Friday, December 30, 2016

Epic resale value for these men's adventure magazines


Epic:  A True Magazine for Men.  Published sporadically from March 1957 to June 1961 -- 12 issues altogether.   This is the March 1958 issue, which originally sold for a quarter.  Allegheny Books and Collectibles now want $10 for it.



In March 1958, I was at probably a couple of years away from appreciating the salaciousness of an article like "Sex Needs of Single Men".

Man's Story enjoyed a much longer and more regular run, from January 1960 to December 1975.  Published as many as 9 times a year into the mid-60s, it became a bi-monthly in 1967 and continued this frequency until its demise. 

This is the June 1970 issue, which originally sold for 50 cents.  Now it'll set you back a sawbuck, if the folks at Allegheny Books get their way.


At least a portion of a swastika is frequently found on the covers of Man's Story.  

Men's adventure was a very successful magazine genre during the mid-20th century. 

And the adventure continues here.



If you haven't noticed, downtown Warren has many great examples of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Repurposing a five and dime in Warren PA



When people shopped downtown, they very likely visited a five and dime, a store that offered a wide variety of inexpensive household and personal goods.  Up until the late 1950s, Warren PA offered shoppers 3 choices. 

F. W. Woolworth, 212-214 Liberty Street, which was the first to go out of business.

S. S. Kresge, 200-204 Liberty Street, best known for its lunch counter/soda fountain that stretched most of the length  of the Second Avenue side of the store.

G. C. Murphy, 306 Second Avenue, which also had a side entrance on Liberty Street.  

Kresge's and Murphy's survived into the late 1970s.


In 1979, the opening of the Warren Mall, located about 4 miles north of the city limits on U.S. highway 62, marked a decisive end of downtown Warren's retail hegemony. One by one, the locally owned and operated businesses that flourished for decades closed their doors:  Levinson Brothers department store, Betty Lee, Stein's (both specializing in women's clothing), Brown's Boot Shop, the Style Shop (men's clothing), B&B Smoke Shop (tobacco products, newspapers and magazines), James Jewelers.  The list goes on and on.  


By the end of the 20th century, the most successful new downtown businesses fell into the following 4 categories:  crafts collectibles, used items of all kinds, and off-price merchandise.  The Second Avenue Exchange is one of the most recent examples.  It offers an abundance of items in the first 3 categories. 



 

Monday, December 26, 2016

Washday Blues




Usually I never notice them until emptying the dryer.  The ink stains. An ugly, clearly visible blotch on a pair of jeans.  Speckled shirts and blouses, many of which don't register during an initial quick inspection.   

Once again, I neglected to check pockets before tossing various items of clothing into the washer.  Upon this discovery, I curse myself out mercilessly.

Fortunately, it's a relatively rare experience, once or twice a year out of a total of 365, figuring an average of one load of wash per day.  But the week before my most recent misfortune, our 25-year-old son ignored the same cardinal rule of loading the washer and ended up with two permanently stained shirts, one of which practically served as his uniform while working at the Bubble Up Bar at the Avenue Bar.

As I get older, I find that making lists and posting reminder notices are increasingly helpful.  I try not leave the house without a grocery list, although I'm not wholly consistent in this practice.  If I make the discovery within a few blocks of home as I'm driving to Metcalfe's or Woodman's, I loop through our neighborhood to sweep it off the area of the kitchen counter where I left it. If I make the discovery as I start my sweep through the store, l feel momentarily lost.  Since grocery shopping is a 3 or 4 times a week errand, the list I leave behind is never that long.  And, at 67, I retain enough brain cells to reconstruct the list mentally, although at least one items usually escapes capture.

In an effort to keeps pens out of our washer and dryer, I have taped the reminder you see pictured above to the container of laundry detergent.  After awhile, I fear, the index card may just blend into the rest of the contents of the cupboard.  Maybe is should have used a red Sharpie. 

Sunday, December 25, 2016

UPDATE. Lac du Flambeau Public Library: 2009-2015 annual circulation and program attendance




2009-2015 comparisons
  • 48% decrease in circulation 
  • 20 children's programs in 2015; no attendance provided

Library hours of operation (no change)
  • Monday:  10 a.m  to 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday:  10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Thursday:  10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1;30 to 5 p.m. 
  • Friday:  10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Saturday:  10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
36 hours per week.  (Compared to 38 hours per week, on average, in 2009.)

