Halloween at the TG&Y

When I was little in the 70's, my family went to the local TG&Y nearly every Saturday because it was near the doughnut shop we went to. I loved the smell that wafted over to me when I came through the door, It smelled like paper, pencils, wax and candy bars. And at Halloween time the smell was so much extra, maybe because of the seasonal decorations and special candy. They had the old-fashioned decorations that are so coveted these days, like the paper jointed black cats and classic witches with green faces. And the candles were awesome too. They weren't extra fancy and didn't come in a million scents like they do now, but they were ghost and pumpkin-shaped and were so cute it was almost a shame to burn them.

I liked exploring the aisles and seeing the hanging honeycomb decorations and the section with costumes that had plastic faces and eyeless stares. These costumes were classic ones like Cinderella and Superman, as well as scary rubber masks that were not very realistic but they had that extra monster factor.

Candy was a bit different back then too, with candy cigarettes, candy necklaces and wax lips as well as the usual candy corn and classic candy bars. Also there was the bazooka bubble gum (that tasted like root beer to me) that was always a staple.

I often didn't end up buying anything but browsing was a fun experience in itself. And when it came time to leave, I loved the fact that I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be back.
Until it wasn't there anymore.
By 1980's the TG&Ys started folding and the smaller ones were the first to go, like the one we went to the most.
But I'm glad it was part of my childhood.