Middletown, New Jersey - June 3, 1977
Here's a beautiful, almost dreamlike late-seventies snapshot of the Two Guys discount store at a larger Two Guys shopping center arrangement in Middletown, NJ. Thanks to ever eagle-eyed MOA reader, Patrick Richardson, for spotting this one for me!
"Hi Keith. Here's a cool Two Guys picture I found on Wikipedia. It's from the town I grew up in in NJ. This was part of the Two Guys shopping center. It was replaced in the early-80's by a Bradlees and is currently a Kohl's."As well, here's a related snippet from said Two Guys stores entry on Wikipedia:
"Many locations originally included a discount store with a supermarket, as well as complete Hardware, Major appliance, and Automotive Service departments. The Two Guys Supermarkets were full sized 'stores within a store', and they competed directly with large Supermarket chains like A & P and Shop Rite. The Supermarkets used the tag line, 'Two Guys, The Super, Supermarket', while the main store used the tag line 'We Save Money For You, Naturally'."
Even though I never grew up near a Two Guys store or even ever shopped in one, I am just smitten by their logo for some reson and have been fascinated with the history of this chain for a couple of years now.
ReplyDeleteI remeber 2 guys I went to the manalapan store back in the day before they turned to bradlees
ReplyDeleteThis pic is retro, but also shows how stupid people can be. Notice in the two cars in front of the photographer, you see people looking at the guy taking the photo mockingly like he's a dork. I think this pre-internet conformity is one of the major reasons there are so few photos today of these places we all miss so much. Why didn't I take a picture of [insert place]? This picture proves why.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, I saw two people extensively photographing Ochtum Park, a local strip mall/outlet center type place. Which baffled me a bit, because there is absolutely nothing even remotely attractive about Ochtum Park. It's not even vintage, but was built ten years ago or so. However, in the future, those pictures may well be the only photos in existence of Ochtum Park.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I visited a wonderful hardware/general store today, whose interior was unchanged since the 1950s. That's one case where I wish I'd brought my camera.
I love the cars in this picture. What ever happened to the station wagon anyway?
ReplyDeleteHey maybe those kids knew the photographer. I bet they were in there cars listening to there eight tracks. Fog hat maybe.
"What ever happened to the station wagon anyway?"
ReplyDeleteNowadays instead of the family station wagon it is always the family mini-van or SUV. No one wants to be bold enough to drive around in a station wagon! Not even sure they make them much anymore either.
We had three Two Guys stores in the Rochester,NY area! The original, opened in the early 1960s was located on Hudson Avenue in Irondequoit. It stood empty after TG went out of business. It was eventually demolished to make way for a Wal-Mart Super Center. The second location was in Greece, on West Ridge Road. It was divided into a Value City Furniture Store, Chuck E. Cheeses, and an Ames store. When Ames went bust, that part of the building was demolished, and a Lowe's was built. The third was in Henrietta, on West Henrietta Rd. After TG closed, it was divided for a Hechinger Lumber, Present Company catalog Showroom and a Marshall's. When Hechinger and Present went out of business, Marshall's moved out. The building was extensively overhauled, and became a Kohl's.
ReplyDeleteI was in the original Two Guys on the final day it was open,a Sunday,in 1959.They moved to Kearny and Totowa.Soon,blue laws began popping up all over New Jersey in response to the competition.
ReplyDeleteIronically,Two Guys faltered from the lavish new malls being built in the suburbs.
They are gone now.I didn't even save one of my paycheck stubs from my short work stint there.They exist only in the memories of those who were there.
I remember the Two Guys store in Broomall, Pa, well. My Mother use to scan the store from one end to the other looking for discounts.. usually determined by the amount of large price-reduction stickers on the items... When I was around 6 years old,she bought lots of cut-glass dishes with lots of stickers on them once, explaining to me the difference between cut-glass and poured glass! I really remember one time going there and the person responsible for the Toy Department taking toy packages that had been opened and played with by other kids, pricing and selling the remaining pieces from those packages... guns from The Man from U.N.C.L.E, cases from James Bond or Zero-M and being told "I could have one item"! "But MOM... they're so cheap!!!" I settled for a Batman Target-Site Dartgun that my Aunt Eve bought for me for around a dollar. I still have it, only without the darts. - hcc
ReplyDeleteMy friend Sharyn and I were talking about Two Guys this morning in our way into work. We have some great memories of this store. Her mom worked for the store in Jersey City and I would visit and shop in the store in North Bergen, NJ with my mom in the 70's. I miss this piece of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteMy mother worked at a two guys in the mid 70s somewhere around Fort-Dix NJ.Wonder if that would of been it not sure where middletown is any1?
ReplyDeleteThere was a Two Guys in Bordentown, NJ in the 1970s. I'm not sure when the store was built.
ReplyDeleteAh, 2 Guys in North Bergen! Ah, the memories!
ReplyDeleteThe Full name of the store, I think, was Two Guys from Harrison -- somewhere along the line the "From Harrison" was dropped.
We thought Two Guys was the coolest place!
The Vornado people who owned and operated the chain still exist; I believe they are operating the now-rebranded Bergen Mall.:) They should have put a Two Guys in there!:)
My mom worked at the Two Guys in Greece, NY during the 70's. I still have some fishing gear and model train stuff with their price stickers on it. What I remember most is the mini bowling "alley" they had near the cafe and the fries you could get there were amazing! Great memories.
ReplyDeleteI got my first 10-speed bicycle at the Two Guys in Schenectady, NY. It was the early 70s but I don't recall exactly when. The original building is still standing. It was empty for many years after TG closed. Eventually NYS took it over for taxes during a "downtown revitalization" and now it's State and County offices. I think it was briefly the DMV at some point too.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody remember when armored guard was killed at the middletown store. I was there as a little kid. What year was that. How do i find the story
ReplyDeleteThis was my hometown Two Guys. It was a great place to shop. I always bought my records there.
ReplyDeleteI agree with J.T.'s astute observation about this very telling photo. (Kudos to you, J.T.!)
ReplyDeleteYes, of course those kids are laughing at the photographer, whether they knew him/her---most likely "him"---or not.
As a self-styled photographer/artist/cultural critic/sociologist/journalist in the late 70's---as callow and self-important as my young age necessitated---I would take shots like this one: the front and interiors of big retailers, supermarkets, warehouses, small business storefronts, etc.
And, yes, people would giggle, point, make fun. A lot of the derision, of course, resulted from the fact that it was EXPENSIVE to take photos back then, with the cost of film, and then the developing of the film, followed by printing the pics---usually ALL of the pics, got very costly, very fast.
So, who but a CAMERA GEEK would waste film on taking a picture of the front of Two Guys?!?! Right?
But, they were only partially right: this geek also got some girls from his share of "cool cute guy with Nikon" image... ;-)
If I told you that I know that kid in the back seat of that station wagon you wouldn't believe me, would you?
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, tell us !
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, tell us !
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not probably the last Two Guys building still standing is in West Atlantic City,NJ. It is currently used as a public works building
ReplyDeleteThe Two Guys in Bordentown NJ I think it had a Bar inside where my Dad would drink his Bud Light and we would go shopping
ReplyDeleteIt was a tiny liquor store in front of Two Guys,called The Chicken Coop
DeleteHow come nobody ever mentions or shows photos of the two guys department store in North Bergen New Jersey ?This location was very unique because it had three levels
ReplyDelete