Willow Hardware Anniversary Ad – March 14, 1957

Yesterday's post showed Willow Hardware at the time of its opening in March 1953. Well, here's a full-page ad for the fourth anniversary of the iconic Lorain store. The ad ran in The Lorain Journal on March 14, 1957 – 57 years ago tomorrow.

I guess the store's customers back then were primarily men, judging from the clip-art head in the ad.

Times eventually changed. In our house, although the spouse didn't even know where Oberlin Avenue was shortly after we got married (she was a Sheffield Laker), she eventually found her way to Willow Hardware. She was in there as much as me, since she is the painter in the family. She sure misses that place and the helpful staff.

Aside from the nostalgic factor, the ad is interesting because of the mundane sale items that it includes: garbage cans, waste baskets, brooms, clothes pins, coffee mugs and laundry carts. Not exactly big-ticket items!