Homewood Shopping Center Father's Day Ad – June 1956

With Father's Day just a few days away, here's a great ad from the 1950s that nicely features just about every gift imaginable for dear old dad. The ad is for Homewood Shopping Center and ran in the Lorain Journal on June 13, 1956.

It's fairly fascinating seeing what you could buy for a buck back then: Interwoven socks, a Regal summer tie. Moving up in price slightly, a dollar fifty could get you a Hickok leather belt, billfold, key case, jewelry box or briefcase; matching Hickok gold or silver plated cuff links and tie bars.

At the high end price-wise was an RCA personal TV set with a 32 sq. in. screen for $125 or an 18" power mower by Penn ACCO for $79.95.

There are a few items that are slightly less but still expensive: Elgin and Bulova watches at $33.75 to $75; a Motorola portable radio for $34.95.

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I'm afraid my father never made out too well on Father's Day. As kids, we probably just signed a card that Mom bought for us to give him. Dad didn't really have any hobbies, so there was nothing special or fun to get him.  I only remember boring gifts like handkerchiefs (which he always carried). It wasn't until my siblings and I were grown up that we actually bought him something. In later years, I usually got him a book, since he was a voracious reader. He particularly liked Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation and the follow-up book, The Greatest Generation Speaks.