Thursday, September 28, 2017

New Stores at Midway Mall – Sept. 1967

Here's sort of a companion piece to the Midway Mall ad I ran a couple days ago. It appeared in the Lorain Journal on September 20, 1967 and announced the addition of four new stores: Foxwood Casuals, Melody Manor, Goodyear Tire & Appliance Center, and Schwede Appliance and TV Center.

I found a little bit of information about Foxwood Casuals. A 1969 article about the opening of a new Cincinnati store stated, “Foxwood Casuals is only eight years old. But it has already grown to 26 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut. And plans are to expand to 173 stores within the next five years. It's a rustic place that uses antique trappings to display up to the minute fashions.” That explains the old-timey type used in the store signage.

Melody Manor has an interesting history as well. It was co-owned and managed by musician Gary Ryan. The liner notes from his 1969 album tell the story. It notes, "At nineteen, in addition to working the Anchor Room near Wheeling and other night clubs, he was associated with Gerrero Music Stores selling pianos and organs. In 1967, he moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area and became co-owner and manager of a retail piano and organ outlet, appropriately called the Melody Manor, located in Elyria, Ohio, in the Midway Mall Shopping Center.

"After Gary closes up shop, the beat goes on at a plush area supper club called, Mr. Larry's Beef and Tails. Mr. Larry's clientele appreciate the talents of this young man so much that Gary's appearance there has packed them in for more than fifty-eight weeks."

The Goodyear store lasted for many years, but today its location at Midway Mall is a Conrad's Tire Express and Total Car Center.

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