John's Blog

Not too long ago I was passing through South Plainfield and noticed one of those old monolithic Food Fair signs that they built in the 50's. This one was semi-ironically turned into a Drug Fair. I love signature architecture, given all the big box blandness that goes into store design these days....anybody else remember those quirky Best Catalog showrooms of the 80's? But Food Fair still holds a special place for me, on one level since it was the first supermarket that I remember, and on another level since my father always referred to every brown paper bag as a "Food Fair bag" even though they had gone out of business years ago. (I realize that I've turned into my father everytime I refer to Foodtown, which changed into an Edwards and then a Stop-N-Shop about 10 years ago.) Most of my other supermarket experiences during my "formative years" took place at Weis Markets which is a PA sort of thing.

Apparently nostalgia for restaurants and retailers that have passed on is a passion that is shared by others. Exhibit A is the rather lengthy discourse at FARK when they ask " what is your favorite extinct chain?" Two of my favorites include Gino's and Howard Johnson's.

Two more sites for those who like to revisit the past include Dead Malls, an interesting site detailing shopping centers that have seen better days. Another fantastic site with tons of pictures and links is Forgotten NY; a must see!