bradley Frederick Holmes, via facebook.com/groups/147258845411/photos/)

Another great shot of Pappy’s staffmembers (Photo: Bradley Frederick Holmes, via facebook.com/groups/147258845411/photos/)

An original birthday mask from the Laurel Pappy’s! (Photo: Bruce Brandon, via facebook.com/groups/147258845411/photos/)

Pappy’s was indeed a fun and happy experience for nearly everyone who had the chance to enjoy it. It also benefited from a strategic location, being directly across from the Laurel Shopping Center exit. That’s my perception, at least—as I know from experience that I’d vehemently crave pizza as soon as my parents would reach that traffic signal. It’s probably safe to assume that the current Wells Fargo doesn’t possess that same enticing Pappy’s charm and mystique. But then again, could anything?

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Oct 26 2011
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Artifacts, Stores

Bob Windsor’s All-Pro Sports

It hasn’t been much to look at over the past 20 years or so, but in the early 1980s, this little store on the west corner of Laurel Plaza was something special. Bob Windsor’s All-Pro Sports was ahead of its time.

Bob Windsor was an NFL tight end, and by most accounts, a pretty good one at that. He was the second-round draft choice for the San Francisco 49ers in 1966. In his five years there, he made the All Rookie Team and was an All Pro selection. Traded to the New England Patriots for a number one draft choice in 1971, he played another five years before retiring in 1976. It was that year that he returned to his native Washington, DC area and opened his immensely popular store in Laurel.

Excerpt from The Washington Post, October 21, 1976. Page E10

 

Growing up at Steward Manor Apartments just across Routes 198 and 197, I was fortunate to live within walking distance. And I took advantage of it, visiting early and often during those summer months. The store had everything a sports fan could want: jerseys, pennants, stickers, hats, jackets, lamps, trashcans—all licensed merchandise for seemingly every team in every pro sport. And this was on top of Bob’s outstanding selection of sneakers and other brand name sports apparel and equipment. He actually carried a better selection in this modest corner shop than many of today’s mammoth retailers, and he did it in an era when most of these items were only available through mail order catalogs.

Bob also cornered the market on local youth sports, silkscreening uniforms for Laurel High’s teams as well as those of the Laurel Boys & Girls Club and Maryland City Mustangs. (To this day, I still have my very first Mustangs jersey from 1980, and my Eisenhower Middle School gym t-shirt from 1984—both of which would now barely fit my dogs).

But as a kid growing up in Laurel, the best part really was Bob Windsor himself. At 6’4, he was already larger than life; tack on his genuine personality and good nature, and he was a legitimate role model—and something of a local celebrity to us all. In fact, for many kids from our neighborhood, the autographed 8 x 10 glossies that Bob happily gave out upon request were the first autographs we ever received. And, I’d be willing to bet I’m not the only one who still has mine. 🙂

 

 

 

Postscript: I’ve also tracked down some of Bob Windsor’s early team photos with the ‘Niners—a team that included a young Steve Spurrier at quarterback. Bob is #89, Spurrier is #11.

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Oct 25 2011
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Architecture, Artifacts, Stores

What the Hecht’s?!

And speaking of Hecht’s, here’s a great find from The Department Store Museum: an architectural rendering of the actual 84,000 square-foot Hecht Co. building at Laurel Shopping Center!

Also, one of our Facebook friends submitted a Polaroid photo taken as construction was nearly finished:

Photo: Tom Baker

The building was originally designed specifically for Hecht’s, and was one of only 11 branch stores in the Washington, DC area. Hecht’s relocated with the advent of Laurel Centre Mall, where it would become one of the anchor stores for more than a decade (ultimately becoming Macy’s—which is surprisingly still open in what’s left of the mall). Meanwhile, the original building at Baltimore Ave & Montrose St. would go on to see new life as Jamesway and Toys R Us, among other things.

As of this writing, it’s sadly being gutted… and turned into an L.A. Fitness center.

Logo, 1960s–70s

Logo, 1980s–2000s

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Oct 16 2011
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Artifacts, Restaurants

Gone, but not forgotten

It’s fascinating how something as small and insignificant as a book of matches can hold so many memories. The sights, smells, and tastes of Laurel restaurants long gone are almost palpable.

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Jul 27 2011
6 Comments
Artifacts, Restaurants

Delaney’s Irish Pub

Anyone who had the pleasure of experiencing the legendary thin crust pizza at Delaney’s Irish Pub will surely never forget it. If I live to be 100, I already know it will always rank within the top 3 pizzas I’ve ever had.

Sadly, the Irish Pub (after just a few years under new management) burned to the ground in an apparent insurance scam arson in June 2003. It never reopened. So it’s with some irony that my one piece of Delaney’s memorabilia is an old book of matches.

There are at least a couple of Facebook fan pages worth checking out, where many former employees (and several hundred loyal customers) have reconnected. Hopefully someone saved the pizza recipe, and they’ll join forces soon to resurrect this landmark.

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