Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Colorado Ave. Open House – Nov. 2, 1962

Vintage open house ads have been a source of interest on this blog over the years. Why? Because it provides an opportunity for a "then & now" photo comparison, to see how the property changed in the intervening years. 

The ad above from the November 2, 1962 Journal is also interesting because of the mysterious sweater-clad gentleman featured in the ad. Is that John Quarando, the local IBC Homes Dealer? Or is he merely a stock photo? He doesn't look too happy, in either case. But he got our attention.

And why is 'WELCOME' spelled out in individual letters? 

As for the model home, the ad says it was located at 5128 Colorado Avenue in Sheffield. A quick drive-by (via Google Maps) reveals that today, the model home is part of the Backpackers Shop complex.

Click here to read (on the company website) how the Backpackers Shop grew out of that model home to become the successful business it is today.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is very cool how that open house home turned into The Backpackers Shop.But I do like how the house looked before it morphed into the store.It's just one big loooooong building now.

Jay said...

I remember when they had a store in Midway Mall in the Dillards wing. I loved going in there.

Lisa said...

That mystery sweater-clad guy in the IBC Homes ad made me laugh. He looks like a random guy out at Lawson's buying a few items for the house, family, etc. Stuff he didn't want to buy and had his photo snapped unsuspectingly. Someone gave him a Sears, Roebuck & Co. hat for good measure.