Time for a little nostalgia trip down East Burlington Street, which I suppose came to me with the changes on the street as of late – all for the better. Now for those of you who may remember the stores which were called “dime stores” or the “5 and dime” you may be surprised to learn Riverside had one of those stores called Beck’s, probably named after the store’s owners, on Burlington Street.
Beck’s in no way could or should be compared to Cermak Plaza’s Woolworth’s, which had a great soda fountain, or Murphy’s, which had everything, particularly in the basement where you could purchase anything from parakeets to sewing notions.
Rather, Beck’s had the charm of a small-town store carrying the usual necessities, but one part held a fascination for me. Located in the back of the store was a glass counter which held a display of jewelry. Even then I had an attraction for “bling.”
The little display cases had rings that always caught my eye. Now, if you remember dime-store jewelry, you know Tiffany’s didn’t have to worry about the competition, because for under a dollar you could buy a “sparkler” that would be the perfect accessory.
It was from Beck’s that a boy from my class bought me a ring; I guess he was my boyfriend. Well, I don’t know what happened to the ring, but I do hear about the “boy” from time to time, although I’ll be discreet and not mention his name.
After school, kids would stop at Beck’s, maybe to buy school supplies, but most of the time it would be to look or purchase an item to play with. Beck’s is long gone and so are the dime stores; with inflation we now see “dollar stores” as this century’s answer to the dime store, sort of.
The changes on Burlington have come with the times, but it’s fun to remember what used to be.
Happy spring!
I saw my first robin of the year the other day. I don’t know if he was lost or had heard we had food in our backyard. Those little crocus plants are starting their way through the ground, too.