Homewood Stores Co. was ahead of its time. What else can you conclude about a Lorain store that sold everything from major appliances to clothes to groceries – in 1954?
I've posted ads for the store before, but wasn't sure if it was a shopping center or a single store. It turns out it was both: Homewood Shopping Center consisted of just the building that was home to Homewood Stores Co., a department store.
Interestingly, Homewood Store's parent company – Union Supply Company – was a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. Perhaps the store's proximity to the steel mill had something to do with the decision to locate it there, on Grove Ave. (what was considered then as 'new' Route 57) at Homewood Drive.
The odd thing is that Homewood Stores wasn't around for very long. Here are the articles and mentions in the Lorain Journal that tell its story.
This November 27, 1952 article observes that the construction of the shopping center was coinciding with the beginning of the latest addition to the Homewood housing development.
This February 25, 1954 photo provided a progress report on the Homewood Shopping Center, as well as the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center.
On April 22, 1954, the eve of the much-anticipated opening, several articles and advertisements appeared on the Lorain Journal.
On the day of the Grand Opening, April 23, 1954, this article appeared on the front page of the paper.
And then – only four years later – on July 5, 1958, it was announced that the Homewood Shopping Center would close. The Union Supply Co. division of U.S Steel decided "to eliminate the retail merchandising function of the Homewood Stores Division."
The former shopping center was used by U.S. Steel for some office functions but there was still the question of what would become of the building. This article from March 11, 1960 was one idea.
But in the end, it was the perfect building for the
Hills Department Store chain to located an outlet there – with some remodeling, of course. This article from June 18, 1960 tells the story.
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| June 18, 1960 |
The Hills store would hold its Grand Opening only a few months later, on August 18, 1960.
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| Aug. 17, 1960 |
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| Aug. 17, 1960 |
I wrote about the Grand Opening back
here.
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