"Fond Shopping & ..." a United States of America Travel Page by b1bob

Burger Chef was a nationwide chain of hamburger restaurants. Back then, fast food was decent and didn't taste like cardoard or foam rubber. For example, their potatoes were fried in real oil as opposed to vegetable oil as the modern-day health freaks demand. I say, if you want healthy food, stay away from fast food places. There were Burger Chef locations all over the Richmond area. In Mechanicsville, near Azalea Mall, and even in two of Richmond's biggest malls (at the time) Regency Square and Cloverleaf Mall. Hardee's bought out many old Burger Chef locations in the mid 1980s.

When I was a kid, there was a T G & Y in Roxboro, NC- a short distance from Grandma Atkins' house in Virgilina, VA. She knew I didn't like shopping at that age and, to this day, I merely tolerate the chore. Thank goodness for shopping online! Every time Grandma felt the need to go to Roxboro and shop at T G & Y, I was rewarded with a toy (usually an addition to my Matchbox car collection) for my patience. This chain discount store, based in Oklahoma, closed in the early to mid 1980s.

Zayre was another middle of the road department store chain, based somewhere in the Midwest. The one nearest to me was located on Mechanicsville turnpike, just this side of Interstate 64 (leading into downtown). My most notable memory of Zayre was one day when it snowed, going with Daddy to get snow tyres put on our Mercury Montego we had at the time.

Tastee Freez is more reminiscent of the old-time hamburger stand at which dating couples would eat before or after the drive-in movies. There used to be locations all over the country- more specifically in South Boston and Clarksville, Virginia. I remember even as a kid being able to quickly put away their so-called "Big Tee" burger together with the side of fries. By the 1980s, you started seeing fewer and fewer Tastee Freez locations.

Grant's is another national chain discount store which had a location in the Richmond area- at Henrico Plaza just over the Hanover-Henrico County line and over the Chickahominy swamp and, I believe, at Parham Plaza in the west end. Grant's closed nationwide in 1975. Ever since then, Grants' former slot at Henrico Plaza appeared jinxed. Every couple of years, there was a different department store there: Murphy's Mart (an offshoot of G.C. Murphy), Jefferson Ward (a subsidiary of Montgomery Ward), and Bradlee's. For a time after Bradlee's closed, the slot hosted a flea market until January, 1996 when a heavy snow literally brought the house down. I can remember the hotdogs and Coca-Cola slushes served in a paper cone. However, my most notable memory of Grant's was when I was about 4 years old. Mama and Mrs. Saunders (our nextdoor neighbour at the time) went shopping there and I ran like a bat out of hell all throughout the store. When Mama caught up with me, I got one of the worst spankings of my life. I'll admit openly and without shame that I deserved it and I would do similarly if I ever have kids and they were moved to do something like that.