Keugene48
216 posts
Jun 14, 2012
9:28 AM
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When I worked at EF MacDonald's on Ludlow we used to go to Wilkies on our break to look at books and mostly buy candy bars.
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Calhoun
38 posts
Jun 14, 2012
10:32 AM
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Until Books & Co, Wilkies was the largest bookstore in the city or the 'burbs. For years its only real competition was the Walden Books in the malls, and they weren't that great.
I've got a great story about the placement of magazines at the Beavercreek Wilkies that, although funny, I'm sure would be deleted. Lets just say a friend who was a body-builder didn't appreciate the body-builder mags being placed next to the gay interest magazines.
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tlturbo
330 posts
Jun 14, 2012
1:40 PM
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Keugene - I did too when I worked a EF Mc. What dept were you in and what years? I was in Data Proc in the Incentive Bldg 68-71.
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87 Buick GN
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luv my dayton
38 posts
Jun 14, 2012
6:06 PM
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I could be mistaken but believe there was a Wilkies on Far Hills in Oakwood. Can't remember the name of family who ran it but went to school with their son.
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Keugene48
217 posts
Jun 14, 2012
7:59 PM
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tturbo I worked there from 1978 until 1985 and again 1987 until they moved to Minneapolis in 1992.
I worked in Campaign Services under Dave Stryker, Inventory Control under Ted Valley and Merchandise Billing under Karen Piatt and Debbie Worley. I made a lot of friends there and got a lot of experience that helped me my whole working life. It was my first "corporate" job - I had only worked in daycare and fast food previously.
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Calhoun
39 posts
Jun 14, 2012
10:52 PM
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And the Dayton Mall store migrated up 725 to the small strip mall that fronts Sam's Club. I think there's a bakery or ice creme place there now.
I was really disappointed when the "Media Play" franchise in/around Dayton went belly up back 10/12 years ago. Liked it much more than B&N and Borders.
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luv my dayton
47 posts
Jun 22, 2012
8:19 PM
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Want to make a correction on a previous post about Wilkies being in Oakwood. Was talking to my sister and she said it was a shop like Wilkies but the name of it was Kirks. Living in Kettering right off Dorothy Land and Far Hills was great back in the late 40's and 50's as so many nice stores were along Far Hills and within walking distance of many of us. The original Dorothy Lane Mkt. was just a dirt floor market back then at the corner of Dorothy Lane and Far Hills.
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donm
25 posts
Nov 19, 2013
2:53 PM
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I loved Wilkes Bookstore. Most Sundays, after church, Dad would drive us down there to pick up a Chicago paper and browse. If we were very well behaved we usually got to pick out something to take home and read. I love books and can't get used to "e-books" yet. I wish that big old store was still around. I could spend hours there. Thank you, DaytonHistoryBooks, for giving us this great place to revisit old memories.
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Rusty
3 posts
Nov 20, 2013
2:24 PM
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I loved Wilkes, great magazine selection, went there once a week for years when I lived in Dayton. Followed them to the Dayton Mall location.
Also went to Kirks on Far Hills on a regular basis. A small place but it also had a great magazine selection.
Left Dayton in 1975, I always stopped at Wilkes when I came thru Dayton on business, sorry to see them close.
Last Edited by Rusty on Nov 20, 2013 2:24 PM
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historybuff
33 posts
Nov 20, 2013
10:34 PM
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I remember when I lived at the Park Lane on Belmonte Park North in the early 90’s, walking my dog on Sunday morning to Wilkie’s to get the Sunday New York Times. I would tie Bernie to one of the parking meters outside of Wilkie’s and he would sit there until I came out. He was an 80 lb. very large Black Lab mix but very, very gentle. He seemed to enjoy the hustle and bustle of downtown and watching people. He, unfortunately, passed over the Rainbow Bridge many years ago, but a good nostalgic memory of times past. Maybe I should post a picture of Bernie somewhere here, if that’s possible.
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Doug68
216 posts
Aug 20, 2014
6:44 AM
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I was just thinking about Wilkie's the other day and how much I missed going there. At 16 yoa, I obtained my drivers license (1966) and from then on Wilkie's downtown became a weekly stop for me for many years. I'm just as exciting today.
By the way, I Googled Wilkie's and according to it the company closed its stores in 1997.
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missinthen
15 posts
Sep 01, 2014
6:54 PM
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I too loved Wilkies. My sister and I would go to Wilkie's ( this was mid 60's-mid 70s ) whenever we had the fortunate opportunity to go Downtown.( Which was quite often really ) My mom used to let us go downtown by ourselves ( and I was 11 and my sister was 13 or so ) That would be unheard of today!!!!!!
Anywho... We caught the number 8 Nicholas Rd. bus downtown and of course the number 8 bus route was on Main Street so we'd get off the bus stop at Main Street, ( the block right before the old Beermans ). Go into Beermans , The shoe department was right there as you'd come in and I recall smelling the leather of the shoes! ( especially around back to school time when the new stock would come in ).. My sister and I would then would look at the latest Yardley or Love cosmetics ( at the cosmetic counter on the first floor ). Then we went up the elevator to the record dept ( which the toy dept was on the same floor ).. to see what new groozy 45 was out... We then left Beermans, went across the street to Burts, Lerners, Mayors ( downstairs was the record dept )... and then we go up towards Rikes ( I LOVED RIKES... but couldn't afford ) and then back down towards MCCroys, Go south through the Arcade ( remember the lunch counter that was by the exit ( was that fourth Street or Fifth St? ) Anywho, we go out the arcade, and then over to Wilkies! I loved the smell of Wilies too, I don't know what the smell was, but they had a distant smell.. They had newspapers from big city places like New York and I recall thinking how 'worldly' they were , which impressed me. We'd spend our allowance money ( which was the big sum of 50 cents a week!!! ) on teen magazines( 16 Magazine was a big fave ) with any info on the Beatles and or Seventeen magazine. ( I've been collecting vintage 66, 67, 68, 69 Seventeen magazines recently and it's so strange looking through them now, it's like walking down memory lane. What's so strange is I recall many many of the advertisements .... Anywho loved Wilkies... I always felt the urge to buy a candy bar every time I was there too, don't know why....
I miss then........
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