Uncle Sam's Showplace of Values, 3300 Two Notch Road: 1970s 20 comments
I've held off doing a post on Uncle Sam's because I don't remember much about the place. In fact, I can't say for certain that I ever set foot inside, though it certainly was a longtime fixture on Two Notch while I was growing up. I have the feeling that it was either a shoe store, or a sort of discount department store like Rose's. Despite the name, I'm not recalling any top-hatted mascot, or red white and blue bunting about the place, but I could well be wrong at this remove.
The current bingo and thrift store operations have been there for at least ten years at this point
UPDATE 5 March 2011: Added the "Showplace of Values" to the title. Be sure to see commenter Ronna's thoughts below.
20 Responses to 'Uncle Sam's Showplace of Values, 3300 Two Notch Road: 1970s'
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Andrew
16 Feb 11 at 1:14 am
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Rose's was in Trenholm Plaza. There was also one in (dying) Magnolia Mall when I lived in Aiken, and I saw one in North Myrtle Beach within the past few years on US-17 above Barefoot Landing.
ted
16 Feb 11 at 1:31 am
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Wasn't it a XXX theater at one point as well?
ChiefDanGeorge
16 Feb 11 at 6:30 am
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There was also a Roses in Wesmark Plaza in Sumter.
tonkatoy
16 Feb 11 at 7:30 am
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@Chief Dan George--
No that was the Atlantic Twin Theaters -- across the parking lot:
Mike
16 Feb 11 at 8:39 am
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There was a Rose's store in the Midland shopping center off two notch road.
Sammy
16 Feb 11 at 9:37 am
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Uncle Sams was where my Mom dragged me to for summer wear and school clothes. I hated clothes shopping with a passion then and still do 45 years later. This was in the 60's and early 70's before it closed.
Was there a Roses at Edens shopping plaza on Beltline?
joelc
16 Feb 11 at 11:23 am
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Uncle Sam's Showplace of Values was, to my recollection, exclusively a clothing store rather than a Rose's-style department store. At some point, the section at the far right where the bingo parlor is now was devoted to selling shoes, and there was indeed a top-hatted Uncle Sam mascot. Like joelc, I hated clothes shopping, and Uncle Sam's had no toy department to entertain me, so it was not one of my favorite places.
I think a Vietnam veterans' group may have run a thrift store in that building before it became the Sunshine Thrift Store.
Jim
16 Feb 11 at 5:11 pm
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I seem to remember this being an Atlantic Thrift store before it became Uncle Sam's - anyone else remember that? This would have been back in the early sixties.
Debi
28 Feb 11 at 1:50 pm
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Debbi, that was across Carter Street. Read about it in the comments for the Atlantic Twin Theater.
ted
28 Feb 11 at 2:10 pm
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The Atlantic was not in this buiding. it was where the DSS is now. It was actually down in a whole kinda. I know that sounds wierd but from the road when you turned in you went down a hill to get to the store. there were theaters at one point didnt they start showing XXX?
BC Bobby
2 Mar 11 at 12:54 am
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There is a post on The Atlantic here.
ted
2 Mar 11 at 1:15 am
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Uncle Sam's Showplace of Values was my grandpop, Sam Riebman's, brainchild. He was very much ahead of his time - it was like the Ross's, T.J. Maxx or Marshall's of the 50's and 70's. I think he started it in the late 50's because my dad, Stanley Riebman, was asked to come down and join the business. My dad was an accountant and we lived in Philadelphia. We moved down to Columbia in 1958 and it was a thriving business. I think the valued employees were with the store until the end. They were ao sweet. When my grandfather died the business was divided into the Shoe Department, which my Dad ran and the Clothing Department, which my Uncle Murray ran. Seeing the picture posted brought back from great memories. My Dad passed away three weeks ago after a long battle with leukemia. He was a wonderful, generous, loving man.
Ronna Riebman Bridges
5 Mar 11 at 5:01 pm
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Sorry to hear that Ronna, but thank you for the great information.
ted
5 Mar 11 at 6:38 pm
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I know that we used to stop in at Uncle Sam's in the late 50s - very early 60s when we visited my Grandfather in Columbia (we traveled from Hartsville). After 1 1/2 hours in ht car, you can be sure us kids didn't want to go in a clothing store, so she was smart enough to make us stay in the car with my dad.
Depending on the time, we might go down to A&W after that.Steven Rowe
6 Mar 11 at 7:04 pm
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My very first job was at Uncle Sam's. I worked there in the summer of 1966. Stan and Murray were so nice to me. I can't remember the other gentleman Uncle ? but he treated me with kindness and taught me a lot. The other ladies treated me like their daughter. I appreicated them giving me job back then. I miss those days.
Lynn Elder Slice
17 Aug 11 at 8:12 pm
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This was my grandparent's store - he opened it in the 50's after moving down from Philadelphia. I never found out why, but my Uncle Murray would know because he went to work in the business, then they brought my dad (and us) down in '58. My grandfather was SO ahead of his time - they purchased clothing and shoes from stores that went out of business or sold out-of-season clothing. It was like the forerunner to Marshalls, Burlingtons, TJ Maxx, etc. Too bad they didn't have a website. They sold the main building when my grandfather passed away - I think my dad kept the warehouse as the Shoe Store for a while.
Ronna Riebman Bridgrs
8 Sep 12 at 11:02 am
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My mom took me there several times in the late 60s for deals on clothes. As I recall, at one time they did have a large Uncle Sam poster / billboard out front. I remember the Atlantic Theaters too before the XXX days.
16 Mar 13 at 10:57 am
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My Mom took me to Uncle Sams at least 2 times a year. Once for summer clothes and once for school clothes. I can’t say I enjoyed either trip. That would have been in the late 60’s to 70’s. Many years later I met Murray at Dillards for the first time I thought. However he had met me many years ago, had dressed me as a boy and many years later as a man. He worked at Dillards Columbia Mall and later at Columbiana Mall after the store closed at Columbia Mall. He was a true tailor. He knew how to dress someone and have a suit properly marked for alterations so it would fit perfectly. He was so professional and so kind. He once gave me two suits for two young men whos was mother had passed. They did not have suits and could not afford to buy them. I paid for the alterations and he paid for the suits. I MISS MURRAY BEING AT DILLARDS.
Tim Williams
12 Feb 19 at 8:06 pm
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It was a shoe store and a clothing store it was my parents store my grandfather started it when he went came from Philadelphia down here bought clothing stores that were going out of business at a discount and would sell at a discounted rate it was a newfangled idea at the time Steve Riebman
29 May 19 at 12:30 am
Apparently there used to be Rose's in Columbia. I was in Ashland, VA visiting family for Thanksgiving and got a hint that they used to be in Columbia. Does anyone here remember any locations as to where they used to be. I didn't make it inside the one I saw in Ashland but there is a side of me that wouldn't mind seeing one open up in the former Kmart at 99 N. Arrowwood Road as it strikes me as something that would be a good fit for that location.