More . . . stuff today, stuff about the future. I'm ambivalent towards all of it. Downsides and upsides. One has a nice workspace, but 100X hate mail. The other is less of the more of the less of the same. I was rising on the escalator today and noticed a light that was twitching like an eyelid in a potassium-deficient sufferer, and thought well, could be the guy who has to replace that, because I've no idea how they're going to get to that bulb. Can't use a KNASS. Is that what they're called? The little vehicles that have the cab resting on top of those . . . oh Bog what are they called, you know, the expandable lattices. Think a gag cartoon boxing glove on the end of the expandable lattice. You press the button, the glove shoots out and nails someone in the kisser, producing sparks and stars and birds.
Googled KNASS and it gives me Kvass, the drink, which is fine, but I already have a drink. It's not a crane. Utility repair vehicle? NO NOT KANSAS UTILITY REPAIR. Augh! I can't find the words to describe it. Orange vehicle with a small cab that rises up and down to allow access to the ceiling.
(6 minutes later)
EXPANDABLE SCISSOR LIFT
Thank you. But I can't find one named KNASS or whatever. It could be the name of the local company that rents them. Well, I'll ask my guy if I see him tomorrow. I will let you know.
Anyway, you can't get to the light with a scissor lift (I am now using the the term with casual ease as though I had been dealing with them all my life) and you can't get to it with a pole unless you shut down the escalators, which they probably will do. I will tell you tomorrow if the ligh is still twitching. I know I'm invested in this.
And precious little else.
It's just odd how a switch flips.
Well, talked to Daughter tonight; she's doing fine. Up for an Emmy, as I may have noted; already won a Telly for the same ad. Has an new interesting client, and I go into full DraperMode, because I love this stuff.
(8 minutes later)
Came up with a good slogan for the product. Nothing brilliant, but having seen a lot of 90s booze print ads lately, I can tell you that the historical bar is low as a scarab's scrotum. On the other hand, the tagline is so obvious there has to be a reason no one's picked it up and used it. Or it's absolute genius. It has an instantly understood double-meaning.
Perhaps that's my last act career. A recluse who communicates only by mail, works on commisson for a select few clients, gets brought in when all else fails, delivers the perfect ad. Never gives interviews. No one ever sees him. Rumors say he is horribly disfigured but elegantly dressed, and always in the company of a borzoi.
Our weekly recap of a Wikipedia peregrination. Expect no conclusion or revelations, but if you've been with us since this started next year, you know . . . sometimes we learn interesting things.
So! How do we get from here . . .
. . . to there?
That's the Justers Brothers logo above.
In the old days, you bought ads to sell socks. Hey, ya jerks
They took out a lot of ads on the same page for individual items. Not a bad strategy. Reinforces the brand.
Juster’s is gone, and left no trace. Google searches turn up stories like this, from decades ago:
Juster's, the Minneapolis-based men's wear chain, opens its downtown Rochester store in the Centerplace Galleria mall today.
A regional eyewear chain called Opti-World Inc. also is placing a large store in the newly built shopping center. A spokeswoman said the Atlanta company plans to open early in August.
Juster's becomes the largest retail shop in business there, occupying more than 4,000 square feet on the mall's skyway level.
No more. That was Rochester, Minnesota - which made me think about the malls of the other Rochester. I expected the usual 60s mall that had fallen on hard times, and lo, behold, etc:
The Midtown Plaza venture was announced to great fanfare in January 1958. Early tenants, in addition to B. Forman Co. and McCurdy's, included Wegmans, Lincoln Rochester Bank (now Chase Bank), the United States Postal Service and Trailways, as well as several national and local chain stores. The mall opened April 10, 1962.
Designed by Victor Gruen, Midtown Plaza was dedicated on April 10, 1962.
Ahh, Victor. The man who designed Southdale. This is typical:
Later in life, Gruen dismissed the strictly commercial suburban malls as "those bastard developments" but continued to hold Midtown in high regard. It is probably the project that closely followed his plan and shared his civic vision.
Midtown's most striking feature was the mechanical "Clock of Nations" in the main floor atrium. Rising two stories, the clock featured mechanical dolls that would circle the main clock on the hour with a country highlighted each hour. The dolls were housed in capsules featuring a door that would open and close to reveal the dolls.
The highlighted country's capsule would be illuminated, and a melody appropriate to the country would play. Generations of children (and adults) sat in the atrium in eager anticipation each hour.
Ah. It’s quite typical of the early 60s, in its round bulgy kitschy Disneyland way:
More on the clock:
When Midtown's patronage dwindled, stores were closing, and the future was obvious, the clock became a cause celebré all across the region. The clock was moved to the Greater Rochester International Airport terminal in 2008.
