1994 Blue Print of “The Shops”
This post is for all those who love to reminisce. Home has always been Western Massachusetts for me. I grew up nearby the Longmeadow Shops. My friends and I spent many afternoons at the Longmeadow Shops Friendly’s, the former Hu Ke Lau restaurant across from “The Shops”, and wasted hours wandering around the Longmeadow Blockbuster Video. It is fun to be able to flip through old photos and prints of the Longmeadow Shops from years past. Amazing to see how much has changed and what has stayed the same.
Some of our most popular posts on Facebook and Instagram are throwback photos of the Longmeadow Shops. We posted a few of these throwback photos of the shopping center when we launched our website and relaunched our social media pages over a year ago. I thought they were worth resharing in this space since we have gained a lot of new friends along the way. Enjoy this look back. See you at “The Shops” soon!
~ Melissa Pevay
Marketing Manager
1960’s Photo of The Longmeadow Shops
A decision to create two new commercial zones in Longmeadow in the mid-1950s made way for The Longmeadow Shops. The original center is featured here in this ariel photo taken in 1962. This photo was provided by Richard A. McCollough Jr and is also featured in the book “Images of America”, by Thomas L. Higgins.
Cherry & Web, Rugged Bear
Steiger’s department store was the original center tenant at “The Shops”. We can not find any photos of the Longmeadow Shops Steiger’s in our boxes in the basement. If anyone happens to have a photo from that era we would love to see it! Cherry & Webb took the front and center spot at The Longmeadow Shops after Steiger’s left. Notice The Rugged Bear next to Cherry & Webb.
Blockbuster Video Longmeadow
Raise your hand if you ever had a Blockbuster Video card in your wallet. We know that many of you spent hours and hours at Blockbuster by the response that this photo received on Facebook.
The much-loved Cock O’ The Walk, their adjoining Tea Room, and Stars once stood in the area where Starbucks, J. Jill, and Great Harvest Bread are today.
And, not so long ago, the Longmeadow Shops cut the ribbon and officially opened the Longmeadow Shops expansion project. This gave CVS a new home, created space for J. Crew Factory and Verizon, and created a little more parking for the shopping center.
