By Angel Nuñez
I still have about ten volumes to write about the very first ones in San Pedro, but will deviate for this week due to a request to write about this store just for the fun of it. I will call it the ONE-INALL STORE to begin with but will share its name just in case you can’t figure out the identity of this store.
It was the first music store in San Pedro and there was no better quality because it was the only one at the time. There you could buy the latest selections of just recorded hits in high definition TDK cassette tapes. You remember these cassette tapes, don’t you? You had about six to nine songs on one side and another number of songs on the next side. If you wanted to search for a particular song you had to forward or rewind or find some numbering system to do so. These tapes were sold in this store and you could also enjoy seeing the “maestro” recording them from another pirated tape.
At this store you could also pick up your mail at one time. There was no better service than entering the store and ask whether there was any mail for you and he would search through some file, smile and say “yes”, or smile and say “No”.
This very popular store also offered you jewelry and souvenirs. They also sold some gold and silver jewelry as well as some locally made black coral jewelry, so for any special occasion this was the first store to come to mind.
Children loved this store because you could purchase your locally made and delicious ideals. Of course there was a big variety of sodas and pop drinks. Oh before I forget, at this store you could walk in the photo studio and have your picture taken for any special event and using special backgrounds as well as get your passport photos taken. Oh yes, this store was also a photo studio.
Of course, if you wanted to refresh yourself at the end of the day with a Belikin, this store was also IT. Besides you could choose from a wide selection of liquors and wines. There was a section only for adults and this store was open every day of the week including Sundays.
But there was more. There were children story books to purchase. There was a selection of fiction and great novels to be bought there too. There were even magazines like Newsweek and Time Magazines. And you got it right! There were even primary school text books you could purchase from Maestro Reyes at this very poplar store twenty five years ago. There were school books from the infant’s class up to Standard Six including dictionaries, student companions, Atlas, geometry sets, drawing books and crayons. This was a complete stationery house and book store for the school. And this is the very reason this ALL-IN-ONE STORE was named San Pedro Book Center Gift Shop, and it was operated by the principal of the R.C. School, Maestro Leonel Reyes and his wife and family. This was it; could not get any better twenty five years ago.
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