Vintage shopping radio spots!

Hey gang! I think a lot of you are going to dig this. I know I sure do.

Here are some old shopping center and department store radio spots I've scrounged around and collected. These were all culled from old radio recordings, and they vary somewhat in volume, so I advise you to be ready to adjust yours from one file to the next. Quality varies, too; some sound great, some terrible.

Vintage commercials like these, really capture the magical vibe and lure of retro shopping spaces. Download these babies, throw 'em all into your MP3 player of choice, close your eyes and let the magic begin! It's also kind of cool to gaze at the pictures here on the blog, whilst listening to these groovy sounds.

The files are all in MP3 format and I'm trying out this free file hosting service for the first time with these, so we'll see how it goes. Hope it all works smoothly for everyone. Please drop me an e-mail or post here if you have any problems. Just follow the instructions closely at each link, and you should be good to go in no time. It's all pretty self-explanatory.

Pick your poison: download the complete collection in one handy zip file (6.24 MB), or each seperately below.

Cherry Hill Mall (1964) - Cherry Hill, NJ.

Federal Department Stores (10-17-67) Spot for Jonathan Moore suits at Federal's.

Gimbles (1969) - Just a few seconds here.

Kmart (1961) - Detroit area recording. Quite an infectious little ditty! Though it also makes me feel like I'm at a drive-in movie.

Kmart (1971) - Detroit area recording. Kmart is the savings place!

Korvettes (1970) - This short snippet almost sounds like it's pumping through the speakers in a mall or store!

Linoleum ('60s or '70s) - I think maybe they need to make their target message a little clearer.

Lits Department Store (1976) - Very short stinger message from a Philadelphia, PA area recording. Sounds like in-store speaker sound, too--almost like you'd hear this right when you walk in. It's actually just a snippet of a longer commercial spot I don't have in its entirety yet.

Pick and Pay (12-23-63) - Part of a Pick and Pay store spot from the Cleveland area. This, just a couple days before Christmas of 1963.

Robert Hall Clothing Stores (1955) - A classic jingle here, folks, with Les Paul and Mary Ford! It will be stuck in your head for days, I'm sorry to tell you. It's actually a cool little tune, and Les Paul's breezy guitar licks are dynamite! California area recording.

Robert Hall Clothing Stores (1964) - This song is like crack, man. Should be illegal. Heck, maybe it is, I don't know. California area recording.

Shopping mall (1960's) - Small part of some unknown shopping mall or shopping center spot. And yes, the girl is actually saying "hep" there at the end. :)

Southgate Shopping Center (6-25-59) - Wow! Maybe my favorite of the bunch, because it really captures that retro dreamy, romantic feeling I have about old shopping malls and department stores. And just listen to that beautiful background muzak, too! Southgate sure sounds like paradise to me!

Career Girl Stores (1970's) - Oh yeah! Some hot, breathable polyester action! (This short clip via the fabulous DeeT's 70's Page!

Value City (1962) - Cleveland, Ohio area recording. The little ditty at the end of this one is great! Value City is a dreeeeeam! Indeed.

Welp, hope you've enjoyed the sounds! Yes, there's more to come... :)