Looking back: A dress at the Tot Shop cost $6-13 in 1972

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Sen. John Sparkman spoke at a meeting in Montgomery in 1972 and said his committee, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, was going to investigate to see if there could be drug education in government subsidized housing projects.

I don’t know what, if anything, ever came from this. I can see a couple of sides to the problem. Firstly, people who are addicted to drugs sometimes are grouped together with other family members who have no desire to have anything to do with drugs, and the situation might hurt those members.

How do I know this? Well, folks, I have an only son and he is sitting in prison right now with charges that are rooted to drug addiction. His father and I were faced with learning about drugs, not because we wanted to, but because of his addiction. I could tell you many, many things, but this column is not about that.

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Drug-related crimes are so wide spread, that any sort of rehabilitation can’t hurt.

The Tot Shop was having a clearance sale with junior size dresses for $6.88 to $12.88. That sounds like a terrific price to pay for a new dress.

That makes me think about my childhood. I had no sisters to give me their “hand me downs”, but I did have lots of cousins. I can’t remember having a new dress before I turned 10 years old. My mother sewed all my clothes that were not handed down. When I was in the fourth grade, my cousin got married and I got a new dress for the wedding. I can see it so plain in my mind. It was a blue and red plaid. Now, it sounds awful, but it was so beautiful to me.

Ernest Ward Quarterback Club organized a donkey (or mule) basketball game as a fundraiser.

If you have never seen one of these, you should see one if you get the chance. It is one of the funniest sights in the world to see the riders try to make those mules do what you want them to. Nobody cares who wins, because it is so funny.

Piggly Wiggly offered stainless steel tableware at a much-reduced price. They also had five pot pies for $1 and a 5-pound bag of oranges for 59 cents.

A&P had a 10-cent sale with many articles at a very reduced rate.

We, in this office, found out that National Pie Day was one day last week. Well, A&P had cherry pies for 69 cents.

Watson Jones Supply had a salvage sale with many reduced prices such as a gallon of oil-based paint for $4.30 for a gallon and $2.35 for interior latex paint.

First Baptist Church held an old fashion worship service with candle and lamp light. The attendees were all wearing old fashioned clothes for the event. After the services they were served hot chocolate and cookies.

Many years ago, when I was working at West Brothers, we had an old fashioned day. We all dressed in long, floor length dresses. It was different, but fun.