MY LAST WARD'S PURCHASE...
A "WARSH RAG!" 1996
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When Montgomery Ward closed its last
store in 2001---to some old timers born
in the twenties and thirties it was almost
about as bad as if we had lost Coca Cola
or Chevrolet.
They say the catalog-order thing has been
revived but I have not seen a catalog....and
it's just not the same. There are vacant spots
on many small town main streets where
there was once a Ward's store.
From early childhood little boys heard the
endearing words from their dads mentioning
"Monkey Wards," with fondness.
In my hometown of Clovis there was a Ward's
store on the east side of Main near the busy
corner of Main and Grand. It had two doors
and the south one contained "Man-type-stuff"
like tires and batteries and camping gear and
fishing tackle with Pleuger bass plugs @ 65
cents each.
Little boys, after a Saturday double-feature at
the Lyceum Theater and a coke at Woolworth's
would head for those fishing lures at Ward's
and ogle them longingly.
Then it was off to Abilene, Tx. to college for me
in '51 and having very little of life's goods, I had
no radio. My uncle came down to visit me and
gave me $25 cash as a graduation-from-high-
school present.
There was a Montgomery Ward right down in
the middle of Abilene and I spent the whole $25
for an Airline Radio and it looked fine in my
college dorm room. I still have it.. a tube radio.
Then a number of years later I wound up living
and working (and married) in Artesia, N.M. and
with a new little home needing a lawn and
yard work galore...but with no hoses, sprinklers,
hoes, shovels. takes...and certainly no lawn
mower, I went shopping.
I though of my old childhood store---Monkey
Ward, but couldn't find one anywhere down-
town...the company did have a mail order
counter at the back of some store (I was told),
and there I set up a little account and ordered
my own very first yard equipment.
Our biggie experience with years of trading at
Montgomery Ward came about like this. As
we were contemplating the move to
Albuquerque, our host in showing us around
town approached the brand new WINROCK
SHOPPING MALL from the east side of town---
The first big store we saw as we turned west
off Pennsylvania and looked across a vast
parking lot was the big block-wide magnificent
MONTGOMERY WARD STORE. It opened to
the inside of the mall and had several outdoor
entrances.
Over forty years we traded there, once buying
a camping trailer which our little family used
for fishing trips. We ran an account there for
years until we quit having any accounts.
Good old Winrock Shopping Center closed
at some point after that..."for remodeling,"
and much of it still remains closed. Another
company occupied Ward's old building for
years but recently relocated.
I often picked up some needed "Powerkraft"
hand tool, such as a small Phillips screw
driver or such from the store's tool section
when I needed a specific tool.
One day as I passed thru the store on an
errand I spotted some cool hand towels
and wash cloths. I was taken by their unique-
ness. I bought several of each.
One wash cloth survives from my final Ward's
purchase and it is,pictured above.
When a person gets older they have
accumulated about all the stuff they need
to survive...but we do miss Momygomery
Ward...we miss seeing the stores---we
still have the memories of earlier days...
After all, M.W. was a big part of America....in
our minds.
**********************
BY MIL
12 APRIL 17
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