Back in Burbank

Hi readers, sorry again for all the re-runs lately. Life has taken me out of town and away from my blog for the second time this year - but the good news is I came across some cool stuff that I'll be sharing with you guys (and gals). I'll start with this ad from the January 20, 1971 edition of The Staten Island Advance., my hometown paper. Someone in my family saved this newspaper page for the article on the other side, but I found this advertisement much more appealing.

Yes FIGURE-TONE SPA (est. 1959) actually promised ladies that they would lose one pound and/or one inch on their first free visit! I could see losing one pound - but one inch??? Holy shit! This place featured 100 different INGENIOUS pieces of rapid reducing equipment! Sputnik Spring Rollers! Bust Building Machines! SLENDERELLA TABLES!!!! All this plus much, much more including Belgian Pony Reducers? If I could only turn back time and visit Figure-Tone Spas (est. 1959) just to see all this for myself. 40 years later, the gym sounds dreadfully boring compared to the Figure-Tone Spas (est. 1959),

Shopping at Korvette's

Being back home in Staten Island, NY has already made me nostalgic for the place where most of my toys and records came from - a wonderful retail outlet known as

E.J. Korvettes.

Founded in 1948, Korvettes sadly went bankrupt in 1980. 

The chain was one of the first discount department stores. 

It was founded on the premise that people actually preferred to save money on their purchases!

Korvette's low-price model was similar to that of "five and dime" retailers such as Woolworth's, McCrory's, and S.S. Kresge (K-mart) but carried a broader range of products, from jewelry to appliances, underselling the major department stores.

E.J. Korvette at its peak, it had 58 stores, including my local store on Richmond Avenue - before there was a Staten Island Mall.

There was a even company-owned Hills Supermarket attached. After the store closed, it became a DMV. I have no idea what is there now. I guess I'll find out this week.