Sears Hunting Ad – Oct. 29, 1953

As a shopper, you're no doubt familiar with the concept of a house brand.  Dictionary.com defines it as "a brand name used by a retailer for a product or product line made specifically for, or by, the retailer.

One example would be Ann Page, one of A&P's house brands, found on products like preserves and peanut butter. Jane Parker was another A&P house brand, used for bread, cookies and other items.

Today, there are house brands like Clover Valley (for Dollar General) and Great Value (for Walmart).

But did you know that Sears had a house brand that it used for hunting rifles and other sporting goods?

You can see it mentioned in the ad above, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 29, 1953. There's a J. C. Higgins .22 Caliber Semi-Automatic Rifle, a J. C. Higgins Bolt Action 6-Shot Repeating Shotgun and (Sears' best seller) a J. C. Higgins Deluxe Model 20 6-Shot Pump Shotgun.

But unlike Ann Page and Jane Parker, there really was a J. C. Higgins. Sort of.

J. C. Higgins Deluxe Model 20
6-Shot Pump Shotgun for sale on proxibid.com

The Wiki entry for J. C. Higgins notes, "From 1908 until 1962, Sears, Roebuck & Company sold a wide variety of sporting goods and recreational equipment, including bicycles, golf clubs, rifles, shotguns, and revolvers under the brand name "J. C. Higgins." These products were well made and were popular with the company's historical core of rural and working-class consumers.

"Like many other Sears products, the Sears firearms were originally made by major firearm manufacturers. The Model 20 was produced by High Standard Arms, as was the Model 88 revolver.

"The J.C. Higgins brand for Sears sporting goods was replaced with the Ted Williams brand. Many of the more durable J.C. Higgins products are still available as secondhand items.

"The brand name, J. C. Higgins, was based on a real person, John Higgins, who was a Sears employee. He moved from his birth country of Ireland to the United States in his late teens and began working for Sears in 1898. He spent his entire working career with Sears and was Vice President for the company for a period of time. He was actually born with no middle name but the Sears Co. presented the idea of labeling their sporting good line with his name and saw it more presentable labeling the brand as J.C. Higgins. He worked with the company until his retirement as head bookkeeper in 1930. Higgins died in 1950. His expertise in sporting goods or sports is unknown."

It's interesting that Sears preferred 'J. C. Higgins' as a brand instead of 'John Higgins.' Could it have been a subtle swipe at J. C. Penney, who was just beginning to expand about that time?

Lorain Civil Defense Tower Erected – October 1953

One of those pieces of "Old Lorain" that very few people remember these days is the city's 1950s civil defense tower, used for watching for enemy aircraft, that was located behind the old City Hall. 

I've written about the tower several times. I guess I've been interested in it ever since my siblings and I drew a picture of it as part of a Saturday morning art class in 1968 at St. Mary High School run by local artist Paul Henschke.

The tower demonstrated Lorain's strong commitment to the Ground Observer Corps, consisting of civilian volunteer aircraft spotters, and Operation Skywatch.

1953 pamphlet

Before the tower was erected, Lorain's Operation Skywatch volunteers did their spotting from atop the Eagles Building, as noted in this article from the July 14, 1953 Lorain Journal.

Near the end of the article, it notes, "In a meeting today in Mayor John C. Jaworski's office it was decided to move the new lookout tower from the coast guard station to the vicinity of City Hall. Final decision in the matter will be left to city council at its July 20 meeting.

At that meeting, city council did indeed decide to install the tower behind city hall, although a few citizens had some other locations in mind, as noted in this article in the Journal on the day after the meeting.

By October 1953, Lorain planned to honor its Skywatch volunteers by celebrating  WULUSU ("Wake Up, Look Up, Sign Up") week. Medals and certificates would be awarded to volunteers (which I wrote about here) but the highlight of the week was the formal dedication of the new Skywatch tower behind City Hall. This October 17, 1953 Journal article tells the story.

