Do you remember Hess’s?
I wrote about Hess’s last year, and got lots of great of responses; so many that I wanted to share a couple of them and see what some newer readers might remember.
I got a special comment on Hess’s from my father-in-law, John. He and his family are from Easton, Pa., and while a lot of what I write about on the blog doesn’t really ring true for him, the Hess’s post triggered a great memory.
He writes: “In Easton, PA in the 1950s (yes, I matured many years since then) Hess’s was ‘The’ store in Easton and surronding cities such as Allentown. That was when the downtown shopping areas dominated. Actually, ‘shopping malls’ were not part of our vocabulary. In Easton, the Hess’s store was across the street from Woolworth’s 5 and dime. At Christmas, the store display windows were the thing to be seen for Christmas displays. And, you took the bus or (now I am really showing the extent of the aging process) you walked there from your house.”
He continues: “Less that three blocks away on the same Main street was the Easton Movie Theater that offered 25-cent Saturday afternoon matinee specials. I bet that if I went through my Mom’s (God rest her soul) jewelry box, I would find some costume jewelry she bought at Hess’s. The building were Hess’s was in downtown Easton is still standing but Hess’s is long gone. Memories remain.”
Commenter Amy also remembered Hess’s. She writes: “I remember Hess’s. And you are right it was on the end of the mail before they built Walmart. I remember at Christmas (I think) they put big toy soldiers outside the doors. I was also pretty young during the Hess’s time. And Gee Bee’s, which used to be where Value City was.”
And if you’re interested in places like Hess’s and Gee Bee’s, you might want to read more about York County stores of the past.
