Homewood Shopping Center 1954 - 1958

Homewood Stores Co. was ahead of its time. What else can you conclude about a Lorain store that sold everything from major appliances to clothes to groceries – in 1954?

I've posted ads for the store before, but wasn't sure if it was a shopping center or a single store. It turns out it was both: Homewood Shopping Center consisted of just the building that was home to Homewood Stores Co., a department store.

Interestingly, Homewood Store's parent company – Union Supply Company – was a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. Perhaps the store's proximity to the steel mill had something to do with the decision to locate it there, on Grove Ave. (what was considered then as 'new' Route 57) at Homewood Drive.

The odd thing is that Homewood Stores wasn't around for very long. Here are the articles and mentions in the Lorain Journal that tell its story.

This November 27, 1952 article observes that the construction of the shopping center was coinciding with the beginning of the latest addition to the Homewood housing development.

This February 25, 1954 photo provided a progress report on the Homewood Shopping Center, as well as the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center.

On April 22, 1954,  the eve of the much-anticipated opening, several articles and advertisements appeared on the Lorain Journal. 

On the day of the Grand Opening, April 23, 1954, this article appeared on the front page of the paper.

And then – only four years later – on July 5, 1958, it was announced that the Homewood Shopping Center would close. The Union Supply Co. division of U.S Steel decided "to eliminate the retail merchandising function of the Homewood Stores Division."

The former shopping center was used by U.S. Steel for some office functions but there was still the question of what would become of the building. This article from March 11, 1960 was one idea.

But in the end, it was the perfect building for the Hills Department Store chain to located an outlet there – with some remodeling, of course. This article from June 18, 1960 tells the story.

June 18, 1960

The Hills store would hold its Grand Opening only a few months later, on August 18, 1960.

Aug. 17, 1960

Aug. 17, 1960

I wrote about the Grand Opening back here.

Father's Day 1926

Here's wishing all you fathers out there a Happy Father's Day – especially my two brothers.

One hundred years ago, this was the Father's Day edition of the Lorain Journal on June 19, 1926. 

It has some special pieces in honor of the holiday: a funny, timeless cartoon, a special tribute by A.M. Hopkins to his father. But other than that, it's chock full of the usual news items – some tragic (several deaths caused by trains) and some unusual (a man about to be drafted by the Czecho-Slovakian army unless he can produce his birth certificate that shows that he was born in Lorain).

If you're wondering who A. M. Hopkins was (like me), it appears that he was manager and editor of the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), a syndicate that provided features (such as his column) to newspaper nationwide.

As as for the young Lorain man who was trying to avoid serving in the Czecho-Slovakian army, the story had a happy ending.

June 23, 1926 Lorain Journal

Homewood Shopping Center Father's Day Ad – June 1956

With Father's Day just a few days away, here's a great ad from the 1950s that nicely features just about every gift imaginable for dear old dad. The ad is for Homewood Shopping Center and ran in the Lorain Journal on June 13, 1956.

It's fairly fascinating seeing what you could buy for a buck back then: Interwoven socks, a Regal summer tie. Moving up in price slightly, a dollar fifty could get you a Hickok leather belt, billfold, key case, jewelry box or briefcase; matching Hickok gold or silver plated cuff links and tie bars.

At the high end price-wise was an RCA personal TV set with a 32 sq. in. screen for $125 or an 18" power mower by Penn ACCO for $79.95.

There are a few items that are slightly less but still expensive: Elgin and Bulova watches at $33.75 to $75; a Motorola portable radio for $34.95.

****

I'm afraid my father never made out too well on Father's Day. As kids, we probably just signed a card that Mom bought for us to give him. Dad didn't really have any hobbies, so there was nothing special or fun to get him.  I only remember boring gifts like handkerchiefs (which he always carried). It wasn't until my siblings and I were grown up that we actually bought him something. In later years, I usually got him a book, since he was a voracious reader. He particularly liked Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation and the follow-up book, The Greatest Generation Speaks.

First Annual Vermilion Festival of the Fish – June 1967

Vermilion's 60th Annual Festival of the Fish is this weekend, June 19 through 21. So it's a good time to look back at the very first one, which was held June 16, 17 and 18, 1967. That's Perky Perch above – the mascot of this event since the very beginning. 

Vermilion Photojournal ad from early June 1967

What follows are Journal clippings and ads from that first year. This article notes that Ray Full, president of Kishman Fish Co. helped initiate the Festival of the Fish.

Jan. 23, 1967

The festival hype started early, with an article in the Journal on Feb. 22, 1967.

Another small article followed on May 4, 1967. The article revealed that popular country stars Homer and Jethro would perform as part of the festivities.

Articles and advertising for the festival kicked in a few days before the event, including a full page ad on June 15, 1967. Hey, where's Perky?

June 15, 1967

June 15, 1967

Once the festival started, the Journal provided regular coverage right through to the end.

June 17, 1967 

June 19, 1967

June 19, 1967

June 19, 1967

The Vermilion Photojournal devoted its June 22, 1967 issue to coverage of the first festival.

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Here's the 1972 version of the Festival of the Fish logo. Perky still has his fork and knife!

And by 1989, Perky had been rendered in a much easier to reproduce design.