And here's a photo from the October 23, 1953 Journal showing the tower building being lifted into place in preparation for its dedication.

By 1958, the city was still encouraging Ground Observer Corps volunteers to man the tower, as noted in this article that appeared in the Journal on July 22, 1958.

But a little over ten years later in January 1971, it was time for the tower to come down, as a new City Hall was on the way.

January 15, 1971 article from Journal

Restaurant Page – October 12, 1962

I like posting vintage Lorain Journal pages that showcase the various restaurants and social clubs. The pages are fun to look at and they provide a snapshot of the city when it was still a hotbed of eateries, nightclubs and organizations associated with various nationalities or veterans.

The above page from the October 12, 1962 Journal is dominated by the large ad announcing the change in management at Miraldi's Spaghetti House at 900 Broadway. I think it's interesting that the restaurant was serving Rosie's Pizza at its Tuesday Pizza Party. 

Miraldi's became The Corner Restaurant & Lounge by the mid-1980s, and Scorchers in the early 2000s.

Elsewhere on the page are ads for some old favorites that I've written about before: Kenny King's; Vian's; Lincoln Park; Lorain Arena; McDonald's; and Sherwood Inn. And this post included an ad for Ye Old Hen House.

Articles on the page include one that reports on the progress of autumn color throughout Ohio, including Lorain County. It's a nice feature.

Broadway Feed & Supply Articles – Oct. 1972 and Feb. 1974

When reminiscing with other Baby Boomers about the Lorain we remember from the 1960s and 70s, I often find that it's the incredible selection of small family-owned-and-run stores that make up some of the more pleasant memories. Much of what you were looking for (with some exceptions of course) was available at such a store within city limits, where you very likely dealt directly with the owner or possibly a member of the family. 

While there are still many family businesses that are serving their customers and creating new memories for the current generation, we all have our favorites of the ones that are long gone. These might include Steve's Shoe Repair, Bob's Donuts, Rudy Moc Studio, Andy's Hardware, Paul's Auto Body, Garwell's Bait & Tackle, Harry's Men's Wear, Driscol Music Co., etc. The list goes on and on.

One business that many of us remember was Broadway Feed & Supply, located at 1605 Broadway. The business dates back to 1945, as noted below in the article written by Staff Writer Jeff Kades that appeared in the October 11, 1972 Journal.

A June 12, 1945 Journal ad

"The pizza arrives cold but the Rogers' – C.E., 47, wife Marianne, 45, and son Gary, 18 – gulp it down in between the usual Saturday rush of customers at their Broadway Feed and Supply store in Lorain.

"Those who drop in are no longer the farmers of Lorain County who came to buy hay, straw, horse and chicken feed, back when the store was first established by C.E.'s mom and dad, Mr. and Mrs. B. A. Rogers, in 1945.

"True, they still come around every once in a while, but Lorain County is now more urban than agricultural.

"Broadway Feed today primarily sells pets. Customers are little kids, big kids, animal lovers, and those who just want to talk about their German Shepherd's feeding habits, or the castration of somebody's cats.

"C.E. took over in 1954 after his dad, now 75, retired and moved to Florida. But C.E.'s pocketbook kept telling him the feed business wasn't what it used to be.

"He diversified. He started hawking hamsters, parrots, monkeys, mice and tropical fish, along with chicken remedies, insecticides, and feeds."

****

In 1973, Joseph and Irene Ceh became the owners and operators of Broadway Feed and Supply.

An April 27, 1973 Journal ad

The Cehs received their own business profile in the Journal on Feb. 24, 1974.

The Cehs were the owner/operators of Broadway Feed and Supply until its 2005 closing.

That's a pretty impressive run for a small, local business; sixty years, same location and only two different family owners. 

I remember going in there every once in a while to buy a bag of niger thistle seed for Dad and his bird feeder. It was always interesting to look around, and there was an old-time atmosphere.

