Some Zayres were in malls? I guess those were quite different than the couple I remember, which were simply discount department stores along the highway.
We did have Zayre locations in Wisconsin, but they were few, and mostly down in the Milwaukee area, so I never got to see a typical Zayre store. I do recall the TV ads from the early 1980s that featured this 'star' logo, and the Zayre name to the right of it. I take it this tradmark was used starting in the late 1970s.
Though the ad isn't of any chains I'm familiar with, it still brings up memories like this.
My childhood memories exist with two chains...the regional Prange Way discount stores (some were in malls, but most anchored huge plazas), and K-mart (again, some were in malls, but most were freestanding, and most not part of any 'mall')
We also had Copps, of which most were freestanding, and a few WoolCo locations, but they were a bit pricy, sort of like how ShopKo is now. They bailed out of the discount store business by 1984 so my memories there are vague.
I love looking at these vintage Zayre ads. If you see the ones from the early 60s, they make the store look quite sophisticated with their old logo. When actuality the Zayre of the 80s had nothing sophisticated about it.
There was a Zayre store on the west side of Des Plaines, Illinois. I remember it having gigantic pink neon stand-alone letters on top of the building. They blinked in sequence lighting one letter at a time until the whole word "ZAYRE" was lit up. Then it would all go off, all the letters would go on together, go off again, then sequencially start over. There were houses across the street from all of this. Could you imagine having this light show in front of your house each night? I also remember at Christmas time they had the Zayre Night Light Sale where the store would stay open all night for shoppers. That was pretty progressive back then. Remember there were no 24 hour stores at the time. Heck, television used to sign off by 2 A.M.
i remember Zayres. it was so different from the stores now, even Walmart. i was a little kid, and i remember getting popcorn from the snack bar, which was up front as you walked in the store. i do remember being in the check out line witn my parents one evening, and the intercom came on, annoucing the store was closing in 30 minutes. i thought we would get closed up inside if we didnt leave. younger people today really don't have any idea how that is now. stores keep insane hours, and walmart is always open. i live in FL, and the closest one to me actually stayed open until the Sheriffs dept. told the management it had to close the doors and send employees home. Walmart and Disney...both taking over the world, one dollar at a time.
I remember our Zayre in Agawam MA...it was so cool! The huge red letters on top of the building would flash...Z...A...Y...R...E, and then the whole word would flash. I felt like I was watching an episode of the Electric Company or something! But as a 7 year old, it was pretty cool!
I live in Revere, Mass., and very definitely remember Zayre's, its original big square-font red-signed lettering, and especially its 24-hour pre-Christmas sales. My friends and I would go in there in the middle of the night, tearing through and goofing off checking out all the characters that were in there. It was at the still-existing -- and, sadly, extremely run down now -- Northgate Shopping Center, in the location where Burlington Coat Factory is now.
What would probably be hard for kids nowadays to understand, is that when you were a kid in the '60s, and your parents said after dinner even on a weeknight, "Kids, get cleaned up, we're going to the store!!", that was and meant big news!! In those days, it was an event and I remember exciting, as a little kid, anyway, to go out shopping at night into those huge department stores, with their fantastically large and blinking retro-'60s signs, and with the huge flat ceiling neon square lighting, and the huge layouts selling everything from A to B. Each family member immediately entered the store and sprawled out to his or her favorite section. Shopping was definitely a family thing and a fun thing to go and do together, in those days.
1959
Some Zayres were in malls? I guess those were quite different than the couple I remember, which were simply discount department stores along the highway.
ReplyDeleteWe did have Zayre locations in Wisconsin, but they were few, and mostly down in the Milwaukee area, so I never got to see a typical Zayre store. I do recall the TV ads from the early 1980s that featured this 'star' logo, and the Zayre name to the right of it. I take it this tradmark was used starting in the late 1970s.
ReplyDeleteThough the ad isn't of any chains I'm familiar with, it still brings up memories like this.
My childhood memories exist with two chains...the regional Prange Way discount stores (some were in malls, but most anchored huge plazas), and K-mart (again, some were in malls, but most were freestanding, and most not part of any 'mall')
We also had Copps, of which most were freestanding, and a few WoolCo locations, but they were a bit pricy, sort of like how ShopKo is now. They bailed out of the discount store business by 1984 so my memories there are vague.
I love looking at these vintage Zayre ads. If you see the ones from the early 60s, they make the store look quite sophisticated with their old logo. When actuality the Zayre of the 80s had nothing sophisticated about it.
ReplyDeleteThere was a Zayre store on the west side of Des Plaines, Illinois. I remember it having gigantic pink neon stand-alone letters on top of the building. They blinked in sequence lighting one letter at a time until the whole word "ZAYRE" was lit up. Then it would all go off, all the letters would go on together, go off again, then sequencially start over. There were houses across the street from all of this. Could you imagine having this light show in front of your house each night? I also remember at Christmas time they had the Zayre Night Light Sale where the store would stay open all night for shoppers. That was pretty progressive back then. Remember there were no 24 hour stores at the time. Heck, television used to sign off by 2 A.M.
ReplyDeletei remember Zayres. it was so different from the stores now, even Walmart. i was a little kid, and i remember getting popcorn from the snack bar, which was up front as you walked in the store.
ReplyDeletei do remember being in the check out line witn my parents one evening, and the intercom came on, annoucing the store was closing in 30 minutes. i thought we would get closed up inside if we didnt leave.
younger people today really don't have any idea how that is now. stores keep insane hours, and walmart is always open. i live in FL, and the closest one to me actually stayed open until the Sheriffs dept. told the management it had to close the doors and send employees home. Walmart and Disney...both taking over the world, one dollar at a time.
I remember our Zayre in Agawam MA...it was so cool! The huge red letters on top of the building would flash...Z...A...Y...R...E, and then the whole word would flash. I felt like I was watching an episode of the Electric Company or something! But as a 7 year old, it was pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteI live in Revere, Mass., and very definitely remember Zayre's, its original big square-font red-signed lettering, and especially its 24-hour pre-Christmas sales. My friends and I would go in there in the middle of the night, tearing through and goofing off checking out all the characters that were in there. It was at the still-existing -- and, sadly, extremely run down now -- Northgate Shopping Center, in the location where Burlington Coat Factory is now.
ReplyDeleteWhat would probably be hard for kids nowadays to understand, is that when you were a kid in the '60s, and your parents said after dinner even on a weeknight, "Kids, get cleaned up, we're going to the store!!", that was and meant big news!! In those days, it was an event and I remember exciting, as a little kid, anyway, to go out shopping at night into those huge department stores, with their fantastically large and blinking retro-'60s signs, and with the huge flat ceiling neon square lighting, and the huge layouts selling everything from A to B. Each family member immediately entered the store and sprawled out to his or her favorite section. Shopping was definitely a family thing and a fun thing to go and do together, in those days.
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.zazzle.com/zayre_value_t_shirt-235667944700967809?gl=zutton&group=mens&lifestyle=classic&rf=238034314613327629
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