Just in time for the start of the holiday season, the
Lorain Journal included a special supplement with its November 26, 1953 edition. Entitled, "Gift Ideas for a Jolly Christmas," the 80-page catalog provided
Journal readers with a dazzling array of suggestions of what to buy – as well as providing us with a nice snapshot of Lorain businesses at that time.
Here's an ample sample of some of the catalog pages, which paint a picture of a prosperous Lorain in its 1950s post-war heyday.
I love the fact that many of the companies used illustrations to depict their gift items in the ads. It adds an element of intrigue. It's also impressive how so many of the businesses had a distinctive logo and 'brand,' such as Ted Jacobs and Louis Cohn.
I made sure that Delis Brothers Furniture was represented in the ad round-up. That's because I recently had the pleasure of exchanging emails with a member of the Delis family, whose great-grandfather Christ Delis founded the store. I mentioned to her that my parents bought their dining room set from Delis Furniture, and it was the one that was used from the 1950s all the way to the 2020's.
Thanks for posting these ads, Dan. They are great fun.
ReplyDeleteI do remember having that cardboard store front (a big favorite of mine) and the chain-drive tractor. Thankfully no one thought to give me the Howdy Doody watch with the hands coming out of his nostrils.
Wow an 80 page special advertising section! Very impressive! By the time I was selling Journal advertising in the 80's and 90's we struggled to get half that many pages. But in looking at the local businesses that supported the section compared to those still in business in the 80's (not many) and if they were around they certainly weren't buying full page ads. That's the other cause for the demise of local papers...the demise of local businesses.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother, Mary Wilker Emerson (née Stough), worked at the Style Center for 50 years as a sales clerk. The Delis Brothers were our neighbors on both sides of our house on West Erie. And the Driscoll's were on my Journal paper route in the 1960s. Call me Zelig.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the old Style Center.I thought some new business was going to go in there Dan?Something to do with art.For awhile the son of Dye's Appliance owned it,but he got arrested for kidnapping as he used it as his own personal "party center" and during his rave parties he would lock the doors and not let anyone out.Very illegal,hence the kidnapping charges.Then after that,Lorain Democratic Party Chairman Anthony Giardini had his long skinny fingers involved in the Style Center.But that was a couple years ago and Giardini is now slowly withdrawing from public eye.Has anyone heard about anything new happening with the Style Center?
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