"Going Down?"

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Joe, I love your "Big E" avatar.  My mom worked there in the early 60's.  You know which one -- the only one, all by itself and surrounded with enough parking for the entire city! 

 

The first time I drove a car was in that parking lot when I was 10 or 12 -- our '57 Lincoln Premiere.  It was so empty back there, and my mom shocked me by offering to let me get behind the wheel.

 

Oh yeah, and speaking of "going down,"  my sister and her friend got stuck in one of the Emporium elevators when they were pre-teens.
 
"the only one"...

The original one of course was the SF Market Street store. The years I was a buyer there the only parking was behind the store. There was the parking garage which we called "the high rise"...too pricey for those employees who drove to work, and "the ranch-style lot" which was more economical. All of the suburban stores had big parking lots. You're probably referring to San Jose's Valley Fair store, "S-3", the third suburban store built in 1957 (when I was 7) as The Emporium Stevens Creek. Each branch store had a number beginning with S-1 for Stonestown. They also had a color designation for flagging merchandise. I sometimes can't remember my phone number but I can easily recall all the store numbers and colors. It's all good memories.

S-3 did have a huge parking area. This photo was taken in 1958, back when it was "easier to find just what you have in mind at The Emporium, the store with more of everything you're shopping for The Great Big E, The Emporium."

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S-3 it is (or was).  The "only one" in town at the time.  I should have been more specific.

 

As for the SF store, Mom always parked in the Mission Street garage behind it, and our destination once inside the store almost always was the bargain basement.

 

I see that Big E logo and instantly think of my mom.  For me, the two are visually synonymous.
 
Ralph,

Your Mom was in good company. Senator Diane Feinstein once worked as a salesperson at the Market Street Emporium. Anything that reminds you of your Mother is a good thing.
 
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