I did a "Then & Now" of the streetscape outside the building looking north on Broadway back here.

The ominous view of the former Broadway Feed and Supply
building from yesterday afternoon

Dial 7 Digits for Lorain Telephone – Oct. 11, 1966

Fifty-eight years ago today, the Journal ran the above article explaining a big change about to take place when it came to making a local call with the Lorain Telephone Company.

"Beginning November 6, you will have to dial seven digits instead of five when making local calls within the Lorain Telephone Company system," the article notes.

"The Lorain Telephone Company is switching to all-number dialing. The new system affects 54,000 telephone subscribers in Lorain, Avon, Avon Lake, Amherst, South Amherst, Vermilion and Birmingham exchange areas.

"Now, for example, when dialing Cherry 4-1101 you need only dial 4-1101. Under the new system, you will have to dial 244-1101. The "C' on the dial is 2 and the "H" is 4.

"The program is part of a continuous development of the Lorain Telephone Company, officials said. The firm spent $6 million between 1963 and 1965 and plans to spend another $5 million this year and next for expansion.

"Officials explained that the shift from the two-letter, five-digit dialing system was due to increase in telephone subscribers."

It's funny, but I remember specifically asking Mom when we were about to move in late 1965 from W. 30th to E. Skyline Drive if our phone number was going to change. The last four digits of our phone number was 5687 – easy for a little kid to remember because they were almost in ascending order. As it turns out, as Mom explained, our number didn't change, we took it with us to our new house.

Nowadays, many people can barely remember their own cell phone number. And the days of a directory where you could look up somebody's number are gone forever.

Lake Erie Oil Ad – October 15, 1954

Lake Erie Oil, located at the intersection of Route 254 and Pearl at the railroad tracks, has been the subject of many blog posts over the years. It was a frequent advertiser in the Journal, promoting its Fleet-Wing products and later, Sinclair.

Above is a great seasonal ad for the company that ran in the paper on October 15, 1954, featuring yet another squirrel (a critter that pops up on this blog again and again, like in this recent post). It's kind of an odd ad that seems to have been cobbled together with different pieces of clip art, with some of it coming from a fire prevention collection. 

Is the squirrel hoping to roast his nuts while he warms himself? (By the way, one of the things that I like about the Lorain Country Fair is the nut booth that sells cinnamon roasted pecans, cashews, etc. in the little paper cones. I recently discovered that Poppin Around in Vermilion sells them year round.)

Anyway, the ad copy does a good job of tying together the whole 'get ready for winter theme.'

It's appropriate that the Lake Erie Oil ad features a squirrel, since there was a huge sign featuring Pearl, the shopping center squirrel. at that same intersection. I can still see it in my mind's eye – and would love to see a photograph of it.

Oberlin Memorial Arch – Then & Now

Sometimes after work, I loiter in Oberlin a bit before heading home – perhaps to stop at the bakery or just sit on a bench and enjoy the ambience of the college. It's a beautiful campus and there are plenty of photo opportunities.

I've admired the Oberlin Memorial Arch on Tappan Square for many years (shown above on the vintage postcard) but didn't know what it was commemorating. According to the Oberlin College Archives website, "The Memorial Arch was erected as a memorial to the missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions who lost their lives in the Boxer uprising in China in 1900. The cornerstone of the Arch was laid October 16, 1902, and it was dedicated May 14, 1903. The construction is of Indiana limestone. Two handsome bronze tablets perpetuate the names of the thirteen missionaries and of their five children who were massacred by the Boxers. 

"Oberlin was chosen as the proper place for this monument because all but four of those who suffered martyrdom were Oberlin students or members of the families of these students. The Memorial Arch is located on the west side of Tappan Square."

The Arch has been the subject of many postcards over the years, and thus provided me a good opportunity to create some Then & Now treatments. 

The Arch is beautiful from any angle. But it looks a little stark these days.

Like the Knights Who Say Ni, it is in need of shrubbery.