In the 50's and 60's, back to school meant acquiring PE clothes, if they were not provided by the school. Certainly small town clothing, hardware and sporting goods stores sold PE necessities, but so did the national retailers. Local newspapers offered large display advertisements for gym shorts and often illustrations of jock straps. SEARS (JC Higgins jocks were usually made by BIKE); JC PENNEY has stores in most every small town and were probably the largest supplier of PE clothes; WAL-MART frequently advertised sales on DUKE jockstraps during back to school sales. Even variety store W.T. Grant advertised socks, jocks shirts and shorts along with their pencils and Crayons.