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Frankie!

Our third look at the Holiday Shop record and camera store in Roeland Park, Kansas, circa 1950. Frank Sinatra is pictured on the wall. View full size.

Our third look at the Holiday Shop record and camera store in Roeland Park, Kansas, circa 1950. Frank Sinatra is pictured on the wall. View full size.

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Ah, the Columbia-era Sinatra

Frank Sinatra may have recorded "exclusively for Columbia Records," but around 1950 not all that many people were listening. He still had occasional hits for the label, but he certainly wasn't the dominant artist he had been in the mid-forties. Music had changed a lot in the postwar era, and on the whole the songs weren't as good. It's no secret Sinatra loathed much of the material new A&R man Mitch Miller foisted on him, although every now and then he received superior music to work with. It really wasn't until 1953, when he switched to Capitol, was given Nelson Riddle as his primary arranger and concentrated on making strong thematic albums, that Sinatra truly revived as an artist (his Columbia output during the forties is generally excellent, and has been rediscovered in recent years thanks to a number of compilations).

Dangit, where's my time machine?

I wish I could go back to the time this picture was taken. For one thing, I'd like to take in the atmosphere and look at all the old records. Then I'd like to show the lady a modern MP3 player and say, "This little gadget holds more music than, oh, 100 stores this size."

But then they'd probably hang me for being a wizard or some such, and that wouldn't be good.

... Is Like a Melody

I could see myself stopping by the Holiday Shop to look for music, but mostly to chat up the blond cutie behind the counter.

I love Shorpy!

I've been a photog for many many years and have always collected old photo books etc., but this has to be one of my all time favorite websites ever! These kind of great old photos are just tremendous. I absolutely love the "slice of life" that it shows of our past. The old Waffle Shop pic I saw yesterday was just a work of art!

Thanks so much for sharing these great photos. I have some cool old stuff my self. I've got to get them on a scanner and upload them.

Date seems about right

That Burl Ives album on shelf behind store clerk is "Ballads and Folk Songs Volume I" released in 1949. We spent many hours listening to Burl's "Children's Favorites" (1954) growing up.

Roeland Park, Kansas

I was acquainted with this shopping center during the late 1950's as a 12-year-old. I don't remember this business being there at that time. There was a camera shop, but not this one. THE record store was in Mission, off Johnson Drive. That place was crammed full of records and tapes clear to the ceiling and generally full of people. The store was a mess and run by a haggard middle aged lady who was always yelling at us kids. 45 rpm singles were 99 cents, a princely sum in the days of the 50-cent minimum wage.

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