Saturday, February 06, 2010

Waxing nostalgic

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. I'm not sure why, maybe because I've been doing some writing for a history of Iroquois Falls, due to be published later this year, or because I've been listening to more classic rock music than usual.
I even had a facebook post that prompted some discussion about the top classic rock songs. There are several that I agree with, and contributed my own nomination for one that should be near the top: Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing".
That sent my thinking process onto a bit of a tangent, recalling buying vinyl records as a teenager.
Of course, Pierini's in Iroquois Falls was my primary source. Trips to Timmins always meant a stop at Circle of Sound, in what was then the brand new 101 Mall. Your record purchase was put into a bright pink plastic bag, which was heat-sealed at the checkout.
There was also Records on Wheels, on Pine Street near Second Avenue, a door or two down from the Colonial Inn restaurant, which featured phones at the tables, over which you ordered your food. It later became A&W and then Benjamin's. If I recall correctly, Records on Wheels also sealed your purchase in a plastic bag. It was a small, narrow store. I can't recall whether it was later replaced by or existed side-by-side with Two Pieces Boutique, similarly small and narrow. It was where we bought our jeans and cords in the style of the day, be it boot cut, flare or elephant pants, and the puffy-sleeved shirts to go with them, thus the Two Pieces.
I imagine what sealed the doom of all of those places was the opening of Timmins Square.