Friday 24 February 2012

Bamberger's on Market Street

I remember when I arrived in Newark's Ironbound on 2nd October 1971. I used to hang aroung Tia's shop on 112, Ferry Street. She was an older Brazilian woman who played the role of 'big Mama' for most Brazilian males who came to the shop to buy Brazilian newspaper or other merchandise. 

I met quite a few young males who didn't have much to do with their spare time and hung around Tia and other Brazilian businesses. They usually talked about their work and their lives back in Brazil. I realized most of them came from the state of Minas Gerais but there were a few Paulistas too and believe it or not, a lot of fellows from Guarulhos-SP and Franco da Rocha-SP.

Most of these fellows were fairly new in the country - like 1 or 2 years in the USA - and hardly spoke any English so they would not go too far away from Newark and its environs. I was told about Two Guys, the largest department-store in town. I had seen bigger stores in Manhattan, like Macy's, Korvettes and Gimbles at Herald Square, but I still shopped at Two Guys. 

I bought a few LP records there and a stereo player too. 

Bamberger's, Ohrbach's & Woolworth's on Market Street in the 1950s.
Ohrbach's on Market Street in 1964
Newark's Bamberger's on the corner of Market & Washington Streets. 
Gothic tracery at Bamberger's windows. 
Bamberger's at the turn of the 20th century. 
Market St and Halsey St. in 1958.
West Market St. 1962
Bamberger's ghost sign in Newark.

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