Oak Park History: What's Old is New Again

Local historian David Sokol

[trainliker]

Growing up in Oak Park in the 1950's and 1960's, my parents did most of their shopping on Oak Park Avenue at Gilmore's and Walkers which was across the street from Gilmore's. Walkers had a large staircase going to the basement with large signage saying, "Hardware, Housewares, Downstairs". Quite a few times I aggravated my mother by pointing that was where we should go to buy some downstairs. Walkers also had the little counter where you could turn in a burned out light bulb and get a new one - for free (anybody remember that?). Dee's drug store was on the corner of Oak Park Ave. and Pleasant. A pet store just up the block a ways. And Lindy's cleaners which seems to still be there. Also did shopping at the Lake and Marion area and my mother even worked at The Fair Store for awhile. Food shopping at the A&P near there on Lake St. I don't recall ever going to the stores on Oak Park Avenue in south Oak Park. But we went to few on Madison near Kenilworth as we lived at Washington and Kenilworth. I recall there was Mr. White's drug store at the northeast corner at Madison and Kenilworth. a few doors east was Art's (Albert's) Delicatessen. Just east of that was Bartel's hardware store. Just west of Kenilworth was Joe's barber shop. I didn't much read comics as a kid, but I read them at that barber shop while I waited.