Pictured below are some rare shots from a Tamaqua Sidewalk Sale in the early 70s. Many pictured are now just a memory. Tamaqua was one of many towns that held successful summer sidewalk sales & merchants back then made it a huge event.
In Tamaqua, sale organizers brought in funnel cake & hot dog wagons plus clowns & costumed characters for the kids. Bud Angst at WLSH Lansford would bring his camper, fill helium balloons, give out Great Radio shopping bags & sell his Ask Your Neighbor cookbooks. M&S Hardware made special tractor trailer purchases of "scratch & dents" & discontinued items just for the sidewalk sale & sold grilled hot dogs & Postie's birch beer from the barrel. Often they sold out of birch beer & had to travel to McAdoo to get more.
WLSH & Bud Angst's camper were sidewalk sale fixtures for years in Lansford by the rec center, Lehighton by the park, Palmerton next to the bridge, & Hazleton across from Deisroth's. Pottsville, Mahanoy City, & Shenandoah also had super sidewalk sales in the past.
Bob Silver at the former Silver Furniture in Lansford used to run huge sales from his garage, loading dock, & sidewalk on the highway. He would even lock his front door during these sales. When Bright's's was Lansford's main focal point decades ago, the town would attract thousands of shoppers.
Sidewalk sales started to fade in the early 80's with many downtown stores closing & store owners buying less merchandise. Some towns still have sidewalk sales today, buy they can't compare to the events held decades ago.
Recognize any faces in the pictures below? Do you have a favorite sidewalk sale memory to pass along? If this is the 1st time you've seen a COAL REGION CONNECTIONS post--scroll down our page & enjoy more great nostalgic memories. Thanks for your LIKES, SHARES, & COMMENTS. Please check this page every 2-3 days because Facebook no longer includes ALL posts in your news feed.
