Dedham Tales

My first job at the Mall was as a stockboy at Woolworth’s during my junior year. A few of the neon letters in the outdoor sign were always broken, so we called it oolwo’s. They let me have a bookcase they were going to throw out, and I still have it in the classroom in which I teach in Framingham. And I still have this name tag for some reason.

Wrangler Wranch
Senior year I moved down the mall to Wrangler Wranch, across from Bradlee’s. This was one of the Mall’s first stores and was originally called Mr. Slacks. It was a fun job, even though I was a lousy salesman. I remember making a little boy cry when I told his mother that maybe a “husky” size would fit him better. I used to go into Pewter Pot and get a chocolate chip muffin heated up in the microwave smothered in butter. I think I worked here through my senior year in college, when my retail career at the Dedham Mall ended.

Note the Wrangler corduroy flares and groovy Earth shoes

I thought I’d start out with a sweet Dedham memory for all to enjoy on this warm spring night. These are a couple of ads from the Dedham Transcript in 1963. Frosty’s once stood where Legacy Place is now. I remember going there on summer nights and getting soft-serve vanilla cones. Frosty’s was replaced by the Showcase Cinemas. I’m told that the original Frosty’s was on the other side of Rte 128 before it became a six-lane highway. Anybody have any more Frosty memories or pics?

I like that they are open 11 a.m. “til closing.” Duh.