Just a thought

  We think of home as the place were we grew up. It is certainly a bit different for everyone. It all depends upon the circumstances of your childhood. When I was in the Navy it was a common enough question, where are you from? The answer could be anything from a state to a small town. That reply was dependent upon how well know your city or town might be. For instance I could say East Hampton and only a few knew , but if I said New York, many immediately thought New York City. Today I could just say the Hamptons and most would have a general idea about that. A place where all the rich people live. Isn't that the perception.

  I saw on the news that the last largest K-Mart store is closing its' doors. That store is in Bridgehampton, Long Island, New York. Yes, it is in the Hamptons. Rather ironic that it would be there. But the thing is it is there because the local people (those that aren't filthy rich) need a place to shop  as well. That has always been somewhat of a problem, I'd say beginning in the 1970's or so. Mom and Pop could no longer afford the rent or the property taxes to maintain that small business. A lot more money to be made by selling the high end stuff to those rich folks vacationing in the Hamptons. The big companies could afford all of that overhead and so soon dominated the main street. Growing up in East Hampton in the 50's and sixties I was well aware of that change. There were only a few places I could shop. Boutiques, as they were called then, cropped up on Main and Newtown lane like wildflowers. High end stuff! 

  I left there in 1971 and joined the Navy. I did return for two years following that but left once again, reenlisting in the Navy. I seldom had a chance to return and visit there. I did hear in 1983 that Caldor opened a store in Bridgehampton. Now that was big news. We never had anything like that when I was living there. I heard all about that and how big that store was. I also heard about the traffic and the crowds and the lack of personal service. Well, you might as well go to New York City! Years later I did hear that K-Mart had opened a store in Bridgehampton. I didn't know it was in the old Caldor building. I didn't know Caldor went bankrupt in 1999. Now twenty five years later K-Mart is closing the door. I wonder where the locals will shop now? Amazon seems the likely answer.

  When I was growing up in the Hamptons we did shop for some things locally, like groceries, you had no choice. We would get a pair of shoes or some work clothes local. But the vast majority of the shopping was done with the Sears and Roebuck catalogue, JC Penny or Spiegel's. It was sort of "on-line" shopping through the postal service. The difference now is we don't have to fill out those forms, mail them in and wait for the post office to deliver our packages to the local outlet. It's still the same process, just streamlined. I've heard even those filthy rich folks are using Amazon. 

  It just amused me when I heard about the closing of K-Mart. I knew they had merged with Sears about thirteen years ago. It's the end of the line. I was amused because they were making a thing about it being in the Hamptons. I grew up in East Hampton. It wasn't the "Hamptons" then. I never knew the Hamptons with a Caldor or a K-Mart. 

 A lot has changed since my departure almost fifty years ago. I've even seen where a fabulous vacation to the Hamptons is a prize on the Price is Right. Driving to Bridgehampton would have been an outing when I lived there. It is also where the drive in theater was. And the big "city" the shopping center for us would have been in Riverhead. Riverhead isn't the Hamptons but they had Billy Blakes! That was a department store. I read where they tore down that building about ten years ago. Billy Blake filed for bankruptcy in 1975. Well things change. The circle isn't completed just yet though, one day the Mom and Pop stores will reappear, places for the local people. The bubble will burst one day, it always does.

As a final thought I can't help but think if things keep on the way they are, Mom and Pop stores will return, just called Bodegas!  

                                                                                 

          With the resources of the internet I was able to get this image of  Billy Blakes store. 

           Seems a lot smaller than I remember it being. Today we have Verizon phone stores bigger than                 that building.