I walked into the Quincy Mall yesterday and made my way down to the west end of the Mall heading towards the J.C. Penney store. The closer I got to the entrance, reality started to set in that one of the iconic stores in Quincy will soon be no more.  

I actually felt a knot in my gut to look into that store and see nothing but a couple of racks of discounted clothing and a few other items. The empty building, spacious floors and blank walls really hit hard. I am not sure why it bothered me as much as it did because I have no ties to that store, although I did shop there. It's just that another piece of Americana will be leaving us.

I am not sure when Penney's came to Quincy, but I do remember going into the Penney's store at 6th and Maine and riding the elevator which actually featured an elevator operator in it. That store's history ended with a huge fire in the early 1980s, which eventually led to the opening of the new J.C. Penney store in the Mall in 1982.

J.C. Penney announced the Quincy Store closing on January 8 of this year as the company tries to remain competitive. The Quincy store was one of 39 stores in 19 states that will shut its doors. The final day for the Quincy store is this Saturday. I am not a happy shopper about it and if he were still alive today, I bet James Cash Penney wouldn't be either.

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