Probst Ad – July 12, 1947

Summertime makes me think of ice cream, so it’s fitting to post this ad for Probst Corner. The ad ran in the Lorain Journal on July 12, 1947 – 70 years ago this month – and celebrates the First Anniversary of the business.

The ad provides a nice photo of the owners, Herman and Violet Probst, as well as the distinctive storefront. The ad reveals that the firm also sold baked goods, candy, snacks and even frozen Birdseye brand products.

I’ve written about Probst Corner before, including this post featuring an ad from 1954. Thomas Probst, the grandson of Herman and Violet, left a nice comment on that post about a vintage Probst Ice Cream scoop that he still uses.

Lorain was certainly fortunate to have so many family-owned ice cream shops to choose from over the years.

Although the oldest Lorain businesses are no more, it’s nice that Trish and Tom Harris have kept Lorain’s ice cream legacy alive with their K-Cream Korner and K-Cream Parlour.

Probst Corners Ad – November 27, 1954

From Isaly's, we turn our attention to another ice cream shoppe, this time a locally owned one: Probst's.

Here's a nutty ad (above) for Probst Corners featuring a cute squirrel illustration that ran in the Lorain Journal on November 27, 1954.

A confectionery store run by Herman and Violet Probst first appeared in the Lorain City Directory in the mid-1940s or so. It was located at 226 8th Street (below).

226 Eighth Street today

A second Probst location was opened in the new O'Neil - Sheffield Center (below).

Photo courtesy of the Lorain County Historical Society

The Probst listings seemed to disappear from the city directories in the late 1950s.

The Eighth Street location was briefly taken over by a deli called Handy Pantry. Then, in late October 1959 the location became the well-known home of DeLuca Bakery.

I'm not sure if the Probst stores are well-remembered by Lorainites or not. If you have a memory of the stores, be sure to leave a comment!

O'Neils - Sheffield Center

Photo courtesy of the Lorain County Historical Society

On Friday I spent a little time poking around the research library of the Lorain County Historical Society in Elyria and came up with this great vintage photo (above) of the O'Neil - Sheffield Center. It was part of the collection of photos donated by the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

The O'Neil - Sheffield Center opened with great fanfare on Saturday, May 1, 1954. It was the first modern shopping center in Lorain County. According to an article in the Lorain Journal at the time, it was "heralded as one of the largest retail centers ever built in Ohio." The shopping center had 49 single-story units, covered by a canopy and surrounding a grassy courtyard.

At that time, O'Neil's of Akron was one of the leading department stores in one of American's fastest growing markets. By expanding into Lorain County at a location midway between Lorain and Elyria, O'Neil's hoped to tap into a potential trading area with a population of 200,000.

At the time of the ribbon-cutting, the shopping center included such local and national merchants such as Red Robin, New-Mode Hosiery, Thom McAn, Van's Apparel, Cotton Shop, Rosen Bakery, Modern Hardware, Probst Dairy, Crawford's Barber Shop and City Loan and Savings. Other stores opening shortly thereafter included Kresge's, Gray Drug, Chisolm's Boot Shop, Nobil Shoes, Mary Ann, Sally Don and Fisher Brothers Dry Goods.

The shopping center was a big hit as local shoppers embraced the convenience of one-stop shopping. Special holiday events such as appearances by Santa Claus as well as the Talking Christmas Tree became a part of many families' holiday rituals.

Of course, as the O'Neil - Sheffield Center prospered, Downtown Lorain's shopping district suffered. By the 1960s, the heyday of shopping in Downtown Lorain was winding down.

Vintage postcard

The O'Neil - Sheffield Center experienced a threat of its own when Midway Mall in Elyria opened in 1966. Suddenly it was possible to shop for hours without ever having to go outside. And like Downtown Lorain, the O'Neil - Sheffield Center suddenly seemed very old-fashioned.

Despite much talk, the plan to enclose the shopping center never materialized.

The shopping center struggled on through the 1970s. One of the few bright spots during this time period was the Lorain International Festival, which was held annually in the rear parking lot.

By the 1980s, all of the large stores were gone except for May Company (which had replaced O'Neil's in April 1967.) Both supermarkets had moved out and only 22 units were occupied.

In May of 1984 – exactly 30 years after its opening – the shopping center was sold. At the time of its sale, tenants included Olan Mills Studio, WZLE Radio, the Golden Ox restaurant, Januzzi's Select-a-Shoe and J.D. Andrews Men's Clothing.

The new owners hoped to revitalize the shopping center by making it smaller and thus more accessible and convenient for shoppers. A portion of the west wing of stores was demolished and the courtyard was removed. The entire complex was renamed the Centre of Sheffield.

New stores were added, including Finast (1987), Marc's (1990) and Goodyear Tire (1994). Unfortunately the shopping center lost its anchor store when May Company closed.

Today, it is almost impossible to look at the Centre of Sheffield and recognize its 1950s layout and appreciate its role as the first modern shopping center in the area. Nevertheless, many Lorainites will continue to have fond memories of the shopping center as the longtime home of the International Festival, as well as the Talking Christmas Tree.

The Centre of Sheffield today