The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-02-01

time when It was fun to 60 window
shopping around lower Cortlandt
street and vicinity, particularly II
interested In radios or curious at
distress merchandise being offered
through auction channels.
A call on that street yesterday
revealed many radio shops closed
and the quarters vacant Of all
stock. Others have resemblance Of
bargains" In discontinued models
Of all popular radios. One can see
Stromberg CarlSons, Majestic, Gen.
eral Electric, Zenith, Westinghouse
F'ada and Emersolis Of various vim
tages priced originally in three flg-
ures now reduced to the vicinity Of
twenty and thirty dollars.
In past trips It was customary
for the sellers to accost window
lockers with an invitation to come
in and bargain. Now the clerks
stand inside as If they dreaded the
approach of the next customer
Portables that some months ago
were selling as low as $7.o6 seem
to have disappeared entirely. In
one window were several travelling
case type whose appearance might
suggest hiatt they had been through
flood or fire and these were more
expensive than eight tube set that
would be quite an ornament as q
piece Of furniture In q persons parlor.
Radio stores at one time oc-
cupied practically all ground space
in the area, contributed great
knowledge to radio set builders,
both professional and amateur.
Every known and new type Of
gadget is to be found In window
displays panels, dials, tubes, con-
densers, loud speakers, coils, switch
es, noise eliminators, AID, DC and
battery devices, aerials Of numer-
Gus applications, loud speaker sys-
TENS, record cutters and so on
through q list that would tabulate
into thousands. They are stacked
In boxes, trays, counters and on
shelves for the builder and the in
ventor to examine closely and with
out bother. Cortlandt street radio
sector Is struggling bravely to hold
on In spite Of pricrities, curtail-
ments, adjustment Of new sets, etc.
Some are finding new revenue
through the sale and resale of
second hand sets which are tuned up
by the few radio technicians still
on the job. Most Of the younger men
in that line have long since been
assigned to important work on the
war effort in one capacity or an
ther.
In this downtown area, hidden
away from uniformed visiting
shoppers, the streets present a mark
ed contrast to peacetiIne days. The
sidewalks are wide on both sides.
Memory Is that there was always
a crowd. It was definitely a man
crowd which If not looking into win
dows stepped near the curb and
talked to most anyone else stand
ing nearby on the wonders or the
problems Of extracting better sounds
from the ether.
An onlooker at q street intersec-
ton could hardly see beyond the
nearest store because of the density
Of people. Observers today can look
right up the street and the occas-
ional person on the sidewalk makes
that great expAnse of stone seem
tremendous waste Of space.
It may have been a tendency of
radio fans to congregate in the past
that was responsible for the estab-
hshment of auction rooms for dis
tress merchandise. I have visited
the place so many times as an OBJ
ject Of interest to visiting people,
that the two seemed inter related.
They still attract crowds Of approx
mately hundred men with some
constantly coming and going. To
stand there any length of time is
almost sure insurance that one will
buy something from the persuasive
gents that take turns explaining
what they have for the highest bid
der. These items range the en-
tire line Of classificatlons that make
up q cosmopolitan market place.
Ladies' silk stockings are sold to
men who have no direct knowledge
Of the ladies, size, color or quality
preference; perfumes, table cloths,
glassware, vacuum cleaners, radios,
sewing machines. slips, pankies,
girdIes. coEsets and other such in
Inmates are pushed out at the price
offered by the almost exclusively
males audience. II Is amazing how
these men viii dig In their pockets
for nlilady's vibsators. hair dry
ers, massage machines. and other
Of the more prosaic items such 81
electric coasters, roasting pans,
kettles, gas stoves, Dishes case.
roles, 10 mention but q few.
When interest beglils 70 whne, the
alictloneer then iFoia out sonethsng
more masculine. bidding Is urged
% Be quick and service Is fast. Be-
fore one cen collect his vita there
are items being sold all around
him. n most cases the bidding
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