Easter Parade of 1946 Ads

Easter-themed ads in the Lorain Journal during the 1946 holiday season are a mixed bag (or basket if you prefer). The era of the big royalty-free clip art books (like those produced by Harry Volk Corporation) didn't really begin until the 1950s. So some ads have what appears to be artwork created by a professional artist at an ad agency, while other ads seem to have illustrations that were done locally, perhaps by a Journal staffer in the newspaper's art department. 

In either case, it is all fun to look at.

So here is – what else? – an ample sample of ads that appeared in the Lorain Journal around Easter 1946. You'll find ads from Sears, Smith & Gerhart, the Reidy Scanlan Company, Sutter's, and others.

April 10, 1946

April 15, 1946

April 15, 1946

April 17, 1946

April 18, 1946
The name of this drug store makes me think it would be
more at home on Red Square than Downtown Lorain

April 18, 1946

April 18, 1946

Lorain Journal Page – Sept. 2, 1938

I originally saved this page from the September 2, 1938 Lorain Journal because it included a nice history of the stores owned by John H. Sutter. But there were enough things on the page that were mildly interesting that I posted the whole page.

Many older Lorainites remember Sutter's. Actually at one time there were two businesses downtown on Broadway by that name: Sutter's Nut Shop and Sutter's Sandwich Shop. The article above refers to a third Sutter's, located in South Lorain in the Lorain theater building on Pearl Avenue. Later there were even more outlets in the chain.

According to the article, "In the summer of 1926, John H. Sutter made his first sale at a concession stand at Cedar Point. The profits of that stand later became his livelihood.

"Today Sutter awaits the formal opening of his third shop and soda fountain in Lorain. The new shop is at 525 Broadway where light lunches will be served."

Here is a link to my own post about the history of the various stores.

Elsewhere on the 1938 page, there are ads for Jacoby's, Isaly's, and Bazely Cash Market.

At the top of the page is a photo promoting the appearance of Noble Sissle and his orchestra at Elberta Beach for the Labor Day weekend. To learn more about this talented jazz composer and bandleader, visit this Wiki page. He also wrote the lyrics for the hit tune, "I'm Just Wild About Harry" (from the musical Shuffle Along, for which he write the lyrics and Eubie Blake composed the music).

Also on the page are some recipes for various soup accessories. Some of them sound pretty good!

Sutter’s Ad – July 10, 1941

Air conditioning – the world’s greatest invention (in my opinion) – has been on my mind a lot lately, especially after the horrendous heat wave we just endured over the last week.

Thus it’s not a bad time to post this ad for Sutter’s and its recently installed air conditioning system. The ad appeared in the Lorain Journal on July 10, 1941 and provides a nice photo of the inside of the store.

I’ve written about Sutter’s before (here), and how for a time there were multiple locations. The one shown in the above ad, located at 636 Broadway next to the Tivoli, was originally Sutter’s Nut Shop, and was the place to go for an ice cream sundae.  Sutter’s Sandwich Shop was on the other side of the street with a 525 Broadway address.

I’m guessing that it was an occupational necessity for a place that served ice cream to be air conditioned. And according to the ad, it was “installed and engineered" by Reddy Kilowatt’s employer: Ohio Public Service Company, which was conveniently located nearby at Broadway and Sixth.

Anyway, I like the preponderance of penguins in the Sutter’s ad, driving home that antarctic air theme.

Sutter’s

I was happy to find the above Grand Opening ad for Sutter’s Nut Shop, which ran in the Lorain Journal on May 21, 1937. I had only mentioned Sutter’s once previously on this blog, so it was about time that I put the spotlight on this longtime, well-remembered Lorain business.

Actually, there were two businesses run by John H. Sutter – with one on each side of Broadway. Sutter’s Nut Shop was located at 636 Broadway next to the Tivoli Theatre. Sutter’s Sandwich Shop was at 525 Broadway.

Sutter’s Nut Shop seems to be the earlier of the two businesses, first appearing in the city directory and phone book in 1937. The sandwich store was in the next available directory, the 1940 edition.

For a time, there were more Sutter’s outlets listed in the city directory in addition to the two main stores in Downtown Lorain. In the early 1940s, there was one at 1924 Broadway and another at 2832 Broadway. There were even two stores on Pearl. But by the late 1940s, the two main stores located downtown were all that were listed in the directory,

July 1, 1947 ad from the Lorain Journal

Sutter’s Nut Shop was often listed as a confectionery, which is basically a sweet shop where one could purchase candy.

It was a very popular store. “You couldn’t beat Sutter’s. That’s where the kids would meet,” explained my mother recently. “That’s who Sutter’s catered to: the kids.”

Late 1950s phone book listing

By the time of the 1957 city directory, John Sutter had apparently decided to focus on the Sandwich Shop. About that time, Sutter’s Nut Shop became Firestone’s Sandwich Shop.

John Sutter retired around 1961, turning the restaurant business over to his son, John T. Sutter, who ran it for almost another twenty years.

The business moved to 710 Broadway near the end of its long run. John T. Sutter and his wife Janet also ran Sugar ’N Spice at 714 Broadway.

Sadly, Sutter’s Sandwich Shop disappeared in the 1980 city directory. Many longtime Downtown Lorain businesses closed around that time.

Hopefully, another family business can emulate Sutter’s success and make a long-term commitment to Downtown Lorain.

As my mother noted, “They sure could use a Sutter’s there now."