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f/8 and Be There
Fred Lynch
Fred Lynch retired in 2018 after capturing images for the Southeast Missourian since 1975, in that time moving from black-and-white to color, from film to digital and to video. The blog title is a nod to an earlier era of news photography and the 4x5 Speed Graphic: It's more important to be there for the shot than to worry about technical details.
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The Skillet at W.T. Grant Co.

Posted Thursday, July 22, 2010, at 10:30 AM
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G.D. Fronabarger took this picture at the lunch counter in the W.T. Grant Co. store in Town Plaza, possibly on its grand opening day in August, 1960.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Formerly a mystery photo, Jim Rapp says it was W.T. Grant about 1963.

The comment below by kcincapeg is in agreement.

This Southeast Missourian, June 12, 1973 story mentions a lunch and soft drinks service:

The W.T. Grant Co. store in Town Plaza was one of the original businesses when the shopping center was opened, and it has remained the largest in retail area with the exception of the Sears facility, which came later.

Opening in August, 1960, the store features soft lines of goods, carried in self-service type displays. Clothing of all types for all members of the family are carried, along with cosmetics, household goods, pets and pet supplies.

Customers, report the management, have come from all over the area -- Farmington to St. Marys, the Bootheel and southern Illinois. Also featured is a line of candies, lunch and soft drinks service and a range of garden supplies, in season.

The store here is one of 1,200 the company operates throughout the nation.

Another blog:

Candies at W.T. Grant Co.

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  • Kind of looks like Woolworth's.

    -- Posted by SEMO72a on Wed, Jul 21, 2010, at 11:09 AM

  • P.N. Hirsch's? Monkey Ward? HMMMMMMMMM?????? :)

    -- Posted by CommonCentsGal on Wed, Jul 21, 2010, at 12:05 PM

  • Ah I forgot that one!!!!! I knew it for sure wasn't Woolworth's though. I found some photo's online of a W.T. Grant's Lunch counter and there are a lot of similarities. So Grant's it is. :)

    -- Posted by CommonCentsGal on Wed, Jul 21, 2010, at 5:55 PM

  • Ok I just realized again that when WT Grant's went out, Woolworth's from downtown moved in their spot. So yes this is the Woolworth's in Town Plaza. I was thinking of downtown only. :)

    -- Posted by CommonCentsGal on Thu, Jul 22, 2010, at 9:08 AM

  • W.T. Grant was in the building where hastings is

    woolworths was where hallmark and others stores are it was broken up.Woolworhs operated 2 locations in cape untill 1980 when the store at main & independence closed on christmas eve. this looks like grants. Grants chain owned 10% of a chain called zellers there in store restraunts were called the skillet so grants could also have used the name!

    -- Posted by kcincapeg on Thu, Jul 22, 2010, at 10:18 AM

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