Friday, May 2, 2014

Rainier #24: Phone Booth

In front of 215 B Street West

Phone Booth in front of the Rainier Shopping Center in Rainier, Oregon on September 5, 2005
Phone Booth on September 5, 2005.

This phone booth was in the parking lot of the Rainier Shopping Center. What is so special about a phone booth, you may ask. Well, by 2005 they had started to disappear, but Rainier still had several. So why did I take a picture of this one? Look closely. It still has a sliding bi-fold door. It was the only phone booth in Rainier that still had a door, and since I noticed that, I started looking around for another and never found one. So this phone booth, while not unique, was still rare. It has since been removed.

016-5 1966 Ford Galaxie in front of Rainier Shopping Center in Rainier, Oregon in July 1996
1966 Ford Galaxie in front of the Rainier Shopping Center in July 1996.

The Rainier Shopping Center opened on May 27, 1966 with Nap’s Market as the anchor. The store measured 158 feet by 95 feet, with 15,000 square feet of floor space. It was the largest store in Rainier. It was renamed 3 Boys’ Market on January 5, 1970 and began distributing S&H Green Stamps. Over the years, it became a Thriftway on February 5, 1975, then a Sentry, then a Select, then IGA before finally closing. Now it is J&R Sales Grocery Liquidators.

Continue to 25: A Street Bridge

1 comment:

  1. Ironic. I used that phone booth to call my mom up on Neer City Road July 3rd 1980 to see if she was awake as I didn't want my Harley stirring the dogs up-I was coming back from work in Clatskanie Ore. I ended up grabbing a couple 6 pack's of 16 oz. Luck's and backpacking them, and took the long way around-Apiary to Beaversprings, Brownlee Neer City...

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