Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Recommended reading

Jim Grey
13 comments on Recommended reading
1 minute

💻 It’s been a hell of a year and if you’re like me, you’re coasting in to the end of it on fumes. To make the most of what energy you have left, Lara Hogan helps you figure out what to say yes and no to through year’s end. Read How to say no right now

Crumbles
Agfa Clack, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros, 2012

💻 I’m a dog person through and through and a story about a family’s dog passing on always tugs at my heartstrings. Elizabeth lost her little dog this week and tells the story not only of her little dog, but of how her little dog made her a dog person. Read He died too soon

💻 Nick Gerlich thinks that if J.C. Penney survives much past the holiday, it’ll be a miracle. Read Count Your Pennies

📷 Mark O’Brien enjoys simple cameras, which you might call crappy cameras or toy cameras. He’s written a guide to them, including reviews of 20 that he thinks are worthy of note. Read The Magic and Allure of Toy Cameras

📷 Developing color film at home is super easy, says Jerome Carter, and you should not be intimidated by it. Read Developing Color at Home with the CineStill 2-Bath CS41 Kit

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Comments

13 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. Ever Best Avatar
    Ever Best

    I need money

    Reply
  2. J P Avatar
    J P

    A world where Sears is on a repeating cycle of struggle and retreat but where Penney’s survives and thrives is not the world in which we live.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      It makes me sad to see Penney’s go. Sears and Kmart too, but I was a Penney’s shopper for decades.

      Reply
  3. Dan James Avatar
    Dan James

    We’re seeing a similar pattern over here in the UK where major stalwarts of the high street are disappearing as they haven’t adapted to online shopping, again accelerated by the pandemic. I’m not sure what the typical high street will look like in five years, but expect there will be far fewer shops and far more service outlets, like hair, health and beauty treatments, cafes etc, which will always have a place because they need a physical space. Clothes shopping – and now even grocery shopping – doesn’t need a shop, it can be done out of warehouses. You can’t enjoy a drink in a cafe or get your hair cut or have a massage or your nails done online.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Only challenge I have with this is that I can’t see/feel the clothes, or try them on, when I order online. I do order online from a few trusted vendors but for everything else I want to go to a store.

      Reply
      1. Dan James Avatar
        Dan James

        I guess this is why branding and brand loyalty is more important than ever. Most of my clothes are from 4 or 5 brands that I know fit me well and last well. So I have no qualms about ordering something new based on pictures online plus my previous experience. Over here it’s pretty easy to order online, try stuff on, then return what you don’t want. Personally I hate trying on stuff in shops so I much prefer being able to do this at leisure at home! I could comfortably never visit a clothes shop again, the alternative options work well.

        Reply
  4. howikilledbetty Avatar
    howikilledbetty

    I’m definitely running on fumes till the end of the year!

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      yeah. I could use a two-week nap.

      Reply
      1. howikilledbetty Avatar
        howikilledbetty

        Me too.

        Reply
  5. adventurepdx Avatar
    adventurepdx

    It won’t surprise me to see JC Penney’s go. Since I barely set foot in malls, it’s one of those stores I sometimes forget exist.

    I do have some fond memories of Penney’s from my youth, though. The next town over had a small Penney’s in their downtown. You didn’t really shop there as much as place and receive catalog orders. I remember looking at those catalogs a lot, especially around my birthday and Christmas.

    I also vaguely remember a hole-in-the wall Montgomery Wards catalog pickup spot in my hometown.

    I’m really surprised that Kmart is still around. Now that store had a much bigger impact on my life…

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I grew up in a city large enough to have full-on stores but some of the smaller towns around us had the catalog stores.

      I miss Kmart. The last one near here went out a few years ago.

      Reply
  6. Jerome Avatar
    Jerome

    Yes, things are certainly changing. I worked at Sears as a teenager, and they gave me my first credit card. Sad to see these stores go. But to be honest, the last time I visited a mall, it was to pick up an iPhone.

    (BTW, thanks for the mention!)

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I haven’t set foot in a mall in 3-4 years. I don’t miss it!

      Reply

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