Soon after writing the post Dear Internet, please post a photo of Ed’s Glass Works three years ago, I set up a Facebook page with the same theme.

Today, Ronald S. Jackson posted a photo there:

“I guess the operation was a success.”

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One door closes, another opens.

Thank you, Ronald!

Based on the cover date, I assume that sometime in December 1972 I went with my mom to what is now known as the Merrick “Bank Plaza” Post Office. It’s quite possible that she was sending our Christmas cards, or buying stamps for them. As she parked, I asked if I could go to Merrick Stationery, a half block away.

I wanted to buy a comic book.

I’d never bought a comic book before.

I’d bought Mad Magazines at various newsstands around town, Peanuts paperbacks at Modell’s (mentioned in my Ed’s Glass Works entry from Sept 2010), but never a comic book. I did own some comic books that I didn’t buy, and weren’t bought for me, either. (A subject for another entry.) I’d casually read some comic books at Camp Trexler, the barber shop, and at friends’ houses.

So there I was, part of the incoming 7th grade at Brookside Junior High; I’d probably been watching the Spider-man TV cartoon for years.

I’m gonna buy a comic book!

Merrick Stationery had a nice display for their comic books, to my mind. Right inside the door a six foot long, multi-shelf magazine rack with the books lined up front with maybe only a half inch of their spine showing. No real full covers shown. No rickety, squeaky spinner rack, but somehow it was fine. It was neat and organized. I still like how it was done, considering the comic books were just cheap, pulp entertainment, not collectors’ items. It was easy to find the comic book you wanted.

I bought the Spider-man comic book, and went to the car.

Took the comic book home.

It didn’t excite me.

I was not hooked.

I didn’t buy another comic book for a few months, and only did so because I wanted to be able to participate in the lending at Camp Trexler.

Years later, I learned that the story, “The Deadly Designs of the Disruptor!” in Amazing Spider-man 117, was part one of a two part re-working of a story from 1968.

It was part one of a two part story, and I wasn’t interested in reading part two.

The day Spider-man failed.

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!