R.I.P You Do It Electronics, Needham MA 1949-2024

Fondly known as "You Blew It" by some fans, "You Do It Electronics" on Franklin Street, Needham MA closed for good in December of 2024.  If you needed ANY electronic bits or pieces, you could (most likely) get them there.  If you were into 2-way radios, you could get gear there.  LEDs, switches, cables, tools, etc.  I myself used to like the second floor with all the nifty home stereo stuff.  

But now they are closed, and the building, as of June 2025, no longer has "for sale" signs on it.  Their sign on the circa 1964 store building facing Rt95/128 is a local icon.  I HAD to go and take some photos of the building.

Patton Clay Manufacturing Company Paver

The summer of 2022 has been a very dry one here in Massachusetts.  While taking a walk along the old Boston & Maine Railroad's Fitchburg line in Ayer MA, I noticed part of an antique brick embedded in the compacted dirt which makes up the parallel access road.  I found a nice stick and started to excavate the brick, resulting in a fine dirt "powder" mixed with what looked like a century of coal and/or petroleum product residue floating up and over my brand new shoes, the ground was so dry.

What I didn't realize at the time was the ground (and brick) was rather hot, too!  I burned my finger tips without even knowing it until later in the day.

What I ended up with for my effort was half of a reddish clay paver.  Being only a casual accumulator of old bricks, I posted photos of it on two Facebook groups to see if anyone could tell me what brand of paver I found.

One person answered: Patton Paver, made by the Patton Clay Manufacturing Company Inc. of Patton PA.   

Patton Paver "in situ", Ayer MA

Post-excavation

 

Patton's products were shipped as far as Paris, Rome, and the Panama Canal.  The company was founded in 1895 and closed for good in 1984.  

1904 Ad

So I now know who made this paver.  But WHY was it where I found it?  

This ROW (right of way) is very old, and still active.  There used to be a second rail line at the location, the Stony Brook line, so there may have been a third rail where the current dirt access road is.  But as far as I can tell, there has never been a station and/or depot at this location.  So was there once a derailment or other accident in the distant past which deposited this brick along the ROW?  If so, shouldn't there be more of them around?

How does only one paver end up in the access road, and stay even remotely intact after decades and decades of rain, snow, ice, heat, and heavy truck traffic?

1942 Ad

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.pattonboro.com/patton-paver-clayworks-memorial/

B&M Baked Beans Looses It's Iconic Smoke Stack

I've always found old, tall, brick smoke stacks rather fascinating.   They once spewed various emissions that today would be frowned upon, but they also are a symbol of what America once was... a manufacturing powerhouse.

Through August 2021, the B&M Baked Bean factory in Portland Maine lost its brick smokestack.

Built in 1956 by the Burnham & Morrill Company, the stack measured 145 feet tall and 14 feet at the base.  The company stated that the reason for it's removal was safety, having stood unused for over 20 years by the Atlantic Ocean.  

Now, I myself have only seen it a handful of times from I-295.  That doesn't mean I won't miss it.  It is bad enough the rail bridge that once carried the Grand Trunk RR across Casco Bay past the plant has been out of service, and barely standing, for years.  Add insult to injury the fact ALL rail service to the plant ended recently as well. 

Hopefully we will at least have the 1913 factory itself to remind us of a time when New England used to actually manufacture useful (and yummy) things for the world to enjoy.  

According to the B&M website:

1867 - Burnham & Morrill Company is founded by George Burnham and Charles S. Morrill. Burnham brought meat and fish packing experience from his days with Rumery and Burnham, a company he helped establish earlier... B&M’s first products included canned meats, vegetables and fish. Their offerings included canned roast beef, mutton, pork, lamb, roast chicken, roast turkey, carrots, turnips, corn and other vegetables, plus herring, clams and lobsters.

1920 Ad showing the original smokestack location

UPDATE:  Unbeknownst to me, B&M beans ceased being made in Portland at the end of 2021.  A true end of an era for Maine, and New England...

Stores That Are No More in Massachusetts... an Incomplete List

With more and more stores closing down or leaving Massachusetts, I decided I better make a list so that even I don't totally forget them!  These are ones I personally knew, but by no means a complete list. Perhaps you will remember some yourself!

