A Visit To ShopRite and Putnam Plazas In Carmel, NY Circa 1990 [Video]

Take a stroll down memory lane with a visit to a couple of Carmel, NY hotspots over 30 years ago.

Childhood Memories at Putnam Plaza

Growing up in the Carmel, NY area, there was plenty of fun stuff to do in the 80s and early 90s. You had the Putnam Plaza, which had an Ames Department store for many years, along with a movie theater, Carvel for ice cream, and an arcade and record store (Book & Record). You also had Ben Franklin ( a five-and-dime, arts and crafts store that also served slush puppies).

If we wanted to do some bowling, just outside the Putnam Plaza was Carmel Lanes with the attached Briar Patch Night Club. Mom had a bowling league in the 1980s and her team was called The Ball Busters. Friday nights while mom and her friends bowled, I would venture over to the Putnam Plaza to hit the arcade and play some games, or head over to Ames and Book & Record to pick up the new releases from White Lion and Kiss.

ShopRite Plaza and Jamesway

My parents did all their food shopping at ShopRite, and the plaza also had a Jamesway. Again, another place to shop for the latest music, or maybe check out the latest wrestling selections on VHS. Fun times were had in this plaza, but you couldn't top the Putnam Plaza honestly.

C-Tec Cable Channel 8

C-Tec Cable was the local cable company that was in existence in the Putnam County, NY area from 1987 to 1992. C-Tec Channel 8 would often feature cable access programming and would go live from various area events including The Putnam Hospital Fair. Having a desire to get into the broadcasting industry, a young Tigman who's barely reached puberty (13 years old) and his childhood friend, 15-year-old Joe Mason decided to go around with a camcorder and hone our broadcasting skills. We would introduce ourselves as being from C-Tec Cable (a flat-out lie and something we probably wouldn't get away with in 2022) and would interview store owners and customers. And the rest as they say is history.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Watch here in this video clip as we visit various businesses in the ShopRite Plaza and Putnam Plaza on Memorial Day, 1990. We visit the Chinatown restaurant and old Carvel at ShopRite Plaza as well as the Family Fun Amusement Center, Segretti's Pizzeria and Restaurant and Video Forum in the Putnam Plaza. Maybe you'll see some familiar faces from the past. Enjoy!