Louisiana Memories – Did You Ever Shop at These By Gone Stores?

As winter is taking hold across Louisiana it seems like an appropriate time to think back to a simpler time. A time when shopping was something that was done in person. Yes, it's hard to believe but it wasn't that long ago that shopping "on the computer" was as outlandish of an idea as driving a flying car.

But times change and so do the ways people find to spend their money. And while we certainly embrace the idea of online shopping there will always be a part of me that longs for the excitement of being able to hold and touch and feel the items I was hoping my parents would authorize Santa to bring me.

Heck, if you're of a certain age you probably remember the rush of excitement when the Sears Christmas Wishbook arrived in the mail. I can't say what month that usually happened but I think it was in October. This gave us kids a full two months to cultivate and create our lists for Christmas complete with page numbers from the catalog.

But alas, the Sears I once knew is gone. So are a lot of the other retail giants. However, the memories and magic still remain. I grew up in a very small town in Mississippi. We had a lot of the same small-town stores they had here in Louisiana too. And it was during this time in retail America that consumers were being pulled away from downtown shopping areas and main streets across the country to shopping centers and if your town was big enough, a shopping mall.

And the stores that were drawing customers to this "new way of shopping" were many of the stores you'll see listed below. But just as consumer habits and spending changed to empower these brands they too fell victim to those same winds of change several decades later.

And while it's convenient and easy to shop online or order online and go pick up your purchase there is still a part of me that remembers the smell, the sound, the blue light special, and the enormity of it all. Do you remember?