Growing up in the Bronx in the late 60s to early 70s, I remember hanging out a bit at a local candy store. I can't remember the name, but I do recall that it was located on Kingsbridge Rd. at the corner of Creston Ave. There was a bagel shop across the street, and the ramp to the entrance of the subway's D line was there as well. The kids in the neighborhood would refer to this candy store as "Phils", but I don't think anyone named Phil actually worked there. They sold the usual newspapers, magazines, comics, candy as well as maintaining a long food counter that served up grilled burgers, soda pop and egg creams. I would also purchase some school supplies there as well, such as loose leaf paper, pencils, etc.

Anyone else remember this place?

I have a vague memory of this candy store you talk about. Tell me something, was the bodega store there when you lived there? The Bodega was on Creston just a bit north of Kingsbridge, about twenty feet or less from Kingsbridge.

I believe that the candy store was on the corner just before this bodega. I remember the candy store selling newspapers stacked up on the outside of the store. If I am correct, I think the bagel store was on the south side of Kingsbridge, across Creston was a building, a place for the blind? It had wire enclosed fire-escapes.

I could be wrong with my post, I lived on Creston and 183rd, sometimes I would walk up Creston and pass Kingsbridge, so my memory is just of passing by the hood.


Wait a minute, i now remember the bagel store, the bagel store was on the other corner of Kingsbridge and Creston, the north-east corner.

Hi Yvonne. Thanks for replying. During the time that I lived in this area of the Bronx, I don't recall there being a bodega at that location at all. It could be that you're right in that it replaced the candy store at some point. I haven't ventured back to my old stomping grounds in quite a while.

Do you remember the A&P supermarket that also was on Kingsbridge Rd., across the street from the candy store? We're talking probably late 1960s here.

Hi Stanford, Let me say, welcome to the forum.
I’m a bit foggy about the A&P, I thought there was an Assosiated supermarket on Kingsbridge. I know there was a Jewish style store on Kingsbridge and two bars,, lol, don’t ask me why I know there were two bars around there.I think near Jerome was a Greek style restaurant. I just talked to someone I know that lived on Morris between Kingsbirdge and 194st and he says the candy store didn’t always have the comics he wanted and he had to go to 188st for his comics. As more and more people describe things about the Bronx the more I remember myself, I forgot a lot of things.

As far as your other post about the grocery store across from St. James park, I don’t know of this store. I might have went into this store to buy a soda while playing in the park but I can’t remember details of the store like the owners and such.

Was the post office near this grocery store or was the post office closer to Fordham Rd.?

I used to go to two candy stores in my neighborhood. Both names escape me now. One was across the street from PS72 and the other was on the corner of Randall and Tremont ave. Both had a counter with great egg creams and good hamburgers. Of course the most important purchase was the pack of baseball cards .

quote:

Originally posted by Yvonne:
Hi Stanford, Let me say, welcome to the forum.
I’m a bit foggy about the A&P, I thought there was an Assosiated supermarket on Kingsbridge. I know there was a Jewish style store on Kingsbridge and two bars,, lol, don’t ask me why I know there were two bars around there.I think near Jerome was a Greek style restaurant. I just talked to someone I know that lived on Morris between Kingsbirdge and 194st and he says the candy store didn’t always have the comics he wanted and he had to go to 188st for his comics. As more and more people describe things about the Bronx the more I remember myself, I forgot a lot of things.

As far as your other post about the grocery store across from St. James park, I don’t know of this store. I might have went into this store to buy a soda while playing in the park but I can’t remember details of the store like the owners and such.

Was the post office near this grocery store or was the post office closer to Fordham Rd.?

Yvonne,there were two supermarkets that I remember in that vicinity of Kingsbridge Rd. One was the Associated Supermarket that had entrances on both Jerome Ave. and Kingsbridge Rd. The other market was the A&P. There also were two diners in the area. The Rainbow Restaurant on the corner of Jerome and Kingsbridge, and the Capitol Restaurant on the diagonal opposite side of the road. Both were across the street from the armory.

The grocery store was a few blocks before reaching the post office. I would say that the post office was definitely closer to Fordham Rd. It was almost directly across the street from where the playground at St. James Park is situated.

On Kingsbridge, there was also a drugstore called Star Drugs, next door to I think a Bartons candy store or a Hallmark store.

Thanks for the update Stanford, I'm having a bit of difficulty remember the stores. Kingsbridge area wasn't my hood, I only know it by walking through there. But it is always interesting to know the names of the stores that I only remember by saying the shop on the corner of such and such street.

Yvonne.
My name is Zoli, I used to work in Mr Weisz candy store on E Kingsbridge road, next to a pizza place, in 1963.
I met a lot of kids (costumers) became friends.
We used to go to Orchard beach, had lots of fun.
Sorry the names ascaped me, but the memories last a lifetime.
I really miss all the kids from 1963 on Kingsbridge.I saw Maureen O'conell on this website a couple years ago, but I missed her and
was not able catch her.
Thank You all who has touched my life.
Zoli.
zolika1940@yahoo.com

I worked after school in 67 delivering RX and other items for Star Drugs on Kingsbridge Rd.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McWatt:
I worked after school in 67 delivering RX and other items for Star Drugs on Kingsbridge Rd.

