Remembering the Grants Department Store and the Giant Slide

GraniteCityGossip.com September 22, 2025

There was a time when the Nameoki Village Shopping Center was more than just a place to run errands, it was the heartbeat of Granite City. On any given afternoon in the 1970s, the parking lot buzzed with families, teenagers, and shoppers weaving in and out of stores, each with their own destination but many drawn to the main attraction, Grants Department Store.

Grants was the kind of place where you could find everything you needed and a few things you didn’t know you wanted. New shoes for school, a paperback novel for the weekend, a birthday gift, or a tropical fish to add to your home aquarium. The pet department was a wonderland for kids, especially in the spring when it transformed into a miniature farmyard filled with baby chicks and ducks. The chirping and peeping added a soundtrack to the season as a reminder that Easter was on its way. Many Granite City families still remember bringing home their first pet from that very store.

And then there was the Bradford House restaurant tucked inside Grants, a cozy spot with classic plate lunches, warm rolls, and desserts that felt homemade. It wasn’t just a place to eat; it was a place to slow down, and to chat with your neighbors and a place to rest your feet after a long afternoon of shopping. The waitresses knew the regulars, and the regulars knew the menu by heart.

Just outside, towering like a beacon of childhood joy, stood the Giant Slide. It was a multi-lane huge structure that seemed impossibly tall to a child’s eyes. Riders would climb the stairs with nervous excitement and get onto their burlap sack and race down with squeals of laughter. Whether it was a permanent fixture or part of a seasonal attraction, it left a lasting impression. The slide was more than a ride; it was a rite of passage.

Today, the landscape has changed. The stores have shifted, the slide is long gone, and the rhythms of daily life beat to a much different tempo. But for those who lived it, the memories remain vivid. Grants wasn’t just a department store, it was a chapter in Granite City’s story. And the Giant Slide? It was the punctuation mark at the end of a perfect day.