When did the whole "Christmas in July" sales gimmick start?
I don't remember anything like that when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s. "Christmas in July" seems to be something that became popular in the last twenty years or so. In fact, the first time I encountered it was during a day spent at Put-in-Bay.
Anyway, there was a certain sales promotion that was popular in Lorain during the summer over the years: Crazy Days – with prices so low they were 'crazy.'
I've featured a few of these types of sales here on the blog, including 1962 and 1964 Downtown Lorain Crazy Days Sales and a 1971 Ted Jacobs Crazy Daze Sale.
And here's another one, a full page ad for Mars Discount that ran in the Journal back on July 11, 1963.
Now that's an ad that would be hard to miss – or forget.
The ad employs several devices to emphasize the 'crazy' attitude, including beatnik-type lingo, like "Dig These Real Gone Values." There's also a cartoon of a zany type with an apparent Napoleonic complex, and another of either Nero or Caligula (your choice).
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Mars had a long history in Lorain, starting around 1940 or so. In the early days, it was listed in the city directory as Outlet Furniture Company, with Harold and Jos Margolis as the proprietors (which I assume was shortened to 'Mars' when used as the company name.
The store remained at 1816 E. 28th Street until the early 1990s or so, when it moved out to 3009 Pearl. By the late 1990s, the Mars Furniture Showroom was at 2063 N. Ridge Road. It seemed to share the address with Harmon's, which became Erie TV and Appliance about the same time.