1st American Rental: “$1 A Day” (circa 1992)

Want it? Rent it! Get it!

Apparently, business was booming in the late 1980s and early 1990s, because they had 17 metro Atlanta locations AND a 24-hour manned telephone line! Who bought furniture, electronics, or appliances–sight-unseen–over the phone, we may never know. These RTO commercials (1st American, Easy Rental, Remco, etc.) were a staple of Atlanta television’s advertising revenue during my childhood, and were probably indicative of the socioeconomic climate of the time (“Having trouble keeping up with the Joneses?” and “Can’t afford it? Don’t buy; rent!”)

Berry & McPherson: Attorneys at Law (circa 1992)

Atlanta-area attorney Matt Berry asks accident victims to call his law firm and get the money they deserve.

There were a lot of these Chapter 13/Debt Consolidation commercials on during my childhood, too. I guess we hadn’t quite made it yet to the era of prosperity that the late 1990s brought.

Another early 1990s advert for a law firm offering Chapter 13 debt consolidation. It seems like EVERY law firm in the late 80s/early 90s was advertising this plan. Were we all in such dire financial straits?

1500 Tara Place: “The Most Prestigious Address In Motorsports” (circa 1992)

Following a major renovation at Atlanta Motor Speedway, some forward-thinking real estate developers decided to build a condominium complex adjacent to the grandstand. 1500 Tara Place is, technically, the address for the track, too–which is odd. The condos still stand today, even though they function more as corporate club-level boxes than anything else. I honestly don’t know who would pay $800k to live in a condo in Hampton, GA when they could buy an estate house in an adjacent neighborhood for less than half that price! Even the main selling point–the fact that it overlooks the track–is only good for a couple weekends a year! For the money, I think I’d rather buy a helicopter to fly in on race weekends.

Atlanta Boat Show: 30th Anniversary (circa 1992)

Nearly 25 years later and I STILL have the damned bed music stuck in my head! The Atlanta Boat Show is a bit of a tradition at the Georgia World Congress Center–a trade show built around one of the region’s favorite passtimes: weekending at “The Lake” (Allatoona, Lanier, Hartwell, Blue Ridge, Oconee….)