Permanent Waves

Before there was and before was built at the Danvers Plaza on Route 62, there was Rich’s. And before Rich’s Department Store, there was Almy’s.

Almy’s is from way back in the Danvers time machine. The flagship store was in Salem and the full name was “Almy Bigelow and Washburn.” All that must not have fit on the signage, because as far back as I can remember, it was always simply called “Almy’s” and I think the sign reflected the same.

Almy’s was where ladies bought their pantyhose. They were usually on sale, and I know this because I’ve seen ads for them. Proportioned length pantyhose for 78 cents (regular price $1). They were billed as being first quality, seamless and that some even had nude heels. This was exciting stuff for the time.

I was too young to need pantyhose back then, but there is little doubt in my mind that my white knee high socks came from there too. My father’s socks, the kind with no elastic, also originated in the Men’s Department at the store. But Almy’s was more than just a store for clothes, household supplies and so forth.  There was also a hair salon. For a while it was the happening place for the women in town to get their hair washed and set every week and get a perm every few months.

I do remember having to hang around while my mother got her quarterly permanent. What I don’t seem to recall is exactly where the salon was in the store. I think I kind of sort of remember that it was upstairs and that I may have sat either on the stairs or peeked through railings to watch the shoppers below. Or, it could have been at the back of the store and I would wander off to look for leftover stray French fries at the coffee counter. Either option is a possibility. Unless, of course, I’m really thinking of the coffee counter at Woolworth’s in Danvers Square, but Woolworth’s didn’t have a hair salon. I know that much.

Almy’s was a place to get decent back to school clothes at a reasonable price. Shoes for our family often came from there. Once I outgrew my need for orthopedic shoes for flat feet, that is. Oh, they were always red and horrible and they hurt my feet. I don’t have flat feet now and frankly, I wonder if I ever really did or if some enterprising shoe salesman sold my parents a bill of goods.

Does one grow an arch from corrective shoes? Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Where was I? Oh yes, Almy’s, the place where Mom got her hair done — at either the back of the store or upstairs, depending on which way my memory is blowing on a given day. We bought my sneakers there — banana boat sneakers, that matched my blue banana seat bike with the white streamers on the handles.

The bike didn’t come from Almy’s, but I do think some generic non-Barbie dolls were purchased there and I do vividly recall being utterly dissatisfied with them and chopping off all their faux-Barbie hair in disgust. As I typed the previous sentence though, I was led by my oft wandering train of thought to wonder if I was perhaps mimicking the hair-styling methods of the Almy’s Salon Stylists. In any event, it’s a safe bet that I didn’t have any perm rods, papers or permanent wave solution at hand, so scissors were my weapon, or styling tool, if you prefer.

I’m prepared to own up to looking at an advertisement from March of 1970 showing a variety of sketched models and all weather coats sold at Almy’s for a mere $16.99. There is a list of all the special details on these coats, but the ad is cut off so I only see one letter of each description. If you ask me, that’s kind of sad. I’d like to know what women got for that $16.99. I do know they could “charge it” as the ad states, and that Almy’s was open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday!

I’d hoped to share much better, more vivid details of Almy’s with you this week, but I think my memory may have been hampered by the smell of the permanent solution, thus causing permanent waves in my recollection. Once again, though, I’m betting that readers of this column won’t let me down and will be able to fill in all the blanks for me.

I thought I was done with this article, but then I decided to dig a little deeper to see what I could learn about Almy’s from the Internet. What I discovered was that Almy’s was considered a nondescript store, which offered nothing that stood or made it special. The Stop and Shop Company owned Almy’s, which came as a surprise to me. Almy’s advertising was considered lackluster and some last-ditch efforts were made to change that by instituting four-color circulars. The stores were redecorated in the modern color of mauve with chrome accents. Guest visits by “Curious George” were touted at the grand re-openings.

You can read more about Almy’s here and here.

Nevertheless, despite the traditional comforts of a cash register in each department, personal service and a wider variety of merchandise, Almy’s was doomed. The stores began closing in 1987 and they went out without even a whimper. Perhaps it wasn’t the permanent wave solution that clogged my memory. Perhaps there wasn’t even enough noteworthy for a child to fully remember years later. That conclusion only serves to make me sad.

Last week, my column: “It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Best of Times” drew some good reader response. I loved reading the comments! The following from Dale Marino really struck a chord with me.

“Almy’s...when it was downtown, Nissens? (sp) on the corner with the wood floors. SNYDER JEWELRY??? Oh my! And what on earth was “that place,” under either Snyder Jewelry, or that end...it was in a basement, that we were told TO NEVER NEVER go down there? I know there was some kind of toy store, but I think it was either in the back room of that, or next door.”

Dale — and everyone — Almy’s was downtown once? When? Did they have a hair salon and coffee counter? I think the store was Nessen’s and that is the one that has haunted me! You mentioned wooden floors. Those must be the floors I recall that were uneven and tilted. As for what was next door to Snyder Jewelry or in that area that was so secret, well I’m dying to know too! Does anyone else know?