This was Steward Manor in the 80s for me my starting point for all those innumerable trips to the mall, to Zayre’s, to Dart Drug-and all the other long-lost places we’re now revisiting. At that table, I did most of my homework between 2nd and 9th grades-frequently referencing the incomplete sets of second-hand encyclopedias on our ancient particleboard bookcase between said windows. And on the other side of the tall, single window to the right was our dining room. Just behind the largest window was our living room, where a total of eight Christmas trees stood throughout my happy childhood. See those second floor windows directly above me? From 1979–87, that was home to me. Naturally, he suggested we meet at Steward Manor, where Sarah took photos right behind my old building at 100 Bryan Court. Just a few days earlier, Kevin made my day with a request to do a story for the paper about Lost Laurel and Steward Manor Days, and how these projects came to be. On Monday morning, I had the pleasure of meeting writer Kevin Rector and photographer Sarah Pastrana of the Laurel Leader. Basics had run Pantry Pride out of town within its first year of operation, but Giant and Safeway proved to be just too much. There was a distinct, no-frills vibe all throughout the store, unlike the other chains who plastered their brand on anything and everything.īut by early 1984, despite the success of Basics, Grand Union was ready to call it quits. Above each were impressive, hand-lettered signs that had been painstakingly rendered in chalk on black boards. Gone were the old molded plastic shelves with rubber shopping cart protectors here, massive plain cardboard boxes contained oranges, grapefruits, and lettuce. And you saw this the moment you entered the store, passing through the produce aisle. But Basics stripped everything down, literally, to the point that its aesthetic was practically generic. This was something unique in a time when Giant Food was flexing its local muscle against the likes of Safeway, A & P, and Pantry Pride, and each were promoting their own respective brands in a more conventional manner. There was a clear concept behind the Basics brand-simplicity. And all these years later, I feel the same way. But something about Basics just seemed different and markedly ahead of its time. Not that I had any reason to be excited about it, as I was only 7 years old at the time. I can still recall a sense of excitement in the air back in April 1980, at the notion of a brand new grocery chain opening up. It was the former Grand Union, (which was actually still the parent company of the Basics brand), and for the past 25+ years, it’s been the Village Thrift Store. Whenever I hear the word “basics”, I think of the store that once occupied the east corner space of Laurel Plaza shopping center at Routes 198 and 197. Traditionally, even the slightest hint of snow prompts residents to stock up on three essentials: milk, bread, and toilet paper. With forecasters calling for a bit of winter weather in the DC area tonight, you can rest assured that grocery stores will be packed.
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