LARRY'S RAMBLE: Homogenize

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Homogenize

Foley Brothers store in Houston in 1929
Photo: www.chron.com Houston Chronicle

Do you remember when there were local department stores, un-branded family restaurants or different words for things we all used by some other local name?
I know all of us didn't grown up in cities or places large enough to have places like I've just described, but some did. I grew up on a small town with one store - Colbaths General Store, the post office was there too and one Mobil gas pump.
Now it seems that any place with, let's say 20,000 people, almost all look alike, stores have the same name, there are chain restaurants and certainly stores are national chains.
We've been homogenized, blended all together. There is almost no local anymore. That's what happened to the store at the top. Foley's was founded by two brothers in 1900 with $2000.00 capital, by the 1950's Foley's had stores throughout the Texas area, things were booming. Then came homogenization and Macy's just sucked up Foley's. It was a big money deal.
Most of the photos are larger if you click on one.
CORRECTION: The girl in yesterday's story did not set a record, there are two instances of girls scoring 60 points in a game. Most notably for this area Laura Hoit scored 60 points for Hamden in 1929, she went on the teach and coach at Hamden. Miss Hoit left one million dollars to the Town of Hamden for a swimming pool. The pool was built and is named the Laura Hoit Pool. My wife goes there to exercise. Close to home, huh?