And here's the handsome rendering of Perky today, just in time for the 60th anniversary. He's ditched the napkin around his neck, as well as his cutlery. 

I'm not sure why the logo says 1966 - 2026.

1955 Father's Day Gifts to Finish Off That Facial Fur

So what should a little shaver get his dad for Father's Day?

These days, I'm not sure. But back in 1955, according to the two ads below that both ran in the Lorain Journal on June 15, 1955, a shaver would have been just the right gift. (That is, assuming the mother bought it and let her kid 'give' it to dear old dad.)

I don't remember Dad ever using an electric razor. If he did, it was only because he received one as a gift, and he felt obligated to use it for a little while. I do remember the packs of razor blades in the medicine cabinet, along with a shaving brush. (I wonder whatever happened to that thing?)

In later years, he used disposable razors; I remember him telling me that he used a fresh one every day, as he had a thick beard. I use them too, and try to make one last for several days. When I eventually (and inevitably) cut myself, I know it's time to get a fresh one.

Remember when you used to stick a tiny piece of toilet paper on a cut? It looked kind of silly. 

Anyways, these days I'm guessing that the companies that make electric razors and shaving supplies are hurting, since beards have been back in style. 

Call me old-fashioned, but I just can't get used to the really long beards that I see out in public. When members of ZZ Top wear them, they seem fine, because it's part of their shtick. But when they're on an average Joe, it seems odd to me. The long, attention-attracting beards just weren't in style when I was growing up. A really long beard was something you only saw in cartoons, usually on feuding 'hill folk.' One of the Smith Brothers on the box of cough drops had a fairly long one; maybe that's why long beards seem like an anachronism to me.

From the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hillbilly Hare" (1950)

Sooner or later, beards will go out of style and the clean shaven look will be 'in' again. I hope.

Snap, Crackle & Flop

Note my special Rice Krispies bowl – not used for anything else!

Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal has been a regular topic on this blog. I've been eating it all my life and even more often as an adult. But I've noticed that something's changed recently and it's enough to make Snap, Crackle and Pop go on strike.

So what's different? The cereal itself has no taste – no flavor. The cereal pieces themselves are lighter in taste and in color. They look almost bleached. It's like they're no longer even baked or cooked, because they've lost that light brown color. The cereal even sogs up quicker.

Compare the color of the cereal in my photo (from this weekend) at the top of this post, with the cereal in this photo from a 1965 Rice Krispies Marshmallow Treats ad.

For a direct comparison, here's what Rice Krispies Treats look like today. Note the stoned elfin trio. They're higher than a kite and unaware of the changes to their own cereal. They've got the munchies and are ready to attack that Treat that's as big as a Futon.

Worst of all – WORST of all – when you pour on the milk (oat milk in my case), the cereal no longer does its thing. The trademark 'snap, crackle and pop' is barely heard at all. It goes on faintly for about 2 or 3 seconds and that's it.

I'd write to Kellogg's to ask them what's going on, but they would probably ignore my letter like they did my last ones over the past few years. I kept finding hard bits of rice in my cereal – like gravel – and even collected samples from several boxes, packaged them in separated plastic bags labeled with lot, date, expiration, etc. and sent them to Kellogg's. I never heard back. ("Hey, it's another letter from that kook in Ohio!")

Anyways, judging from comments online, others have noticed it too. Someone who seemed knowledgeable said that Kellogg's is now using a different kind of rice. But all agree that the change is for the worse.

I guess Rice Krispies lovers are just up Battle Creek without a paddle.

"Gee, our cereal used to look golden brown and appetizing."

A "Spike" in Interest in Collecting RR Memorabilia?

Photo showing the 1869 completion of the intercontinental railroad
(Courtesy of the Union Pacific Museum)

It was pretty interesting – and surprising – last week seeing how many people were excited about the famous "Big Boy" locomotive rumbling through our area. The event was a nice kick-off to our nation's 250th Birthday Celebration, which is coming up quick. And who knows? It might even stimulate some interest in collecting train memorabilia. There's a lot of it on eBay, including photos, patches, ephemera, coffee cups, etc.

Speaking of collectibles, while wandering around the tracks waiting for the train, I happened to find two old rusty spikes, which became my souvenirs of the day. (My older brother Ken humorously reminded me of how reckless I was being, poking around so close to the tracks, since both our great-great-grandfather and our great-grand uncle found that the 'end of the line' for them was directly under a choo-choo.)

So why did I pick those two rusty spikes up? I'm not sure. But after driving around with them on the floor of my front seat for almost a week, I decided to go online to see what people did with them.

I was surprised to see that people do collect them. But first, you have to clean them up! The suggested method was to soak them in white vinegar for 24 hours so that's what I did. (I even bought Heinz brand; no Great Value white vinegar for my spikes!) After letting them soak for the allotted time, I scrubbed them with a metal bristle brush. They cleaned up rather nice. And they're actually a little different from each other; one has 6U stamped on its head.

Anyway, it was a good time for me to refresh my memory about the Golden Spike used at the completion of the transcontinental railroad. There were actually four special spikes, and you can read about them here on the Golden Spike National Historic Park website.

The Golden Spike as depicted on an episode of "Quick Draw McGraw"