1972 Shoe Listings in Lorain Phone Book

I commented a few days ago about how so many of the shoe stores in Lorain and the surrounding cities had vanished in the past few decades – and then when I wanted to rattle off some of their names, I realized I had forgotten many of them!

So to refresh my memory and yours, here's a page from the 1972 Lorain Phone Book showing what stores were still around back then. (Click on it for a large size version.) There was quite a selection of stores to choose from.

Nobil Shoe Co. seems to be the one that I remember my family patronizing the most. We would usually head out to the O'Neil Sheffield Center. But we also went to Januzzi's, Faflik Shoes, Pic-Way Shoe Mart (in South Lorain) and Thom McAn Shoes.

The listing for Steve's Shoe Repair brings back lots of memories. I wonder if he ever repaired the mountainous piles of shoes that always seemed to be there? He definitely could have used some of those magical cobbler elves that come out at night in fairy tales.

Fellow blogger (and regular reader of this blog) Alan Hopewell mentioned in a posted comment that he remembers going to McKee's. They're on this page, but only in small print as the old name of Tots to Teens Shoes.

July 1959 Januzzi's Ad

To keep the Januzzi 's tribute going just a little bit longer, here's a Januzzi's ad from a July 1959 Lorain Journal. (Click on it for a closer look.)

As a graphic designer, I like the stylish, distinctive type font used in their logo – it really stands out on a page. But as someone who does a lot of proofreading at work (although that may not be apparent all the time in this blog), I have to point out that there's an unbelievable typo in their tagline, which probably earned the commercial artist a boot in the you-know-what.

Januzzi's Shoes

It's back to school time, when parents traditionally might have to buy their kids some new shoes among other things. Which brings me to today's topic!

Here's a Lorain icon that everyone will recognize: Januzzi's Shoes, which was located at 26th Street and Broadway. The photo is from a Lorain Journal business section ad that ran on July 21, 1969.

At the time, the store's ad boasted that it was Ohio's largest independent shoe store and that it carried more than 60 of the top names in fashion shoes. Everyone in Lorain shopped at Januzzi's at some time or another.

When shopping for shoes, my family would always include Januzzi's along with all the other stores around town and at Midway Mall, such as Regal Shoes, Picway Shoe Stores or Nobil Shoes.

It's funny to think about the shoe shopping experience back then. Upon entering the shoe display area, you would be paired with a shoe salesman. He would measure your foot to begin the process, with one of those gadgets shown at left.

Once your shoe size was established, the salesman was at your beck and call, bringing out different styles and sizes.

I really hated shopping for shoes back then. New shoes were usually uncomfortable, and the endless tramping around the store to make sure the shoes fit seemed silly. Curiously, the left shoe never felt or fit the same as the right shoe. Plus, the salesman always seemed to crush your big toe with his thumb when he was feeling around trying to determine if the shoe fit!

Little did we know that forty years after this ad ran, almost all of the old-time shoe stores would be gone, along with customized, personal service. You're mostly on your own now.

But, the Januzzi legacy continues with Januzzi Shoes for You on Leavitt Road in Amherst. The company website has a short history of the company here.

As for the former Januzzi building on Broadway, it had a variety of purposes after being a shoe store, including a craft store, a thrift store and a carpet store. Here's a current view; the menacing sky makes it look even more forlorn.

Own a Lorain Mom & Pop Motel on US 6

The short commercial strip of motels on US 6 as you approach Lorain from the west has always fascinated me.

I think back about Lorain's glory days of the 1950's and wondered what it would have been like to be passing through Lorain on old '6 and 2' (US 6 and State Route 2 as it was known back then) and need to find a room for the night. If that was the case, or perhaps if you were spending some of your vacation in Lorain doing some fishing or boating, then you might have stayed in one of these motels.

There's several of them that were there in the 1950's and are still there now.

Well, if you ever had a hankering to run a motel in Lorain on US 6, one of those vintage motels is currently for sale. The Shoreway Motel and Mobile Home Park went up for auction at the beginning of August and still is for sale.

This particular motel has been there since around 1953. Back then the motel was known as the Beth-Shan Motel and Trailer Court and its address was merely "Stop 109 West Erie Avenue". By 1957, it was one of the listings described as being on the 'dead end' and had 4000 West Lake Road as its address. By 1960 the motel had its current name.

The real estate listing notes that it has had the same owner for more than 20 years and includes a 2-bedroom owner residence. It occupies a 1.12 acre lot and includes not only the 12-unit motel, but 20 mobile homes.

For me, the best part is the vintage COLOR TV by RCA sign. It's a classic!

For the real estate listing on the Barck Auction & Realty website, click here.

2010 Lorain County Fair

Well, my vacation and the 2010 Lorain County Fair were both winding down late in the week, so the wife and I made a beeline out to Wellington Thursday night. For a change, we got out there nice and early to walk around and work up an even bigger appetite.

As usual, the Fair was great, and we had our usual treats: dinner at the Midway Oh Boy booth under the Grandstand, a delicious Rutana's Apple Dumpling (hold the ice cream) for dessert and other goodies.

I don't know why, but the Oh Boy's were particularly good. They're always good at the Fair and at the restaurant on Lake Avenue, but every once in a while you get one that is perfect. Mine certainly was; it was all I could do to hold it for this photograph without taking a big ol' bite out of it.

I never get tired of the Fair; even though it's kind of the same thing every year, it's always enjoyable. There's usually a little hint of autumn in the air, as it gets a little chilly out there later in the evening.

It's also heartwarming to see all kinds of people there. We always marvel at the fact that many of the fairgoers are senior citizens who might be moving a bit slow, or perhaps might even be in a wheelchair. But they're there having a good time, and that's terrific. I hope I'm still going there in another thirty years.

Anyway, here are a few more shots of the 2010 Lorain County Fair. If you're a relocated Lorain Countian, plan to be in town for next year's Fair!

On Vacation!

Well, after spending the last several weeks on and off blogging about Vacationland and its various points of interest, it's time for me to go on vacation! But instead of Vacationland, the spouse and I will be heading up to one of our favorite places – Niagara Falls, Canada. When you're married to a Canuck, you tend to spend a lot of time in Canada, which is fine with me.

So I won't be here for a week or so, although I will post some shots next week from the Lorain County Fair, yet another of our favorite things.

Hope you are enjoying what's left of summer and I will see you soon – hopefully with some interesting topics closer to home!

Prehistoric Forest Postcards

Here's the vintage postcard I was referring to in my previous blog.

As you can see from my photo from over the weekend, he must have molted or something!

Here's a postcard that I picked up in the office/gift shop at Prehistoric Forest/Mystery Hill last weekend. 

The back of it looks like this. 

At first when I saw the deer, I thought that somehow Deer Park had muscled its way onto the back of the postcard as some kind of cross-promotion. But then I saw the name of the printing company in small print.

I thought it was strange that the postcard only mentioned Mystery Hill and not Prehistoric Forest. But at least I now know the name of the piece of furniture that I was standing on: the Mystery Table!

I wonder if they'll put the Mystery Table up for sale when the attraction closes? I don't know, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to put a lamp on it! Or a bowl of candy.