The "retail triplex" here has a very cool, vintage road sign, complete with a separate, almost lamp-like, element currently used for Staples' "Copy & Print Center" sign -- I really wish I could find something showing what this would have looked like originally! I'm not sure if anything about the current Staples/Dollar Tree building is original to its Ernst Hardware days, but it's quite bland and generic-looking these days.
That is a very strange looking sign! I'm guessing this triplex might have been a duplex at one time, but maybe not. Perhaps the copy and print center part once had the Tradewell 'T' logo on it at one time?
ReplyDeleteWow, that must be a rather small Staples! It doesn't look any bigger than the Dollar Tree and it might even be smaller just from what I can see in the photo. Of course, even a mini-Staples would be more than what most of Houston has these days as Staples has mostly retreated from this area.
It is! I'm not sure whether this sign dates back all the way to the Tradewell days or was added after it became Pay 'n Save, but the other building was probably originally fully taken up by Ernst Hardware, perhaps together with Malmo Nursery. Sadly, all of those brands are so long gone that it's all but impossible to find specific information about them anymore.
DeleteHonestly, chain office-supply stores are something I try to stay away from possibly even more than chain home-improvement stores, so I didn't realize Staples stores were typically that much larger than this place!
Excited for this series -- love the sunset pics!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteYou're welcome!
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