Tag Archives: Stores and Shopping

Color photo looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Commonwealth Ave toward Bullocks Wilshire department store, Los Angeles, 1972

I don’t normally post images from as late as 1972, but I’m a sucker for color photos, especially if they’re of one of LA’s most iconic buildings: the Bullocks Wilshire department store. We’re looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Commonwealth … Continue reading

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St George Apartments, 1245 Vine St, Hollywood, circa late 1940s

The person who sent me this photo of the St George Apartments at 1245 Vine St in Hollywood asked me if I knew what the sign at over the alley at the far left – “The Old World” referred to. … Continue reading

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Alexander’s Market, Mode O’ Day dress store, and GallenKamp’s Shoes on the 3000 block of Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, circa late 1930s

Here we have an image (from the quality of it, it looks like it’s a still from a film) that gives us an idea what local stores looked like in the late 1930s. The 3000 block of Vermont Ave was … Continue reading

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Hamburger’s department store lit up at night, 801 S. Broadway, downtown Los Angeles, 1909

I was recently sent this photo asking if I could confirm it was Hamburger’s department store at 801 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles in 1909. Using Google image search and TinEye, I could find it posted nowhere else. Hamburger’s … Continue reading

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Night photo looking east along Wilshire Blvd from Fairfax Ave past the May Co department store, Los Angeles, March 1949

Thanks to this Life magazine photographer, we get an idea of what it was like to drive east along Wilshire Blvd from the May Co department store on the northeast corner of Fairfax Ave. We can see the sign for … Continue reading

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An overly advertised Mid-City Cut Rate Drug Store, 3773 S. Western Ave, Los Angeles, 1941

Around 15 years ago, before I embarked on my writing career, I worked at a store on Melrose Ave that had to move to a new location. It was a long, gradual process, but it was interesting to note that … Continue reading

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The Ralphs brothers stand outside their first Ralphs store on the southwest corner of Sixth and Spring Sts, downtown Los Angeles, 1886

The name “Ralphs” probably won’t mean much to anyone outside Southern California, but to Angelenos it’s a well-known supermarket grocery chain. What we’re looking at here is their first store, which stood on the corner of Sixth and Spring Sts … Continue reading

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Color photo facing east along the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire Blvd looking toward Ohrbach’s and Coulter’s stores, Los Angeles, circa mid-1950s

I do love a color photo that shows us what it was like to stand on a LA street on an average day in the 1950s. We’re facing east along the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire Blvd looking toward Ohrbach’s … Continue reading

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Night view looking north up Vine St from Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, circa 1960

There are some photos you can look at and almost hear the sounds, smell the traffic, and taste the air. For me, this is one of those photos. We’re looking north up Vine St from Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, circa 1960, … Continue reading

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Color photo of an electric LA Transit Lines trolley coach approaches the intersection of 5th and Hill Streets, downtown Los Angeles, circa mid-1950s

In this colorful photo, we’re watching an electric LA Transit Lines trolley coach (a successor to the LARY streetcars) approach the intersection of 5th and Hill Sts in downtown Los Angeles. However, I’m more interested in the background – specifically … Continue reading

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