The last few years have been interesting, in that I’ve been spending time with guys from the area around Merrick. I grew up there, but moved to Plantation, Florida for my high school years. My leaving before high school pretty much meant that most of my memories are geographically limited to either family locales or places to where I rode my bike. While I spent a lot of time visiting Merrick during my college years in upstate New York, I really haven’t had occasion to pull up a lot of memories regarding Merrick with any guys other than my old pal Dr. Mitch, Rock And Roll Chiropractor. I’ve certainly spent a lot of time with my only two first cousins, who grew up in Merrick, and my sisters, but when I’m with those four gals, memories about Merrick don’t come up often. We’re more in The Now.
Recently, thanks to my sister re-kindling a college era romance with a guy she knew in high school, and my meeting some guys in my travels for the Jack Kirby Museum, I’ve been having some fun talking about Merrick, North Merrick, Bellmore, East Meadow, Uniondale, Roosevelt and Freeport. (Modell’s in East Meadow is a favorite subject of mine. Although related, it wasn’t just a sporting goods store. Oh, no, it was not just a sporting goods store.)
So last night I’m on Facebook, when Keith, a pal who’s writing about the history of comic books, starts a chat with me to ask about the on sale month of Jack Kirby and Steve Gerber’s Destroyer Duck 1. I cite Chrissie Harper’s Kirby Timeline, and then, knowing Keith grew up in Bellmore, I start throwing some memes at him. Mostly items related to riding my bike (with Mitch, usually) and buying comic books. Keith mentions one place, The Book Stop on East Meadow Ave., which prompts me to ask him if he remembers Ed’s Glass Works. Well, everyone who I suspect remembers Ed’s Glass Works remembers it. Ed’s Glass Works was hilarious.
Ed’s Glass Works was a commercial enterprise on East Meadow Avenue. We didn’t drive much on the section of that street, but we did drive along Prospect Avenue, and, at times, would turn onto East Meadow Avenue, but in a direction away from Ed’s Glass Works.
Didn’t matter – Ed’s Glass Works’ sign was visible from the intersection.
And who knows how many times, some prankster would paint over the GL in the name.
Keith’s response: “I sure hope it does.”
Some other lines from the past: “Thank goodness,” and “I guess the surgery was a success.”
While Keith and I are yukking it up, I start searching. Very few mentions of “Ed’s Glass Works” and none of “Ed’s Ass Works”
No photos.
This must change. Please help. Reach out.
A photo of Ed’s Ass Works must exist somewhere, “I sure hope it does.”
PS. Ed’s Glass Works is long gone, but fittingly, an enterprise called Hi-Tech Signs is there now. Hah!
Modell’s, White Modell’s, I was an employee in hardware…..still have my nametag.
great days, picked up a lot of good skills, how to cut keys, how to mix paint, and how to assemble furniture when the instructions only came in chinese…..
fun days! (Lunch at white castle was always a plus!)
I forgot about the “White-Modells” incarnation. Let’s see that nametag somewhere…!
The Book Stop and Ed’s Glass Works: good stuff! I moved out of East Meadow in 8th grade (’85), but they were stuck in my brain– the former because I spent my entire allowance there every week on Marvel comics, and the latter because… well, his ass always worked.
Thanks, Warren.
I remember Ed’s Ass Works vividly. It would always get a chuckle from my father. And those pranksters did it constatly to the point where I think they just left it like that.
I remember Modells vividly down to the lunch counter on the Hempstead Turnpike side. Its a Home depot now. Once in a while, I go in there and have flashbacks. parts of the terrazzo floor is still there. I can still see the layout of the store in my head. I remember my dad would bring the tubes from the TV to the camera and electronics dept because there was a tube tester there. Modells Supermarket was on the corner and they had a conveyor belt that would take your groceries to the back of the store. There, you would drive up and the kid would put the groceries in your trunk! Hillman Kohan Vision Center was on the other end. Hanging out at ‘Foosball World” or when Pathmark was built, “The Wiz’. Getting donuts at Mr Donut. On Front street by hempstead turnpike was Larry’s Hobbies and two doors down was Polk’s Hobbies. Good times.
Thanks, Jason! I can recall some of the Modell’s layout. Mostly the books (where I got some of my Peanuts paperbacks) and records (buying Elton John’s Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy with my buddies Mitch Jomsky and Rich Nagel for a dollar the day it “dropped”) sections. The camera section, too, where the 8mm cartoon reels were, I think, behind some locked sliding glass doors. I think my first softball mitt was bought there.
I remember the snack stand by the back door, too, owing to my sister Glenda reminding us all recently how she used to consistently ask for a soft pretzel as we departed.
The supermarket and most of the Hempstead Turnpike side were not ventured to by our family. Well, except for the gob-smacking all-day Saturday movie viewing at the Jerry Lewis theater. “Here, go see a bunch of movies while Mom goes Christmas shopping.” That was there, wasn’t it? Memory says an “Island of Terror“/”The TAMI Show” combo. Maybe even Gamera’s “War Of the Monsters.” Yowza.
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Success!
My East Meadow Memories:
Yes, The Book Stop was on the northeast corner and Ed’s Glass was on the southwest corner of Prospect and Newbridge. Across the street on the southeastern corner was Prospect Park & Community Pool. Geographicially, my family lived in North Bellmore, a little closer to East Meadow than Rand and his family in North Merrick. We spent most summers swimming in the Prospect Park Pool, and always got a chuckle at the expense of poor Ed’s continued paint / repaint battle with his prankster nemesis.
During high school, my first ‘real’ job was at Modells in the automotive department. I still have and often use my official automotive Prestone II antifreeze boxcutter! Other than work, I spent even more time in that East Meadow shopping center when Jimmy’s Music World opened. They had that cheapest records in town. Less than Record World or Sam Goody’s at the Mall. I spent much of my Modells paycheck there! The Jerry Lewis Cinema duplex theater (before multiplex theaters were a ‘thing’) was a great hangout! I remember spending one whole day watching ALL of The Planet of The Apes films. Another whole day, at the Jerry Lewis Cinema watching a Godzilla marathon! Before cable, before netflix, before blockbuster … we relied on these special theaters, like Uniondale’s Mini Cinema and the Thalia Theater in Harlem … but Rand can elaborate on that another time.
Any more East Meadow Memories?
I can relate to all the comments above, but remember when Modells actually opened The whole area to the west were azalea and potato farms. Modells was like in a bazaar back then. It was the only structure on the whole Front St. triangle besides Mr. Donut, the car wash and dry cleaners. It was the only store of its kind in the area. Meant you didn’t have to go to Hempstead for basics, unless you were looking for the higher quality clothing and shoes, etc. kind of like a giant Woolworth store, but with groceries and anything else you’d need in the home.
Beginning of the end for viable towns like Hempstead. And then came Roosevelt Field as the death knell . Convenient, but a pity.