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Saturday, May 09, 1998     Page:

Difference four decades has made in life and looks of W-B’s downtown
   
Despite the passing years, I vividly remember the city of my youth in the
    1950s and ’60s. On nights when the stores were open, downtown Wilkes-Barre
was so crowded, it was difficult to walk on the sidewalkI remember my daily
trips to town. On the Square was Bartikowsky’s jewelry store. Down the street
was the Square Record Shop and, for years, the owner handled 78 rpm records
long after they were no longer made. Next door was a shoe repair shop. Next
came Tuck’s drugstore and a uniform store; Pomeroy’s was on the corner.
   
Across the street was Isaac Long’s department store and Walter’s shoe
store. I never shopped in these places, but I remember that every Christmas
Walter’s had an animated display of Santa and his workshop.
   
I often went to Kresge’s. Every youngster in the area stopped by to see
Aunt Clara in the toy department.
   
Around the corner was Woolworth’s, the second store in Wilkes-Barre to have
an escalator. Next door was Fowler Dick and Walker: The Boston Store. There
was a Thrifty Thistle Thursday weekly. Remember?
   
Across the street was one of my favorite haunts- Reismans, formerly Green’s
card shop. The shop, as soon as you walked in the front door, had the smell of
new books. In the rear of the store was the record department managed by Mary
Tomchak. Everyone who bought records knew Mary. Lazarus Department Store was
down the street.
   
For years I always bought my electronic equipment from Jack Mainwaring.
Remember his slogan: “Jack Mainwaring has done it again”?
   
On the Square we had two movie theaters- the Comerford and the Paramount.
Around the corner from the Paramount was the Planter’s Peanuts store where you
could buy fresh roasted peanuts or warm cashews. They were yummy.
   
After the movie we went either to the Boston Candy Kitchen or J.D.
Williams’ ice cream parlor. I always favored J.D. Williams’ with its
old-fashioned booths and the smell of homemade ice cream; the store also made
its own candy.
   
The Salvation Army store on Hazel Street wasn’t in center city, but it was
one of my big haunts; I was always looking for used records. Mrs. King managed
the store.
   
Another second-hand store I frequented was the Wayside Mission run by the
Rev. and Mrs. Edwin Jacobson- across the street from Coughlin High School-
which often got donations of old records. The Mission helped rehabilitate
people and helped them find jobs; they were good people.
   
Every year the Fine Arts Fiesta brought people into town from all over the
country. In 1965, my aunt and uncle, Evelyn and Lyons Prinstein, had their
picture taken at the Fiesta in front of a bust of Beethoven created by Edgar
Patience.
   
At th