Letters to the Editor: Before 99 Cents Only, there was Bargain Circus on La Brea. Both will be missed

To the editor: When a 99 Cents Only store took over the location of the wonderfully chaotic Bargain Circus on La Brea Avenue in 1999, I was bummed. Where else was I going to come across stuff like remaindered Crosse & Blackwell individual plum puddings for 50 cents? (“99 Cents Only was an L.A. icon. Inside the fall of the popular chain,” April 10)

The burgeoning chain of 99 Cents Only stores seemed blandly corporate by comparison. Eventually, though, its advertising’s humor and the stores’ utility when I needed everyday items won me over.

I still miss Bargain Circus, but the 99 Cents Only stores now join it in equally fond memory.

Cary Moore, San Pedro

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To the editor: We once had dinner with friends who had just returned from Australia. They promised a special dessert. It was Tim Tam, a chocolate-covered wafer they brought home from their vacation.

I didn’t tell them they had them at the 99 Cents Only store.

Christa Shackleford, Seal Beach