The above photo is “Quint’s Corner” at the intersection of Market and Central Streets in Ipswich, circa 1967. The photo was shared by Robert Swan with the “I Grew Up in Ipswich Facebook” group, and received the following comments. Each paragraph is a different commenter:
“Quints Corner had an effect on so many Ipswich people. A lot of us can mark the stages of our early lives by the events we remember and the things we did, when we were ‘downtown’.”
“I was only 12 when this pic was snapped, but 5 or 6 years later I started spending quite a bit of time on that corner. When I’d leave the house at night, passing by Dad in “His Chair” in the den, he’d always ask, ‘So where ya goin, to hang around on Quint’s corner and say wise things?’
“I loved hanging out there! that’s where the boys were!”
“My parents told me if they caught me hanging out at Quint’s I would be grounded. So yes, I was at the Drop in (the one that burned down) and then at Memorial Hall! I hid when my parents would drive by Quints checking up on me and then would run like hell back to the Drop In center!”
“We used to hang out at that corner every weekend night to figure out what we were going to do!” Pamela Bryant Colter replied, “I swear my parents contracted with several little old ladies from our church to rat on me every time they saw me on the corner … somehow they always knew.”
“The cops would walk over to us & tell us to get moving.” Lynne Stevens agreed, “I have a lot of memories from there, most of which were from the Ipswich PD, “Move along, no loitering.” And so the games began, we walked from one corner to the other, and sometimes around the block only to end up right back there.
“I can’t remember how many times I have told friends who are not from Ipswich about my happy memories of growing up in our wonderful town. Many a time, I would meet friends @ Quint’s corner & off we would go without a care in the world… And I have such happy memories of Norm Quint who was such a lovely kind man & of Mrs. Surpitski, who worked in the Window Book Shop, another lovely woman… I remember buying little books there & gifts for my Mom.”
“I Loved driving around town in Richard Lowd’s Jeep doing deliveries to our customers. It was a special place, a special time, a special town. I formed friendships that have lasted a lifetime and wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. Ipswich will always be where I am from and the place I call Home.”
“Norm Quint used to come in a lot even after he sold Quint’s to Richard Lowd. I loved talking to him, and I miss that old cash register where you had to push the individual buttons to indicate each price manually. Loved the “Ka-Ching!” noise it made when it opened. I also learned to count back change to people, a lost skill these days. As a 15 year old working at Quint’s that first job gave me innumerable life skills that I am proud of. Most of all I learned the value of delivering exceptional customer service and creating relationships. I have carried that with me through life. I miss Norm calling me “Hot Lips” because he said I reminded him of the Houlihan from M.A.S.H. And I also miss it being a Kodak processing drop off. I got to see the joy on people’s faces when they came to pick up photos from pivotal life events and just summer vacation shots. It’s a time gone by, but one to be treasured for sure.”
Great photos. Thank you, Gordon. As a child, I would save part of my weekly allowance until I had enough to buy a Ginnie doll outfit at Tyler’s department store. I always thought it was cool that you could enter the store from Market Street and exit onto Central Street.