Survey No. 7: Shopping in the Bronx

Which of the following did you shop for in your immediate neighborhood?
(Multiple responses were allowed, so the sum of percentages will exceed 100)

Here are some of the local "others":

• Cigars and cigarettes
• Pharmacies
• School supplies
• Toys
• Notions (Sewing supplies)

Which of the following did you shop for in a specialty "shopping area" of the Bronx?
(Multiple responses were allowed, so the sum of percentages will exceed 100)

Here are some of the specialty area "others":

• Sporting Goods
• Toys
• Musical Instruments
• Pocket Knives

(By the way, not a single response mentioned liquor stores. -Ed.)

Was your block regularly visited by truck-based vendors?

In your opinion, what area of the Bronx offered the best shopping opportunities?

"How could it be anything other than Fordham Road from Webster to Jerome?" seems to sum up the barrage of responses touting that area as the best of the Bronx. 92 responses mentioned it. Here are some of the other areas that were mentioned as favorites:

• Castle Hill Avenue
• Little Italy (Arthur Avenue)
• 149th Street and Third Avenue (The Hub)
• White Plains Road and Pelham Parkway
• Allerton Avenue
• Lydig Avenue
• Westchester Square
• Bathgate Avenue (the Bronx's version of Orchard Street)
• 170th Street

Briefly share one or two reasons that you feel made shopping in the Bronx unique.

Many responses shared a common thread: everything you needed was there, and you didn't need a car. Whether they spoke of Fordham Road or Allerton Avenue or Third Avenue under the El, most people also mentioned the friendliness of the salespeople, the cleanliness of the stores, and the relative safety of the streets. Here are some other comments:

• "For everyday needs, each neighborhood had everything a family needed to exist and be entertained."
• "On Jerome Avenue, Shopping was both a social and business activity."
• "I loved 170th Street. It was nice to do business with people who also lived in your neighborhood, whose children grew up with yours, who knew your whole family."
• "Arthur Avenue had the best bakeries and Italian groceries. It was hard to walk on the sidewalk and not want to eat everything in sight."
• "The stores never changed. They were always there, and always familiar."
• "Fordham Road seemed to be the world's largest outside mall. There were dozens of shoe stores, more clothing stores than I could count, record stores, fast foods, ethnic stores, department stores, and more. You could even join the Marines there!"

How do you feel about the following statement:
There were no "upscale" shopping areas in the Bronx because there were no "upscale" people.

If you had a time machine, what one store would you "give anything" to revisit today? Why?

Considering the popularity of Fordham Road, it's not surprising that Alexander's was the choice of more than one quarter of all the responses. 29 people viewed it as the place they'd love to revisit, whether on Fordham Road or Third Avenue. However, gastronomic sentimentality won out over the bargain racks: 33 people mentioned small, local delis or appetizer stores as their wishful destination. Amazingly, almost all of these were unique - only one was named twice (see below). Here is a list of all the stores that were mentioned in at least 2 responses (in no particular order):

• Cousin's
  "They had everything, from records to knives."
• E.J. Korvette
  "It was the best place to buy stuff for the house."
• Lafayette Electronics
  "It was the only place to get electric gadgets and parts, and they had everything!"
• Macy's Parkchester
  "The Christmas toys, as well as the rest of the store at Christmas, "made" Christmas for me."
• Stan's Records
  "The guy who worked there (Stan?) knew more about jazz and rock 'n roll than anyone I ever knew."
• Woolworth's
  "Woolworth's before 1960. The smell, the prices, the bigness of a small store that seemed to care about customers."
• Bookmaster's
  "There was a really cute guy who worked there and I'd love to go back and check him out."
• Tuckman's Department Store
  "It was the place in the neighborhood for kid's clothes."
• Bobkoff's
  "They had the best selection of pea coats."
• Smoked Fish (appetizer store on White Plains Road)
  "The smell of that place - I loved it. The sound of the el outside, the barrels of sauerkraut and pickles, the whitefish. The number-ticket machine that never worked. Oi!"
• Olinsky's
  "Almost fell into the barrel while bottom fishing for one of those half-sour pickles."

Since leaving the Bronx, have you gone back specifically to shop there?

Considering all aspects of the shopping experience, how would you compare today's shopping malls with the neighborhood shopping areas you grew up with?

"Uptown It's Alexanders", perched atop the crown of the most popular shopping location in the Bronx, will forever remain in the memories of those who walked Fordham Hill, stopping for an Orange Julius, or for a sundae at Krum's, or picking up the latest hit at Spinning Disc. And yet, for as popular as that area was, we all share fond memories of the local candy store, the bakery, the mom-and-pop grocery that was only a short stroll from our building's stoop. If we didn't get our Keds® at one of the myriad shoe stores on Fordham or Third Avenue or in Westchester Square, then it was at that little local store where the salesman knew our name. Perhaps like any city, the Bronx was a collection of little villages, each with its own shopping area catering to the needs of the locals.

In a recent letter, Congressman Serrano of the Bronx described how much the Bronx is still the same, with a more diversified ethnic sampling among the neighborhood stores. Having been to Fordham Road recently, I can confirm this: it's still a thriving, bustling district and a shopper's "paradise". Alexander's may be gone, along with many other old landmarks, but there are many good shops that have taken their place. There are also many street vendors along 188th Street, and a carnival atmosphere pervades the area on sunny, warm days. Viva la Bronx!