Comics and New York City Candy Stores!

[Hepcat]

The traditional New York City and area candy store was a combination of a more modern convenience store with a newstand and lunch counter/soda fountain. As such, they sold everything from milk, bread and cigarettes to soda pop, comic books, baseball cards, school supplies, model kits, carded rack toys, bubble gum and penny candy in a space much smaller than in a present day 7-11 store. People on their way to work would grab a coffee and buttered roll with a newspaper at their local candy store in the mornings. Newspapers were a particularly big business since New Yorkers would buy as many as two or three newspapers per day in the early sixties. As such the candy stores were badly hurt by the New York newspaper strike of 1962-63.

 

Here's an excellent writeup by a fellow whose parents operated Harry's Candy Store on 164th Street in Flushing, Queens:

 

Harry's Candy Store

 

Burntboy of course bought his Sid's Luncheonette collection at Sid's Luncheonette in New Jersey:

 

Sid's Luncheonette

 

Did anybody else buy comics in a similar kind of store with a newstand and lunch counter in New York or elsewhere? What were the lunch counters like? Do any such stores still survive in your neighbourhood?

 

 

 

[toro]

There are some like that near me. But they are in more scary parts of town. I'm also not sure if some are even on the board of health's radar.

 

Back in the 60's we had a lot of them around. Most were also small local pharmacies with lunch counters and all kinds of other stuff.

 

 

[shadroch]

The last traditional candy store I knew of closed in the early 1990s.

[Babygorilla-migration]

This one is in my town its famous for being in the Sopranos for the final episode. They have great ice cream sundaes.

 

http://www.holstens.com/holstens.htm

[Hepcat]

From what I see Holsten's doesn't look to be the same concept. While it's an ice cream parlour/luncheonette, it doesn't look to have the newstand/tobacco shop/convenience store side of things.

 

[Gemma]

Here's the one I went to as a kid...still open but maybe not for long.

Had candy in the back and magazines/comics behind where the flag is in the photo.

(it's in the suburbs, not in NYC, though)

[the blob]

these places often didn't really have comics back in the late 70s as I recall, though they did sell sports cards, wacky packs, star wars cards, etc., though some did...not really "candy" stores...more multi-purpose stores with magazines, newspapers, candy, bagels, soda, etc. newstands still had comics up until like 1986 or so, some still do, and there were a lot of newstands. heck, i remember buying comics at a newstand in 1993 when i was getting back into collecting.

[the blob]

Many of these sorts of places still exist and I would bet many would be happy to carry some comics, it's just that the distribution routine is a huge PTA for them. one place was buying comics from my old LCS...stuff that had been out for a week or whatever, to stock them in the store, but this was when cover prices were $1.50 and they were an easier sell to kids/parents. at $3-$4, not so much.

 

the irony is, of course, those same newstands could get a lot of recent mainstream stuff for 25-75 cents each and sell them for $2 in the store.

[Hepcat]

Many of these sorts of places still exist and I would bet many would be happy to carry some comics....

 

Ahhhh, but do they have a lunch counter as well? That's the key defining characteristic of the old fashioned candy store, the newstand and tobacco store combined with the lunch counter. That's what makes it tough.

 

 

[shadroch]

If you can't get a hand made egg cream or a bottle of coke syrup, its not a traditional candy store.

[Hepcat]

If you can't get a hand made egg cream or a bottle of coke syrup, its not a traditional candy store.

 

Overall I agree. But egg creams are basically a New York drink so I'd wonder how to categorize a store in St. Louis or someplace then where egg creams just don't appear on any menu.

 

 

[zosocane]

In Florida in the mid- to late-70s we had 7-Eleven and U-Tote'm. The functional equivalent of the "candy store" that I frequented in Queens when visiting my cousins. Plenty of candy and soda, as well as school supplies, Revell model kits, magazines, and comics on the spinner rack, the top of which read, "Hey Kids! Comics!" Those stores were my initial "dealers" before a real LCS opened up.

[the blob]

Many of these sorts of places still exist and I would bet many would be happy to carry some comics....

 

Ahhhh, but do they have a lunch counter as well? That's the key defining characteristic of the old fashioned candy store, the newstand and tobacco store combined with the lunch counter. That's what makes it tough.

 

 

too many licenses required to serve prepared food. way too complicated!

[Hepcat]

There was a classic New York style candy store on Richmond Street in downtown London, Ontario directly across the street from St. Peter's School where I was obligated by my parents to attend extracurricular language classes between 4:00 and 5:30 Saturday afternoons. Davis Variety was its name. It had the obligatory lunch counter which the fellow worked himself. I was never drawn to get anything at the lunch counter though (not that I would have had the money anyway of course). Unlike the lunch counters at the downtown Metropolitan, Kresge and Woolworths stores, it was pretty spartan and dingy and just didn't appeal to me. Mr. Davis himself was almost a comic book caricature of the old guy working a hot grill and his lunch counter never seemed to have any customers on Saturday afternoons. He probably got the bulk of his business frying up breakfast and lunch for the teachers at St. Peter's. And of course everybody smoked and read newspapers in those days including the teachers and the respective bishops, priests and staff at the adjacent St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral.

 

The Davis Variety had most everything else to tempt a young boy with a quarter or two in his pocket though. It was one of the very few stores I knew that stocked Black Cat Bubble Gum which was licorice flavoured and was somehow chewier than Bazooka or even Dubble Bubble. I remember happily chewing on Black Cat and blowing black bubbles for hours!

 

 

I also very clearly remember buying baseball cards at Davis Variety every so often:

 

 

 

The wooden magazine rack was located on the other side of the store from the lunch counter and was thus well situated to sneak a peak at the insides of the titty mags. There would of course have been something wrong with any little boy who wouldn't glance at pictures of bare naked ladies given a chance. In fact, I'm sure that the priests from St. Peter's and St. Paul's, if not the bishops themselves, would have been taking the occasional peak as well.

