I was looking at my Facebook news feed the other day when I noticed one of my friends had posted pictures of a building being demolished. No big deal. Until I realized it was the old Playtogs Plaza on Dolson Avenue in Middletown. I guess it’s still not that big a deal since Playtogs hasn’t been open for years, but a flood of memories came into my head. I remember the old Playtogs days.

My sister moved into one of her very first apartments in Middletown around 1978 or 1979. She and her fiance were pretty young and poor at the time, so prettying up the apartment wasn’t going to be easy. She already had some hand-me-down furniture, but rugs, bedspreads, and other home essentials were still needed. Where did people on a budget go back then in Middletown? Playogs, of course!

We gathered what little money we had to decorate the house and headed to Playtogs. We found a living room carpet for like, $19.99. Maybe even $15.99. It wasn’t the best-made carpet, obviously, but it did the trick for a young couple in a new apartment. I think they got one of those rugs for the bedroom too. Sheets, bedspreads, kitchen gadgets. They got them all, and all for a great price at Playtogs. Playtogs never pretended to be a high-end store, yet they were one of the busiest places in Middletown.

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Over the years, Playtogs closed and National Wholesale Liquidators took over. That place actually did make Playtogs seem like a high-end store by comparison. The store has been empty for years, so I guess it was time. The end of an era happened years ago, but the demolition makes it seem so final. According to my friend, they’re making room for a New Amazon Warehouse, which makes sense in this day and age. And the demolition pics? Here they are. Let the memories begin…

Iconic Middletown Department Store Demolished

Playtogs Plaza in Middletown Demolition Pictures

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