This is an addendum to my previous blog, Ann & Hope-Loss of More Than A Store.
I was in Cumberland today and decided to pay a visit to the old place before Ann & Hope closed their doors forever. The first few days after the store announced their closing, the lines in the parking lot were long - both due to bargain hunters, and the need to limit the number of shoppers entering the store due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Being the type that avoids lines and crowds, I decided to wait a few weeks until the rush passed. Of course, as expected, there wasn't much of anything worthwhile to pick through, though I did grab a few odds and ends.
However, I wasn't really there to buy the leftover scraps. I wanted to capture a few photos of the interior while I still could. Unfortunately, the majority of the shopping space was closed off, with the remnants of what remained gathered on the upper level close to the entrance. So most of what I wound up with was photos of vacant shelves.
I've got a thing for baskets, so grabbed a few of these which were actually part of the display shelving that the store is selling off.
Need a small fake Christmas tree? There are a few left here in the "Seasonal" section.
One of several pieces of poster art that still adorn the walls.
The thing about shopping at Ann & Hope was that you could always count on running into someone you know - friends, family and neighbors. Today was no exception. Here are my daughter and roommate who stopped by to see what all the fuss was about.
Here's what I really came for - a final glimpse of the famous cart conveyor, the mechanical thing that carried shopping carts between bottom and top floors. I used my phone's camera to capture this old memory through a pane of protective glass. They looked like a couple of ghost carts - one going and one coming.
From Ann & Hope - checking out. I'll miss you!
If you liked this final snapshot, read my original Ann & Hope blog - Loss of More Than Just a Store.