 

It was at the Davis Variety's magazine rack though where I first encountered Green Lantern 26, 28 and 29 and the excitement I felt seeing those issues for the first time is still seared in my mind to this very day. In fact, I'm sure those comics are the reason why I still remember Davis' so vividly.

 

 

 

 

While St. Peter's and St. Paul's cathedrals are still there, 1979 was the last year for St. Peter's School and the Davis Variety has also been gone for decades. Sadly, I never got to sample a cheeseburger and shake at Davis'. You never know what you've got till it's gone.

 

[Senormac]

Here's the one I went to as a kid...still open but maybe not for long.

Had candy in the back and magazines/comics behind where the flag is in the photo.

(it's in the suburbs, not in NYC, though)

 

fond memories. Not of this particular place but of places like it, back in the early 70's before they had official "comic book shops". How great it was to be a kid back then, not only cuz of places like this, but because the world seemed far less dangerous and parents would allow you to go off on your bike to someplace like this, as long as you were home for dinner

[Hepcat]

How great it was to be a kid back then, not only cuz of places like this, but because the world seemed far less dangerous and parents would allow you to go off on your bike to someplace like this, as long as you were home for dinner

 

So true!

 

 

A candy shop still in operation to the present day is this one at Lexington Avenue and 83rd Street in Manhattan:

 

 

Unfortunately though I understand it no longer has kid friendly prices since the Upper East Side neighbourhood in which it's located has been yuppified for decades.

 

[burntboy]

I'll try to lay out SID's Luncheonette here;

 

 

 

 

The "Ghost image" on this certificate is the building that housed Jades/Sid's for the 10 years that I was a continuous customer from 1956 when I moved to orange, Nj to 1966 when I was drafted into the U.S.Army. (A great decade for Comics - the "birth" of Adam Strange, The SA Green Lantern,Flash, Atom, Hawkman, JLA, and the birth of the "Marvel Age".

 

The image was modified by Redhook back in the day to look more like Sid's than the Beauty parlor it had become.

 

It was about 20 feet wide and 3X's as deep. The front widow display was on the right side of the building and back in the 50's held all of the Revell model kits (most were Tanks, Ships, Artillary Pieces, and Planes and would later be dominated by the Aurora Monster Kits). In addition there were always plenty of plastic toy Soldiers, Cowboys, Knights, etc., as well as a few board games, etc.

 

Direcly behind the display on the right edge were the 2 spinner racks of Paperback books. This is where I started to read the "New" Ace versions of the ERB Novels. I was drawn to them by the fantastic covers done by Roy Krenkle and Frank Frazetta.

 

To the left side of the store behind the front door were the Magazine/Comic racks. Four sectons each about 3 feet high by 7 feet wide. (6 feet high by 14 feet wide overall). Upper left Quadrant contained Playboy and all of the "Mens Mags" (The ones with the sleazy yet fascinating covers with some Nazi "She Wolf" terrorizing the hero, etc. below that were the regular mags like Life, Look, Movie Star mags, Popular Mechanics, etc. Upper right quadrant contained a bunch of stuff that I can hardly remember as I never ventured there. And then in the lower right quadrant were the comics!!! Three 7 foot long rows of comics. I would spend lots of time reading some, but always buying all of he new DC/Marvel issues.

 

Below this huge rack were the stacks of newspapers (I'm guessing the Newark Evening News, Newark Star Ledger, NY Daily News, NY Mirror, NY Herald Tribune, NY Journal American, NY Times, WSJ, and even a Philly Inquirer...) I would sell these all for Sid outside the front door on Sundays to keep the Inside less crowded.

 

In the middle was the freezer with the package ice cream, Italian Ices, Wonder Bars, Creamsicles, Popsicles, Fudgesicles, etc. right next to that was the Soda cooler, stacked primarily with assorted Nehi's. On the right edge of that were the Tobacco products, Baseball cards, The candy counter, film, etc.

 

Past all of this was the Lunch Counter/Soda Fountain down the right wall all the way to the back. In the ten years I hung out there, I can never remember ever getting anything to eat!! But, I had hundred's of fountain sodas and Floats (many while i read one of my new purchases).

 

To the left were the 3 or 4 booths for the dining customers and behind that down the left wall were the greeting cards and more small toys.

 

So I guess short of Egg Creams (A NY/Brooklyn thing) Sid's qualified as the real deal. would love to know how many hours of my youth and how much of my hard eaned money were both spent there...

[shadroch]

Perhaps we should replace egg cream with milkshake..

If you couldn't get a handmade milkshake, it wasn't a real candy store.

7-11 type stores don't make the cut.

[Hepcat]

...would love to know how many hours of my youth and how much of my hard eaned money were both spent there...

 

But from your writeup I'd say it was time and money very well spent!

 

 

Perhaps we should replace egg cream with milkshake. If you couldn't get a handmade milkshake, it wasn't a real candy store.

 

7-11 type stores don't make the cut.

 

Right you are! No 7-11's allowed!

 

Here's a candy store that's been operating in the Borough Park area of Brooklyn for well over 75 years:

 

 

 

 

 

[burntboy]

Shad; i agree...

 

Sid's had Milkshakes, Ice Cream Sodas, Malteds, Sundaes, you name it...

 

An ice cream cone was 12 cents. Full size candy bars were a nickle. Comics were 10/12 cents. Rootbeer Float was a quarter. Fountain sodas were a dime.

Paperbacks books were 35 cents. Aurora Monster models were a buck.

 

A real handmade soda plus Amazing Fantasy 15 and Journey into Mystery 83 on the same day for 34 cents...