Walking along Norris Street....

 .....for an old friend

Sometimes it's a really nice thing when the past catches up with you. This happen only days ago when I got a Facebook friend request from Dorothy S. Dorothy and her family moved from Fishtown in 1958 when she was a teenager. Back then she was known as Dolly W. She was very attractive the same as her mother who understood fashion. Dorothy, the mother, had a perfect sense of balance to attractively stand out but not overshadow the room.
Dorothy's parents and my parents were the best of friend through life. Their house was in the middle of the block and the back of our house was about four doors down back then. Dorothy's family move to Valley Forge in a spacious modern house. (as I remember) Dorothy now lives on the West Coast. Her brother Joe (Jr) recently passed at the age of 81. It was touching to hear the depth of their relationship right up to his passing. Joe and I shared the same nickname, Sonny. I was give this name by my Aunt Kate who strongly opposed any thought about calling me Junior. Thank you Aunt Kate.
The best way I knew how to make Dorothy feel welcome back in Fishtown was to show her how things look now....and a street map.

Once a hardware store

There were once four cottages in the fenced area, two on Norris and two on Susquehanna Ave

At Ritter St once stood Pop's Soda & Ice Cream Fountain. The other corner was Mr Dombrowski's grocery store.

The entire fenced area was my parents after the cottages were torn down. The new house gained use of our car port but not the street to street flowers and grass where their house stands. (it has a nice front)

The corner of Taggert St gave women the choice of two hairdressers

Dorothy lived in the 2nd house from left

I went to grade school with Mary Womack who lived in the blue one

Lord knows how many different businesses came and went in the white building (Kress School of Music) and across the street, with all the stars, was a Cleaner/Presser  (as I remember)

This store had everything for the house that a women liked or needed, nice things. We kids called it "Susan's" because that was the name of the attractive young girl that lived with her grandmother that ran the store. I well remember the families of the next two doors down 

This was called "The Happy Tap"

The former Penn Widow's Home stands at the end of Fletcher street

Jim Dempsey who owned the hardware store lived on the right side of the street where the light's on.
He and my Aunt Kate (Kozy Korner / Kate's Place) kept company for many years

words & pictures by roman blazic__all rights reserved