Walkabout: Roaming Around the Northampton Parking Garage

A 1962 Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass on level 4. Nice ride.

Our friends, the Pedal People, house their tools under the staircase

View from the top looking north towards Pleasant st.

View of the Holyoke Range from the top floor.

Spending the Afternoon at Woodlawn Playground, South Hadley

These two certainly look like they are enjoying the summer sun in July, 1957.

Judy writes on photo: Handsome, considerate, sweet. Yes, that describes Jim! Don't forget smart. And a fancy dresser and a fabulous polka dancer!

And a sense of humor, too!

Fairfield of Dreams

The Fairfield Mall, which opened in 1974, closed in 2001.
In its heyday, Two Guys and Forbes and Wallace brought in lots of traffic.

What's the difference between the stores that are in this location now and the stores that were there in the past? Not much.

Looking north. CVS to the left. There was a bookstore and record store nearby. I bought 45s at the record store.

Looking north into Caldor. GNC on the right, Andersen Little on the left. Barber's pole for the Headquarters is past GNC to the right. I always got a good haircut there. I always walked out of the Headquarters looking like Caesar.

Food court wasn't there when I was a kid.

I played pinball at Just Fun. But not much. I thought that stuff was a waste of money.

I think this entrance was on the side of Andersen Little.

On December 3, 2005,
Scott Stambaugh said:

I was the manager of Zales Jewelers at the Fairfield Mall in Chicopee, MA in the 1970's. In fact I was transferred there in 1974 when the mall was still under construction. I took part in overseeing the store's construction, hiring employees, checking in all the merchandise and preparing the store for the mall's grand opening in October 1974. At that time the mall manager was Joe Aaron and the anchor stores were Two Guys, and Forbes and Wallace. There was an excellent mix of stores including Anderson Little, Friendlys, and a neck tie shop that sold men's neckties for only a dollar each. I used to buy one every payday. My Zales store was located next to Spencer gifts. We were the only jeweler in the mall and business was excellent. During the first couple of years we were setting all kinds of sales records. I had an excellent staff of employees that all worked well together as a team. On grand opening day the featured guest star was Donald O'Conner and they also had the Philip Morris midget handing out to everyone. The mall owner, Ed Debartalo (owner of the SanFransisco 49ers) also was there and gave a speech. That mall was extremely successful at the time and I cannot believe it is now closed. All of the store employees were like a family and I have a lot of good memories from working there.

On September 19th, 2007,
Joe Collins said:

I took the photos of the inside of the mall while home from college for Thanksgiving. Weird…I had totally forgot about this until a friend of mine stumbled upon it recently. The mall is completely raised, and in fact the Walmart on the site is now transforming into a Walmart Supercenter. When the store was in the planning stages, Stop & Shop and Big Y fought having a grocery component. Maybe they gave up…I wonder how well they will do once the Supercenter opens. In any case, the Chicopee Savings / Ocean State Job Lot building is now being completely renovated. I guess a Panera is moving in along with a jewelry store and some other businesses. I will have to check it out when I go home for Thanksgiving this year (I now live in California). Also, I must say I agree with Brian Lapointe in that I miss that Kielbasa Fest and the Taste of Chicopee. The 4th of July timed Fest-Of-All just isn’t the same.



comments from deadmalls.com
photos by Joe Collins from labelscar.com.

The Falls: Mid-Afternoon Sun

(Old Firehouse Museum, South Hadley Falls, Mass. (left), United Methodist Church steeple (center), Mt. Holyoke Masons building (right).

A brisk afternoon walk in the Falls. The warm sun heats the roads and the bricks. My coat is open and I'm not wearing a hat.

(The Richmond apartment building, Main St., South Hadley Falls)

(Dzaidziu owned several buildings in South Hadley. He always had his eye on the Richmond, I'm told. )

Bob Judge, President of the South Hadley Historical Society said, "The building was built for my great-grandfather, Martin Judge (1865-1929). The family folklore is that it was named "Richmond" because his wife was born in Richmond, VA., which she was."

(Doorway on Bardwell St.)

Happy Birthday, Jay!

Jay and Mom enjoying the springtime air on Canal St., 1964.

(An accountant by trade, Jay ponders inventory dates)

Pine Cone Songs

Grandma plays the piano in our Chicopee home, 1987.

The tempo picks up here, obviously.

Grandma and Poppy in their kitchen, South Hadley, 1974