Star was one of a group of four drug stores that rotated staying open on Sundays in that area. I did what you did (deliveries, stock boy, cleaning up) for two of the others (Wallace Drug on Kingsbridge & Webb and Tower on Kingsbridge & University). But I predated you by about a dozen years or so. I would be sent to Star or one of the others if we ran out of something. I don't remember what the fourth store was, but I think it might have been around Sedgwick.

Mark, if memory serves (and I'm not sure anymore) I believe Star was the closest to Jerome and Kingsbridge.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McWatt:
Mark, if memory serves (and I'm not sure anymore) I believe Star was the closest to Jerome and Kingsbridge.

I believe that's right Mike. If I had to guess I would put it on the NW corner of Kingsbridge and Reservoir.

Bingo, that's the one!

Hi Zoli and welcome to the forum. The best thing to do is keep making posts about your time in the bronx, eventually someone from your area that you know will respond to your post.

Kingsbridge Rd. wasn't my hood so I am having trouble remember things about Kingsbridge. I have this feeling that most of us bumped into each other in the bronx, but there were so many people that we met that we can't remember them all, well I can't remember,,lol

Make some posts Zoli, tells us about your days in the Bronx, who you know? what you did? things like that.

Bye

quote:

Originally posted by CrotonaPark40s-50s:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McWatt:
Mark, if memory serves (and I'm not sure anymore) I believe Star was the closest to Jerome and Kingsbridge.

I believe that's right Mike. If I had to guess I would put it on the NW corner of Kingsbridge and Reservoir.

In my time, that corner was occupied by KINGSBRIDGE FLORIST but Star Drugstore was right next to it.

The drugstore at Kingsbridge & Creston Ave. was A.W.DONN Drugs.

That's good Lee. But it's a "if you say so" cause I just don't remember. Actually Donn sounds familiar too but I can't really come up with it. When was your time? And welcome aboard.

The candy store was the center of the neighborhood. I worked there for a few years, my guess would be 70-72. It was owned by 3 brothers, Phil, Abe and Paul. They were each real characters, and the candy store was know to my friends as "The Stooges'" as in, I'll meet you at The Stooges'" Saturday night was the best, with people waiting around the corner eating pretzles, drinking egg creams (I made the best ones) and waiting for the Sunday News and Times to be delivered. Working there was great. Standing by the window watching the whole world pass by. The place was great. The true center of the universe. But, they did not make burgers. Great ice cream, though...those big vats of Breyer's-best vanilla ever, with the black pieces of vanilla beans and those really small pieces of ice. Oh man, the sweetest vanilla I ever had. I even developed a taste for Halvah while I worked. They had the brick that I would cut up into sticks and sell to the older Jewish guys. No one else touched that stuff. And remember Hoffman soda? I always thought it was a rip off. All of the other sodas were 32 ounces, but the Hoffman's was 28 ouunces. The place had every magazine in the world too. What a nut house, though. The 3 brothers were real characters. Abe was kind of serence and quiet, Phil was a con-man type of guy and Paul seemed short and stupid. It was a gold mine, though. Supported 3 families. And there was a bunch of "regulars" who came in, and walked behind the counter whenever they wanted, like they owned the place. I remember this guy Al Schecter for one. Had a kid Howie. There was this stupid girl who worked there, almost mentally disabled, but with big tits and was always getting groped by one of them behind the counter. Anybody remember the Lee's? A large Chinese family on Morris Avenue, a little bit north of Beth Shraga (where I got bar mitzvahed?) They were there all of the time. Alfred, Winnie, and a bunch of others. How about Steve Weiss and Danny Costa? Two real **** guys but they worked with me and lived in my building, 2776 Jerome. I would like to meet them now and kick their holy asses. Anyway, all for now

There was a small candy store on Webb Ave. in the 1950's called Metz's.Malteds were 20 cents and a stick pretzle cost 2 cents.The store was across the street from a temple or Jewish Community center.There was a live chicken store next door and a grocery store called Pelhams on the corner. A Daitch Shopwell was down the street on Kingsbride and sold butter by the slab.A fish store was a bit further down Kingsbridge. Anyone recall that candy store? It was not included on the 500 list?

There were two greek syle restaurants on the corners of Kingsbridge and Jerome. I think they were the Capitol and Rainbow diners. The Associated is still alive and well on Kingsbridge. A florist was on the corner next to Star drugs.There was also a fur shop at Kingsbride and University. It might have been called Eisenhower Furriers.An appetizing store was down the street. Black olives were rolled up in a heavy piece of white waxed paper. Lox was $.49/quarter and Nova $.59. PS 86 was around the corner and Mr. Klein was the principal.

quote:

Originally posted by lyn:
There was a small candy store on Webb Ave. in the 1950's called Metz's.Malteds were 20 cents and a stick pretzle cost 2 cents.The store was across the street from a temple or Jewish Community center.There was a live chicken store next door and a grocery store called Pelhams on the corner. A Daitch Shopwell was down the street on Kingsbride and sold butter by the slab.A fish store was a bit further down Kingsbridge. Anyone recall that candy store? It was not included on the 500 list?

The candy store in my day (the 60s) was Mr. Weiner's. He and the Mrs, as well as a daughter or two ran the place. They were a good looking family :-)) The poultry shop was Max's!