Comments on: Skokie Turn/Style

By: Don

Don — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:52:22 +0000

I worked at this store for a year or so as the Recreation Section Manager after stints at several other Turn*Style stores in the Chicago area. Too bad this chain failed, but it seemed like upper management couldn’t decide what kind of store they wanted to be. I left Chicago in 1984 after the chain was sold to Venture. The photo brings back many memories.

By: Lisa B

Lisa B — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:03:29 +0000

@D Caro, I worked at Mr Ricky’s for almost 5 yrs. It was owned by Maury Melman and Lou Greenberg. That was the most fun restaurant I ever worked in. We would get off work on fri and sat nite and go down to Rush St and party like rock stars ! Maurey’s son Richie Melman ( who the restaurant was named after ) went on to start the Lettuce Entertainment chain and is still going strong today.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:27:42 +0000

Also, on the left is Homer Brothers furniture!
Mr Ricky’s is not Edwardos Natural Pizza, or something like that.
The Sunoco used to be a Sinclar gas station – I still have an old dinosaur from a fill-up there.

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:39:08 +0000

I grew up in this neighborhood, during the 70s. At that time, Turnstyle shared a roof with Jewel/Osco. When Venture took over the store was renovated and Jewel became a modern grocery store with it’s own separate space. Turnstyle’s orange-letters and logo were bold and fun (the sign I remember is not the sign in the photo), and the store was lively. They even had a few arcade games, like some of the other local (national?) department stores of the era. (TOPS, Korvettes, Memco, KMart, Community, etc.).

By: Carl Drake

Carl Drake — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:06:29 +0000

I know this Turnstyle and intersection well. Sharp Corners Elementary school was across the road to the right of the Sunoco. There was a Howard Johnson’s Motel between the BF Goodrich and the Turnstyle.
Behind the Turnstyle was a Kiddie Land Amusement park which was torn down in the 60’s and a Hilton Hotel was built on the site in 1973.
Turnstyle actually had quite a few stores in the Chicago area. Skokie, Deerfield, Westmont, Dixie Square Mall, Grand and Kostner, 87th and State, Arlington Heights, Mundelien, Racine Wisconsin. There were also some in the far southern suburbs and a number scattered about in other parts of the country like Omaha Nebraska.
I think that there decline was based more on trying to operate in a very competitive market and not advertising enough than on location. Most of the areas they had stores in are very prosperous now.
Also I thought that the Jewel always shared the space with Turnstyle. I know it was there from the mid-60’s onward because we moved to Skokie in 1964 and the Jewel was definitely there at that time. Use to go shopping there with my mother.

By: terryb

terryb — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:23:13 +0000

I think the locations had a lot to do with their original owners. Jewel was their original owners. They were trying to capitalize on the “hypermarche” concept that was big in Europe at the time. (Grocery, drug,and discount store under one roof). Penney’s tried it about the same time with their Treasury stores. They had less success than Turnstyle. They weren’t merchandised as sharply as the other discounters and presentation still had a lot to do with sales in those days.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:46:57 +0000

The Dixie Square Mall ad on the website (now down) read it as “Turn Style Family Center”.

By: D Caro

D Caro — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 17:34:44 +0000

What a great photo. Brings back many memories. On the left there was a strip mall with Polk Brothers. It was an appliance store where my family bought everything –TVs, vacuums, fondue pots, etc. I could spend hours in there. We would check out the newest color TVs after eating dinner at Mr Ricky’s next door in the corner space. They had the first great salad bar. We’re talking really early 70’s. Down the street on the same side you can see the Old Orchard Theater. There was only one theater at the time. Saw the “Bad News Bears” there. What is interesting in this photo is that it was taken before the original Jewel was built. They shared the space in the early 70s. When they build the Jewel, the Turnstyle facade changed and it was given updated 70s signage. Venture could never measure up to Turnstyle!

By: Allan Marshall

Allan Marshall — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 08:06:47 +0000

That definately is Gross Point Road and Skokie Blvd. all right!! I know this since I was born in Chicago, and made trips out there somewhat often myself. As for the Turn/Style store, its currently the site of a Jewel, an Old Navy, and there are a few other shops in that strip center(forget the other retailers that are in that exact same center ATM(at the moment)). I’m guessing from the current look of that Jewel that it was probably renovated in the late ’90s/early 2000s into its current look. Not sure if there’s still a gas station on the site of the Sunoco ATM(forget if it is a gas station currently or not), but I know that interestingly enough, the Shell station is still on that same corner that it was in this pic today!! (obviously w/updated signage, and etc.)