Two Guys

[greg8370]

The Bradlees in both New London and Groton closed in 1998.  I was the New London store mgr.

[MikeRa]

In the NE Philadelphia area, we had 3 Two Guys all within 20 miles of each other at these 3 locations:

1: Street Road & Knights Road, Bensalem
2: Lincoln Highway, Langhorne
3: Roosevelt Boulevard & Red Lion Road, Philadelphia

All 3 became "Jefferson Ward" when Two guys went under, then a few years later, all became "Bradlees"

Here is what became of these 3 locations:

1: Street Road & Knights Road, Bensalem (For a while, this location was a dual "Bradlees-Shop Rite" location.  Demolished and a brand new Kohl's was built on location.
2: Lincoln Highway, Langhorne (Today "The Dump" is in this former Two Guys location)
3: Roosevelt Boulevard & Red Lion Road, Philadelphia (About 3/4 of this location was demolished and replaced by a furinture store, and a "Best Buy" store.

[Great Eastern]

I grew up in Garfield, NJ with my wife and it was home to Two Guys HQ's from the 1960's to the end.  Even though Two Guys went out of business, Vornado, the parent company since the 1960's  was still intact and is still around.  In fact, they still own the property in Garfield as well as a lot of the other former Two Guys properties.  They leased them to Caldor in the 80's as well as some other stores throughout the NE.  

The store in Garfield was an original.  The main store was on the corner of Passaic St. and Lincoln Pl.  It was the Popular Club headquarters until the catalog company folded in 2006.  right now it is lying vacant and there is talk of a posible Wal-Mart or Home Depot coming there (That will be 4 Home Depots within 5 miles in that area).

The lower store at the bottom of Lincoln Pl. was the home certer and seasonal dept. After they closed it was Winter's Chocolates (The candy with the booze in them) until late 1980's and then was a Jews for Christ church.  I am not kidding , that was the sign outside it said.  They moved out over the fall of 2007 and there has been some work going on inside.  Not sure what is coming there though.



Hopefully it attached is my wife's old nametag when she worked for the Two Guys in Garfield from 1978 until it closed in 81

[greg8370]

the nametag takes me back!  thanks!

[Great Eastern]

One other thing that was an original to the Garfield Two Guys was on the lower level store which was the auto, tool and seasonal store was the railroad tracks running through the middle of the huge parking lot .  The tracks use to go between the main and lower level stores to the Two Guys main warehouse in the back for deliveries.  

I can remember back in the early 1970's being with my grandfather and going to the Two Guys auto center and almost getting hit by an Erie lackawanna NW switcher pulling some empty boxcars through the parking lot. LOL.  You use to hear the PA system in the store naming a car and plate number to move their car, you are blocking the railroad tracks LOL.

Funny thing is not only is the store defunct but the railroad is too.  The EL bacame part of Conrail back in 1976.  Even until 1982, Conrail did move frieght for Vornado.  The tracks are still in place there.  The huge parking lot, I never seen full again after the closing.  Now it is mostly people parking their extra cars and trailers close to Marsallus Place and parents teaching their 17 year old kids to drive.  I know because I did the same there with my daughter LOL

I will take some pictures of it and show you what I mean.

M&M

[Mobil]

The Two Guys near me became Jefferson Ward, then Bradlees, then Stop & Shop. Parts of it are also A.C. Moore and PetSmart, which I think opened when Bradlees did.
There is a former Jamesway in Vineland, NJ, also a former Two Guys, in a dead plaza about to be torn down for a
Wal-Mart Supercenter. This plaza also contained a Rickel, which still has its sign up to this day.

[TRJ_22487]

Allentown, PA location in 1957 with the original name of the chain
Wonder if Billy Joel ever shopped here....



Here was the inside of the same location in the going out of business days of 1982

[TRJ_22487]

Vacant Bethlehem, PA location in 1984




http://pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com/2007/10/tale-of-two-guys.html
Anonymous said...

   Thanks for the great pics and memories. I remember the Two Guys in Bethlehem, PA. It was large, or so it seemed to a little kid. They had a grocery store to the left of the main store. What I look back and remember was that you could practically look across the entire store and see where your mother was at all times. all the merchandise was low in bins or on racks. They had a small restaurant in the back. But I kind of remember it being dark and dingy. In the early 80's when I was almost 20, I remember re-discovering the record department and buying alot of albums super cheap. I guess i just took these stores for granted then. never realized how nostalgic they would all become to me now. How I wish I took pics of everything!




Too bad the person that wrote that was anonymous, they'd probably enjoy this photo

[TRJ_22487]

1974 Hackensack, New Jersey location.
I got this photo off eBay, and boy is it a nice one. Check out those overhead stop signs! What did this location become??

[TRJ_22487]

Vacant Bel Air Rd. Baltimore Maryland location in 1983


Here is this location on Google Maps

[TRJ_22487]

Here is the Towson, Maryland location on Goucher Blvd/Joppa Road, still open in February 1982.
I'm 99% certain this is the location that is now subdivided into hhgregg/vacant/Golf Galaxy. There is also a supermarket and a Staples attached in this plaza.

[JimSawhill]

1974 Hackensack, New Jersey location.
I got this photo off eBay, and boy is it a nice one. Check out those overhead stop signs! What did this location become??

Look at that VW bus in the parking lot!!   :)

[retailisking]

What a train wreck of a parking lot! I see that New Jersey parking skills haven't evolved much in 40 years... :)

[JimSawhill]

Originally posted by greg8370
The stores in New London and Newington, CT both became Bradlees.  Both buildings are gone now.  There was a third store in Waterbury, CT; does anyone know it''s fate?

Greg:

    I believe it became Railroad Stores in the 1980s (Boy, another store chain in Connecticut, which is dead or just barely in business). I think the city of Waterbury took the building down - circa 2002.

Just me

Railroad Stores?? Wow... I guess they are not around anymore... Are they??

[buzz86us]

hey everyone sorry to resurrect an old thread, but would anybody happen to have a picture of the Schenectady store? I guess there was one in the area just a few blocks from my current residence, but for the life of me I can't find a photo of it.. I look at the location it was said to occupy, and I just can't imagine where a large department store would be.. it is currently home to a sports bar..

[BillyGr]

hey everyone sorry to resurrect an old thread, but would anybody happen to have a picture of the Schenectady store? I guess there was one in the area just a few blocks from my current residence, but for the life of me I can't find a photo of it.. I look at the location it was said to occupy, and I just can't imagine where a large department store would be.. it is currently home to a sports bar..

http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2074

This post might have some help (not photos but a look at the area).

Also from the postings, it appears it was in two separate buildings (the sports bar being one of those) - and at least one of the buildings was multi-level (mentions heading down to an amusement area and if it's the one shown in the Google search - the brick with glass windows (possibly other entries as a store?)) it looks larger than one might think with at least 2 levels.

[Loki]

The stores in New London and Newington, CT both became Bradlees.  Both buildings are gone now.  There was a third store in Waterbury, CT; does anyone know it''s fate?

The Waterbury Two-Guys was in the plaza on Wolcott Ave that now houses Shoprite.