Keep On Remembering Smitty's
The December 31, 1998 edition of the Arizona Republic announced the demise of Arizona's homegrown superstore chain, Smitty's. In the previous five years, the retailer had been sold three times and changed its logo twice; it would now be absorbed into Fred Meyer, a venerable superstore chain based in Portland, Oregon. In 2007, the remaining stores are known as Fry's Marketplace.
When this news article was published, I had just finished my last stint working at Smitty's #7, located at Baseline Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe, during the holiday break from my sophomore year of college. The store had been a big part of my teenage years, as I obtained my first paying job there as a courtesy clerk shortly after my 15th birthday and progressed to greater responsibilities as a customer service representative/PBX operator and a clerk in photo/video, sundries, and hardware. I have fond memories of those experiences.
Over two years ago, I posted "Remembering Smitty's" on this blog, a history of the chain. Surprisingly, it has become one of the most popular spots on P.U., attracting 34 comments to date. Most come from former employees, who have found a place to reminisce and share stories, nearly all of which occurred before I joined the company in 1994. I enjoy reading them, as they demonstrate I am not the only one with fond memories or pride in having working for the unique and venerable retailer.
The response to "Remembering Smitty's" demonstrates that there are few, if any, places on the Web to find information on the chain and discuss its past. I am pleased that Richie, a P.U. reader, was inspired by this post to create a Web Site exclusively dedicated to Smitty's named smittysbigtown.com. He is looking for the memories and photographs of former shoppers and customers and hopes to create a fitting "tribute" site with a message board that allows for interactive communication. I hope this post draws more attention to his project and assists in this wortwhile endeavor.
When this news article was published, I had just finished my last stint working at Smitty's #7, located at Baseline Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe, during the holiday break from my sophomore year of college. The store had been a big part of my teenage years, as I obtained my first paying job there as a courtesy clerk shortly after my 15th birthday and progressed to greater responsibilities as a customer service representative/PBX operator and a clerk in photo/video, sundries, and hardware. I have fond memories of those experiences.
Over two years ago, I posted "Remembering Smitty's" on this blog, a history of the chain. Surprisingly, it has become one of the most popular spots on P.U., attracting 34 comments to date. Most come from former employees, who have found a place to reminisce and share stories, nearly all of which occurred before I joined the company in 1994. I enjoy reading them, as they demonstrate I am not the only one with fond memories or pride in having working for the unique and venerable retailer.
The response to "Remembering Smitty's" demonstrates that there are few, if any, places on the Web to find information on the chain and discuss its past. I am pleased that Richie, a P.U. reader, was inspired by this post to create a Web Site exclusively dedicated to Smitty's named smittysbigtown.com. He is looking for the memories and photographs of former shoppers and customers and hopes to create a fitting "tribute" site with a message board that allows for interactive communication. I hope this post draws more attention to his project and assists in this wortwhile endeavor.
Previously on P.U.
Salute to Smitty's Big Town (6/6/2007)
Remembering Smitty's (7/10/2005)
N.B. to the P.U. faithful: Forgive the lack of posts. Yours truly has been preoccupied with preparing for a move and driving to and from the Antelope Valley.
posted by Mitch Glaser @ 11:40 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Thanks, Mitch! I worked for Smitty's for many years and would like to create a site with photos, video and stories from former employees and customers. Please, if anybody has any pictures, video, or stories they would like to contribute, contact me through www.smittysbigtown.com. All I can find so far is what is on my site!
Thanks!
-Richie
The More Things Change, or Back to the Future--I remember Smitty's was a grocery store, but it also sold other stuff like household electronics, etc. as an "all-in-one" experience. Now Wal Mart has these Superstores that do exactly that, and that seems to be the big thing. The closest thing to Smitty's I've every seen is Meijer's, a chain in Ohio. Those stores are still regional and have a local feel to them (another one like Smitty's/Meijer in Ohio is The Andersons). Wal Mart is so generic.
I grew up in Tempe (where my Mom was an ASU professor for many years) and went to McClintock High in the 70's . . . so I'm enjoying your blog. Living in the Southwest and how new and developer-oriented it is, it's fascinating to me just how ephemeral the urban landscape is. I go back to Arizona infrequently (I now live in the DC area) and it's interesting to see how quickly things change. You can see old places you remember still there amongst all the new stuff.
My two cents.
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