I’ll add a bit more squee… I live within 2km of the building that used to be a CD. Or it might have been a Shoprite, a similar catalogue store.
I’m reminded that Lee Valley still uses that same catalogue/fill out a card system. Their showrooms are a tad nicer than CD/Shoprite.
I’ve always wondered why this seemingly much more efficient retail method isn’t more popular. I guess people just like the experience of walking around touching stuff?
Oh dear. I think I was supposed to pick up Carl.
I was born in 1967 and remember going to Fort Worth to visit Montgomery Wards on 7th street, particularly because they had a large pet section that usually included a couple of monkeys. That’s why I grew up calling it “Monkey Wards”.
“Hav-vent you always wanted a mon-KI?” ask The Barenaked Ladies.
What’s particularly unfortunate in terms of timing is that Sears disbanded its primary “Big Book” catalog in 1993, claiming that consumers were no longer interested in purchasing things to be shipped to them. in 1994, Amazon was founded (although like Sears with watches, Amazon was mainly a book seller for its first few years), showing that yes, there was a still a market for selling things by mail, even if the catalog moved from paper to the Web.
CURIOUS GEORGE DIED FOR OUR SINS 
Still, even folks in Wichita tended to use the catalog service often enough. In the early 70s, I accompanied my mom whenever we went to the catalog pickup counter to get clothing like Toughskins for the kids because I was hard to fit as a kid.
I would never stick my monkey in a cage (not a euphemism).
I would name them Trevor, which is the best name for a monkey.
I would also allow them to roam as free as they want.
I might teach them to steal.
ooh! and taking the short subway to the Leonard’s department store! oh, the smell of that downstairs!
(i, too, was a youngling in those days when the Stockyards still had rendering plants and that gawdawful stench! ahh, Fort Worth, Texas. terrible place. let’s not actually go there.)
That’s what my parents called it and I never knew why other than just because of how it sounds. Never realized it was such a local thing.
I had A, B, H, K, L, N, R, most of S, and T
now chicken just needs her own little Vespa!
true story (since thread is about mail order animals and chickenbird here is out), when i was young and growing up on a farm in very rural texas, we mail oredered a bunch of baby chicks from the (early 70s) print version of this catalog:
not long after, post carrier drives down the drive to deliver a cheeping box full of “mixed exotic chicks”. we ended up with a whole bunch of weird chickens that interbred into some freaky looking yardbirds!
never short of eggs or fried chicken.
so we also ordered ducklings and peafowl (we got two peacocks and three peahens) all from this same company.
still makes me laugh, getting livestock in the mail!
edit: still makes me laugh thinking about when we got livestock in the mail. not going to do that again!
Surprised no one has mentioned this (if I missed a comment, apologies!)!
Nowadays, Ft. Worth’s downtown (Sundance Square) is actually a very nice place to spend an evening. If you’re into cowtown, the stockyards have held up pretty well - I can take an afternoon, but no more. Great museums, good botanical garden, and great oriental garden: all right next door to each other. Pretty good zoo, as well. If you want a great impression from Ft. Worth, pick a nice spring afternoon and eat a late lunch at Joe T. Garcia’s. Don’t wait 'til it gets hot.
Just don’t talk politics. To anyone. Ever.
at the risk of a complete derail, i have to agree on the museums, gardens and - oh, man! - Joe T’s!!! my grandparents took us there when it was still the one-room-no-menu you just sat down and they bring you whatever was cooking. yes, i have been back since all the nice garden seating and major expansion, but the original kitchen/dine-in was still there, albeit as a sort of reliquary. yeah, ft.worth is not a totally terrible place (few are), just a silly place with lots of history…
In the late 1960s / early 1970s in Columbus Ohio, Lazarus was the big downtown department store. They had a pet shop and monkeys were one of the choices. Over the years my brother and I had discussed how weird that seemed looking back.
Was going to say thou sure it was just publicity stunts, did people not used to buy tigers in harrods sure i have seen 70s tv footage of it.
Lions and all sorts.
