When I think about it, I collected more than a few childhood memories while in tow on shopping trips.

A vintage ad from Garwood's

In Vineland, there was a department store on Delsea Drive called Garwood Mills where all of the locals shopped. It was a no-frills department store with concrete floors, bright lights and plenty of bargains. It was there ...

...I was introduced to the thrill of riding in the child's seat of a shopping cart. It took quite some time for me to realize that I was actually trapped there, clearly the point of the design from the get-go;

...I was introduced to the sheer boredom of accompanying my mother when she shopped for women's clothing. After outgrowing the cart, though, I was free to discover all of the interesting things people drop on department store floors;

...I was introduced to the sheer terror of getting lost. This episode took place more than 50 years ago, yet I can still vividly remember the countless number of unfamiliar faces, the panic and the tears. By the way, a kind shopper took me to the service desk where I was reunited with my mother.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Garwood Mills is no longer in business; it went the way of many other small department stores and specialty shops. I mourn the passing of this store and stores like it, where members of my generation were introduced to toy departments, where we argued with our parents over why we had to have the latest "in" thing, where we bought vinyl albums and 8-tracks, and, where we fretted over what gift to buy our girlfriends.

Here's a gallery of vintage stores large and small in New Jersey. Be sure to have captions enabled to read all about them.

Want more? Here's a gallery from last year, and here's a gallery from the year before that.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.