Molly's Teenage Store

Molly's Children and Teenage Store was a fixture on Mission St. in San Francisco sometime in the late 50's, early 60's judging by the postcard above.  The storefront, which must have been impossible not to see,  was a peppermint-striped beaut.  The back of the postcard reads:

Molly's Children's Discount House.  2947 Mission St., Between 25th and 26th Sts. on Mission St.  BankAmericard.  open Friday nights until 9 p.m.  Special Sale for the New Baby.  Infant Seats.  Curity Diapers.  Curity Shirts.  Curity Gowns.  Even Flow Bottles.  Delux Reclining Stroller.  High Chairs.  6 Year Crib & Mattress

It's always interesting to look and see if the place still exists (thanks, Google Earth!), and here we see that the storefront (two, actually) is still there, stripes gone AWOL.  When Google drove by, the buildings housed a grocery and Cybermania store.  Take a close look, however, and you can see the original bones of the building.  The windows, the signage, the door to the alleyway on the right -- even the cornice on the left-hand building is still intact.  What do you like better?  The subtle earth tones, or the stripes?

A Titanic Message, 100 years later

The front of this week's postcard is a view of the Bridge and Pond in Elizabeth Park, in Hartford, Connecticut.  It's a few miles from my house, and the park has an outstanding rose garden which is one of the world's largest.  The postcard is postmarked April 17th, 1912.  The date is important!  Why?  Three days earlier, on April 14th,  the Titanic sank en route to New York, on her maiden voyage.

The back of the card is a whole lot more interesting, because it refers to the wreck of the Titanic, without actually mentioning it by name.  It says:

Dear Mother, Went to the Post today, will begin next Monday to send 37.  On account of the ship wreck they said he might be able to get rid of the 40 this week.  Exchanged the dimmer box O.K. but had to get a 35 cent one.  All out of the 25 cent ones.  -- George

Although we don't know the exact details of what George was talking about, clearly his business transaction was affected by the wreck of the Titanic.  What a fascinating view into how the disaster affected many people, some in very humdrum ways! 

A Calculating Post

Here's a great linen card from the New York World's Fair of 1939, showing the Marchant Calculating Company Display.  According to the back of the card, the exhibit was located located in the Business Systems and Insurance Building, adjacent to the Trylon and Perisphere -- the "Theme Center" of the New York World's Fair.

Back then, calculators were mechanical, noisy, and expensive.  I made the mistake of googling Marchant and came across tons of information on mechanical calculator history and "fan sites," spending a lot of time browsing as a result.  Here's a model of a Marchant calculator around the same year as the Fair:



Look, Dad!

"Look Dad, spraying is easy...with a KWH mistblower!" says Stephen Yates of La Crescent, Minn, on the back of this advertising postcard. It was sent out by the Vandermolen Export Co. of North Caldwell, NJ, and goes on to tout the advantages of this Italian-made sprayer by Martignani: "Use a KWH mistblower and save up to 80% in spraying-'man'-hours, 90-95% in water. KWH mistblowers give deep penetration - better coverage -- at less cost. KWH Dusters assure steady output - instant regulation -- even spreading of granules."

I'm not sure what OSHA would think of little Stephen spraying pesticides or fertilizer around the farm without wearing any type of personal protection equipment, but what the heck, there's chores to be done. I noticed that Vandermolen Export as well as Martignani is still in business -- I wonder if Stephen is!!

Sleep at the World's Fair

Here's a great pavilion from the 1964 World's Fair in New York, from the Simmons company. It's called the "Land of Enchantment," and it's a great example of modern architecture, now gone of course.

From the back of the card: "Downstairs, the Sandman guides a fascinating tour through the Wonderful World of Slumber with its lovable animated characters of fantasy. Upstairs, worn out visitors can privately rest, relax - even snooze, on a Beautyrest Adjustable Bed - the Bed of Tomorrow - that automatically adjusts to any comfortable position at a finger's touch."

A comprehensive description of the exhibition is available here, at the outstanding NYWF64 website: http://www.nywf64.com/simmon04.html Spread out over several pages, this article is one of many documenting the New York World's Fair by Bill Young, a great resource.

Slim to None

This is "Slim the Clown" a.k.a. Fred Raposa. Although Google is great for everything, Slim is apparently missing from the Internet. This greeting card was sent from Fall River, MA, but the rest is a mystery!

Match Game

Bought these postcards recently at the exact same time.
Can you match the description on the back to the fine eating establishment on the front? One says:

Famous for Seafoods throughout the U. S. A. First in French Fried Shrimps. Catering to Private parties. Private Dining Rooms.

And the other says:

...recommended by America's greatest Gourmets.

Answers in the comments section next week!