AS OF 10/1/25:

Ames - Department Store (replaced Zayer) - Waltham, MA (2002)
Ann & Hope - Department Store - Arsenal Mall, Watertown MA
Bailey's - Ice Cream & Candy - Belmont Center, MA

Bed Bath & Beyond - (2023)

Ben Franklin - 5&10/craft store - Belmont MA, etc

Bildner's - Food Store - Belmont Center, MA

Bradlee's - Department Store - Burlington, MA (2001)

Bugaboo Creek - Restaurant - Watertown, MA (2016)

Building 19 (etc) - Closeout Items (2013)

Caldor - Department Store - (1999)

Chadwick's - Restaurant - Lexington, MA (demolished)

Child World - Toy Store (1992)

Christmas Tree Shops - (2023)

Circuit City - Electronics, appliances, etc (2009)

Cottage Crest - Restaurant - Waltham, MA

Dandelion Green - Restaurant - Burlington, MA 

Dexter Shoes - Shoe Stores (Maine)

Durgin Park - Restaurant (1827-2019) 

Filene's - Clothing/Department Store  (2006)

Filene's Basement - Discount Clothing

Finest - Supermarket

Fotomat - photo processing 

Granite State Potato Chips - Salem, NH (demolished)

Grossman's - Home Improvement

K-B Toys - Toy Store - (2009)

K-Mart - Department Store (none in Massachusetts)

Heartland - Supermarket

Hilltop Steak House - Restaurant - Saugus MA

Jordan Marsh (became Macy's) - Department Store

Lechmere - Electronics, Appliances, etc (1997)

LeeWards - Crafts (became Michael's)

Lord & Taylor - Clothing

Magic Pan - Restaurant (crêpes) 

Moe Black's - Hardware Store, etc - Waltham, MA

Old Oak'n Bucket - Restaurant - Westford, MA

Papa Razzi - Restaurant - (1 location left as of 2024) 

Paperama - Woburn MA

Pewter Pot - Restaurant 

Purity Supreme - Supermarket (was Heartland)

Radio Shack - Electronics

RiteAid - Pharmacy (10/2025)

Rotman's Furniture - Worcester MA (2022)

Sage's - Food Market - Belmont Center, MA

Sears - Department store (11 stores remaining nationwide as of 2024)

Service Merchandise - Electronics, Appliances, etc - Burlington, MA (2002)

Spag's - Discount - Shrewsbury, MA (2004)

Strawberries - Record Store (sold 1989)

Tweeter - Electronics (2008)

Videosmith - Movie Rentals 

Quarterdeck - Seafood Restaurant - York, ME

Wal-Lex - Bowling Alley - Waltham, MA

You Do It Electronics - (Dec 2024)
Zayer - Department Store - Waltham, MA (1990)

Toys R Us, Winchester MA 7/2/19


Sears, Leominster MA 11/22/22


Bed Bath & Beyond, Leominster MA (2/26/23)

Below are some stores that turned online-only, out of Massachusetts, closing stores, or on their last legs (a shame, too)

Arthur Treacher's - Fish Restaurant - Woburn, MA

Baskin Robbins - Ice Cream (one is in a Dunkin Donuts, Lexington MA)

Bed Bath & Beyond - home goods (now online only)

Bob's Stores - (2024)

Boston Chicken (now Boston Market) - Lexington, MA

Carvel - Ice Cream (shops) - Woburn, MA

Friendly's - Family Restaurant (most Boston area locations closed)

Jo-Ann Fabrics 

Office Depot - Online only

Papa Gino's - Pizza Restaurant... many locations have closed 

Tower Records - Record Store (online)

Toys R Us - Toy Store - Winchester, MA (online, various attempts to get back into brick & mortar sales)

Rotman's Furniture, Worcester MA 12/11/22


Papa Razzi, Concord MA (6/30/23) (DEMOLISHED)

Papa Gino's, Bedford MA 7/26/21 (DEMOLISHED)

Stores That Are No More: Price Tags

Here is a selection of price tags found on some of my Matchbox and Hot Wheels car blister packs.  All are from stores that are now defunct.  I personally find this depressing... Once, we had a selection of stores to go to for everything we needed.  If one store didn't have it, you went next door or down the street.  You got to SEE an item before buying it.  You got to TRY ON clothes before buying them.  You didn't have to wait for items to arrive in an Amazon truck.

If you understand what I mean, read on...

AMES:  Ames took over the Zayer stores here in Massachusetts 

ANN & HOPE:  Our local Ann & Hope was located at the Watertown (MA) Arsenal Mall.  I remember they had people at the entrances who would put a bright sticker on any bags you brought into the store from elsewhere.  That way they would know if you were trying to shoplift!

KB / KAY-BEE TOYS:  I actually don't remember much about KayBee.  There was one in the Burlington (MA) Mall, and I think also right at the Waltham/Lexington line.

TOYS R US:  Another sad one... As a casual collector of diecast cars and various other things that could be found there, I SERIOUSLY miss my childhood heaven.  Our store was in Winchester Massachusetts.  I can still remember the smell of the bicycle section, the huge wall of board games, the ever-moving video game section, and YES, the TOY CAR isle.  It all started to fall apart when they stopped selling model car kits.

I miss them all... 

Blanchard's Liquors Neon Sign - Allston MA

Blanchard's Liquors Neon Sign

103 Harvard Ave

Allston, MA

The Blanchard's Sign 8/24/17

The Blanchard's Parking Sign 8/7/17

I'm a Specialist Sung by Frank Crumit (1931)

The 2020 Corona Virus has caused a simple thing like TOILET PAPER to become worth it's weight in gold. This little song from 1931 reminds us how lucky we are to even have indoor plumbing!

