Small-Town Store Is Sadly Missed

The old J.C. Penney in North Park was really a small-town store that happened to be in a big city. When it closed Dec. 31, it meant the passing of an era in that part of town.

The atmosphere in Penney’s was one of a community. The sales clerks knew the customers; the customers had their favorite clerks. And we cared about each other as people--as friends.

I say we because I felt a part of that store for just about my entire adult life. My husband’s family was from North Park, and they shopped there from the time the store opened in the 1940s.

He and I bought clothes there for all seven of our children from the time they were in bassinets on up, and our children continued to shop there until it closed. In fact, I was in Penney’s so much and got to know all the saleswomen so well, that a few years ago they suggested I go to work there--and I did.

The convenience of the Penney’s store used to be one of the enjoyable benefits of living in North Park. At one time, we also had Lerner’s, Leed’s, TG&Y;, Rosco’s, a fabric store and many clothing stores. And, of course, we had Sears not far away. Those stores are all gone now. When Sears closed last year, everyone was very upset but consoled themselves with the thought that we still had our J.C. Penney.

The closing of all these stores has decimated North Park and left many people feeling that no one cares about us anymore. The beauty of having those stores in our neighborhood was that you didn’t have to have a regular means of transportation to be able to shop. Now many people must depend on others to take them to the large shopping malls.

Many senior citizens live in this area, and some are unable to take a bus or afford a taxi. They also don’t like shopping at the malls because the stores are so spread out. Some have been so upset that they cried. Time and time again, people have told me how wonderful North Park used to be with all its stores. Now North Park is dominated by thrift shops.

Most of the clerks at Penney’s were women. And most of our customers were women, too, many of them older. That was part of the reason so many good friendships developed. Every Christmas, customers would bring in big boxes of candy. And they were always stopping by with cakes and cookies.

We had a good many handicapped people who shopped there because of the store’s easy accessibility. Some lived nearby and could motor in their wheelchairs from home.

In a way, Penney’s became a social center in the neighborhood. But it was a good store for other reasons, too. I put children through school in Penney’s clothes because they were good quality and lasted.

But mainly, I believe the store was special because it reminded many people of home--wherever they came from. It had the feel of a store in a small town in Iowa or Wisconsin.

And, like in a small town, you knew the people cared about you. Several years ago--before I went to work at Penney’s--I had open-heart surgery, and half a dozen of the women from the store came to see me in the hospital. It made me feel really important.

The big stores in the regional shopping centers are nice, I suppose. But you can bet the sales people don’t often visit sick customers in the hospital.

That only happens in small-town-type stores, like the North Park Penney’s was. But now it’s gone. And it’s too bad.