The Kid with A lot to Say

This entry was originally posted on August 2,2009.



1987 Lionel Playworld Commercial.

Does anybody remember Lionel Playworld? I sure do! They had more inventory than Toys R Us. I was fortunate enough to visit Lionel Playworld in the 1980s and 1990s. Thinking back almost 22 years, it was the best toy store in the U.S. It was in the summer of 1987 that my Mother and I visited the Lionel Playworld located at the Village at Eastpointe on Gateway East. It was the one and only Lionel Playworld in El Paso. I could not believe the size of the store. Any toy that your heart desired was available at Lionel Playworld. There were many isles full of toys for children of every age. Lionel Playworld continued to operate into the 1990's.


It was around late 1991 that Lionel filed for bankruptcy. When that happened, Lionel decided to have all of their stores merchandise liquidated. The one and only Lionel in El Paso started liquidating their merchandise around September or October of 1991. When that happened, I bugged my mother to drive me to Lionel immediately. I ended up buying a lot of baseball cards and toy cars. Surprisingly Lionel had a large selection of sports cards and sports memorabilia. If I can remember correctly, the sports related merchandise was located across from the main entrance. Eventually Lionel Playworld closed around November or December of 1991. Other store locations in the U.S. closed around the same time. The Lionel Playworld location remained vacant until 1995. In 1995 it was turned into a twelve screen one dollar movie theater. So can a toy store like Lionel Playworld succeed in 2009? I seriously doubt it. Toys R Us is almost as large as Lionel was. They are struggling to stay open in 2009. With online retailers like Amazon and Overstock, there is no need for large toy stores anymore.

Update:
I was reminded by a few relatives that Kay Bee Toy store was also a great toy store. In all honesty, as a kid growing up in the late 80s, I realized that Kay Bee was no competition for Lionel Playworld. Kay Bee had a very limited selection of merchandise. Eventually Kay Bee met the same fate as Lionel Playworld. A few years ago, all Kay Bee stores closed their doors to the public. As I said in 2009, large toy stores are a thing of the past. It is sad to say it, but it is true.

Labels: 1980s

I still own the exact same pair of Boots


Timbs, Timberlands, Timbos, whatever you want to call them, are rugged work boots with a tiny logo of a tree on the side. Why did I start wearing timberland boots you ask??? I will be honest with you, I needed a rugged work boot when I walked through the streets of the big city. I was also influenced by the fashions of NY City during the 1990s. The timberland 6 inch boot comes in a variety of colors. The most famous color being wheat and the second most popular color being black and the third most popular color being brown. I had a pair of wheat and a pair of dark brown 6 inch Timberlands. The boot is not the most comfortable shoe in the world, that is why I always placed an insole inside my Timberlands. The combo of a timberland boot and a good insole was perfect for rolling through any city or borough. My only problem with the boots is that they were expensive and they still are! The timberland boot is like the Jeep Wrangler of the work boot industry. It is rugged and can take you through all types of terrain. A plain pocket t-shirt, some baggy dark indigo jeans, and a pair of Timberland boots is all I needed when I was a teenager walking from high school to downtown to catch the metro bus.

Update:
The last time I wore a pair of Timberland boots was in 2001. Since then I have been wearing Rockport shoes.

Nichole Gomez has left KTBC!

According to the Media Buzz blog at El Paso Times, Nichole Gomez quit her job at KTBC. Did she really quit or was she fired? I remember watching a weekend news broadcast a few weeks ago, and Nichole appeared to be very upset. You could tell by the expression on her face. Does anyone have any concrete information about Nichole's departure/firing? Any information is welcome. Peace!