A Store That Is No More: Ames Department Stores

A Store That Is No More:  Ames Department Stores

Empty Ames store in Seabrook, NH (3/27/11)

Founded: 1958
Bankrupt: 2001
Stores Closed: 2002

From the Ames website in 1996:  "It all began in 1958 when two Connecticut brothers, Milton and Irving Gilman, opened their first store in the closed Ames Worsted Textile Co. mill in Southbridge, MA. Since then, Ames has grown into the nation's fifth-largest discount retailer with annual net sales of $2.1 billion. "

From the Ames website in 1998:  "Ames' original business strategy was radical: bring discounting to the underserved smaller towns and rural areas of the Northeast. Ames’ broad product mix, discount pricing and convenient shopping hours were enormously popular with customers.

Ames’ success spurred an aggressive growth period from 1978-1988. Combining a new store building program with acquisitions of other discount chains such as Neisner Brothers, Kings and G.C. Murphy, Ames grew to 450 stores by 1985.

The 1988 acquisition of the 392-store Zayre discount division, however, brought a sharp reduction in profitability, and Ames filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in April 1990.

After successfully emerging from bankruptcy on December 30, 1992, the company returned to profitability in fiscal 1993 and operating performance has continued to improve.

Under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph R. Ettore, a 36-year retailing veteran, management is focusing on targeted expansion (Ames acquired 155 Hills stores in December 1998); maintaining a customer-friendly environment with appealing merchandise presentations, customer service, and strict chainwide operational and financial controls."

From the Ames website in 2001:  "Ames is a regional, full-line discount retailer with an associate base of 21,500 and annual sales of approximately $2.7 billion. Ames operates 327 stores in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West"

An AMES price tag on a Matchbox car

Robert Murphy Knife Company Ad 1936 - Ayer Massachusetts

This is a 1936 ad for Robert Murphy's knife company of Ayer, Massachusetts.  This company moved to Ayer in 1906, and stayed there until they were bought by Dexter-Russell in 2018. The Ayer factory was then closed after 112 years.  As of January 2020, the building is still standing next to the ex-Boston & Maine railroad crossing at 13 Groton-Harvard Rd, with new owners who are rehabbing it.

Smith & Wesson Revolvers Ad 1901

Smith & Wesson Revolvers ad from 1901... 118 years later, S&W is still headquartered in Springfield Massachusetts!  

The 1903 Crestmobile... Only $750!

Back in 1903, you could buy a Crestmobile for just $750.  Adjusted for inflation, that would be approximately $21,160 today.  While this ad does not say where their factory was, their main office was at 193 Broadway, Cambridge MA.  I wasn't able to pinpoint #193 on modern maps, but finally located it on a 1930 atlas (marked with a red star).  

NECCO Wafers... and Pineapple Loaf? (1921)

The recent history of Necco (New England Confectionery Company) is a sad example of business in Boston (where, in my humble opinion, physical real estate is worth more than lost manufacturing jobs, rail infrastructure, and history), but many Americans are still familiar with Necco Wafers, which were originally invented in 1845 and brought under the Necco banner after the company was formed in 1901.

As we can see in this 1921 ad, in addition to the famous wafers, Necco also offered a Pineapple Loaf, consisting of "wedges of juicy ripe pineapple imbedded in cream... chocolate coated". 

Both could be had for 5 cents.

American Car Sprinkler Company - Worcester MA

Depending on where you live, many modern Americans rarely encounter unpaved roads.  When they do, the whole concept can seem a bit "ancient".  (Of course, here in Massachusetts some paved roads are just as rough as unpaved ones, but I digress...)

Above is a 1908 ad for The American Car Sprinkler Company of Worcester MA.  One definition of the verb "lay" is "to cause to subside or settle".  And that is just what this device did, it sprayed water over roads that were either totally unpaved, or paved with cobbles or bricks, in order to settle dust, ashes, or even dry horse manure!  

According to the 1912 Massachusetts Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners: 

The American Car Sprinkler Company, of Worcester, operates electric sprinkler cars in the cities of Worcester, Lynn, Lowell, Lawrence, Springfield, Holyoke, Brockton, Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford and in the town of Revere, under contracts with said cities and town and the Worcester Consolidated, Boston and Northern, Springfield, Holyoke, Taunton and Pawtucket, East Taunton, Norton and Taunton, Old Colony and Union Street railway companies, operating therein.

The 1901 ad above lists an M.J. Whittall as the company's vice-president.  That was Matthew Whittall, and this is interesting, as the offices were located on Brussells Street in Worcester, which just so happened to be the location of Whittall's carpet mills.  By 1917, his son M. Percival Whittall was vice president.  

The ad above is from 1912 and finally gives us a more realistic view of the sprinkler equipment in action.