Old TV shop

[Carmine]

I found myself in a strange neighborhood the other day (Actually, not that strange... Pontiac, MI) and spotted this time-warp..

[miniman82]

Stop in, they might have treasure in the basement!

[Dan Starnes]

Very cool.

[JCFitz]

Judging by the RCA Victor sign and the radio on the sign and in the name they've been around for quite a long time.

They may very well have a treasure in the basement or all the old stuff may be gone as in the still operating tv shop I work in. No old stuff here except some 70s RCA and Zenith modules and parts. Most of the old stuff was gone when I came here. I got the tubes and needles. What has hit the dumpster since I've been here was a crapload of 80s Zenith parts some new some used and a crapload of various brands 80s chassis for parts and vcr chassis for parts in recent years.

In earlier years since I've been here was a test jig. and even earlier when a small partial wall was taken out I threw in the dumpster myself a RCA 45 changer. I was young and dumb and it was before I collected anything old except records and this was beneath putting my records on is the only reason I know I did this. so forgive me.I haven't forgiven myself though. It was the kind you hooked to an amplifier. No internal amp or speaker.

I've heard stories of all kinds of old radio parts and tube tv stuff that was thrown away before I got here.The current owner and my boss bought it from the original owner(long dead now) in 1985. Shop's been here since the 30s or 40s. I came along in 1989.Was 21 yrs old then.

[zenith2134]

Wow! This is exactly the type of place I wish i'd see more of. None left near me it seems.

[drh4683]

Gotta love these places, whats left of them. Especially with those 40+ year old sun faded "Color TV" signs that are still hanging off the side of the building with nothing but angle iron bracing and guy wires going every which direction. We have a good number of old places like this hanging around in Chicagoland still. Seems like once you leave the midwest everything "old" is either completely gone or was a victim of major updating. Alpha TV where I grew up was a factory authorized Zenith dealer and they had a massive Zenith neon sign from the 1950's in the lightning bolt letters that stood independent from the building out by the street. That sign must have been 8' long by 4' high and it lit up in orange and pink. You could hear that cool neon ballast buzzing sound from a few hundred feet away at night! Talk about the most awesome sign you ever saw but they've been gone since '98 and I never got a picture of that place or the sign. Lost history.
I have good memories of that place though, going in there as a kid to buy 6Z10's and 6HA5's etc. for my curb finds. The old man always knew what brand TV I was working on when I told him the tubes I needed. He had the u-test-m tester in there and a wall full of tubes behind his repair counter. Those were good times.

[bgadow]

I just love places like this. They are always worth stopping in. If nothing else, you can get some good stories.

[Carmine]

I'll take a shot at stopping in... It was after-hours when I took the shots, not to mention in the early stages of another one of our frequent blizzards.

Just out of camera range (on purpose) is a neighboring strip of stores that have been "modernized" with gallons of sh**ty stucco that couldn't look more out of place in the midwest. Rather than being filled with a productive businesses that require some actual skill to run (like a TV repair shop) it's just exploitive crap like payday-loans and lottery tickets.

Welcome to 3rd world America.

[drh4683]

Originally Posted by Carmine

Rather than being filled with a productive businesses that require some actual skill to run (like a TV repair shop) it's just exploitive crap like payday-loans and lottery tickets.

Welcome to 3rd world America.

Indeed that stucco updating is the worst looking thing out there. I've seen too many nice buildings destroyed by this practice. I really don't understand how this look became attractive to society. Not sure which is worse though, the stucco remodels that started in the mid 90's or the horrendous modern 80's update attempt by installing cedar 1x6's on a 45 along the facade of a nice brick building... Either way you go, the building ultimately looks like complete S..t in the end.

[Jeffhs]

There is one TV shop (Kallay's Chestnut TV) in this area. It is (or was) in the town just south of me, and has been at its present location since 1947. I don't know if it's still there today, unless they are still selling flat panel TVs and doing warranty work on them (I haven't been there in some years). A TV/stereo shop in my hometown (the shop eventually moved about 15 miles east in the same county) went out of business recently; the throwaway nature of today's TVs and other electronics was probably their undoing.