Other posts in the series:
Winchester Public Library.  (12/12/2016)
Taylor Memorial Library.  (12/12/2016)
Lone Rock Community Library.  (12/13/2016)
John Turgeson Public Library, Belmont.  (12/14/2016)
Wabeno Public Library.  (12/15/2016)
Montfort Public Library.  (12/16/2016)
Hawkins Area Public Library.  (12/17/2016)
Argyle Public Library.  (12/18/2016)
Neshkoro Public Library.  (12/19/2016)
Lowell Public Library.  (12/20/2016)
Readstown Public Library.  (12/21/2016)
Fairchild Public Library.  (12/22/2016)
Allen-Dietzman Public Library.  (12/23/2016)
Bloomington Public Library.  (12/24/2016)

Related websites:
Small and Rural Library Resources (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
"Small, but Mighty" Track.  (Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference)
Small Public Libraries in Wisconsin.  (Winnefox Library System; PowerPoint slides)
Wisconsin Small Libraries (Wisconsin Library Association)


Intro to original series:
Admittedly, Retiring Guy spends more time highlighting the statistics of Wisconsin's larger public libraries, which is one of the reasons that I initiated this alphabetical series and decided to temporarily suspend this top-down look at 2009-2014 annual circulation and program attendance.

This series features a bottoms-up look at 2009-2014 annual circulation and program attendance.



Eager Free Public Library (Evansville) holdings, 2011-2015



2011-2015 changes:
  • Books |   +1,877
  • Audio |        +44
  • Video |         -15
  • Periodicals | no change
  • Expenditures | +$2,615  (+8%)

Photo credit:  Wikimedia Commons
Eager Free Public Library

Other updates and additional entries to series:
Algoma Public Library.  (9/21/2016)
Alma Public Library.  (9/21/2016)
Altoona Public Library.  (9/22/2016)
Antigo Public Library.  (9/23/2016)
>Appleton Public Library.  (9/23/2016)
Argyle Public Library.  (9/24/2016)
Vaughn Public Library, Ashland.  (9/25/2016)
Baldwin Public Library.  (9/27/2016)
Baraboo Public Library.  (9/29/2016)
Barneveld Public Library.  (9/30/2016)
Barron Public Library.  (10/1/2016)
Beloit Public Library.  (10/6/2016)
Benton Public Library.  (10/7/2016)
Berlin Public Library.  (10/9/2016)
Big Bend Village Library.  (10/10/2016)
Hildebrand Memorial Library, Boscobel.  (10/18/2016)
Boyceville Public Library.  (10/20/2016)
Brandon Public Library.  (10/21/2016)
Brillion Public Library.  (10/22/2016)
Brown Deer Public Library.  (10/25/2016)
Bruce Area Library. (10/27/2016)
Butler Public Library.  (10/29/2016)
Cadott Community Library.  (10/31/2016)
Jane Morgan Memorial Library, Cambria.  (11/1/2016)
Cedarburg Public Library.  (11/8/2016)
Centuria Public Library.  (11/9/2016)
Chilton Public Library.  (11/11/2016)
Clinton Public Library.  (11/15/2016)
Cobb Public Library.  (11/17/2016)
Colby Public Library.  (11/18/2016)
Colfax Public Library.  (11/19/2016)
Coloma Public Library.  (11/20/2016)
Columbus Public Library.  (11/21/2016)
Cornell Public Library.  (11/22/2016)
Crandon Public Library.  (11/23/2016)
Rosemary Garfoot Public Library (Cross Plains).  (11/24/2016)
Cuba City Public Library.  (11/25/2016)
Cudahy Family Library.  (11/26/2016)
Thomas St. Angelo Public Library, Cumberland.  (11/27/2017)
Darien Public Library.  (11/28/2016)
Johnson Public Library, Darlington.  (11/29/2016)
Deer Park Public Library.  (11/30/2016)
Deerfield Public Library.  (12/1/2016)
Delafield Public Library.  (12/4/2016)
Aram Public Library, Delavan.  (12/5/2016)
De Soto Public Library.  (12/6/2016)