Smith & Gerhart – 1955

Here's an article about another well-remembered Downtown Lorain store: Smith and Gerhart. The article appeared in the Lorain Journal on June 21, 1955 and provides a nice history of the store, as well as a description of what it was like in the mid-50's.

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S&G Store Founded in 1893

Courtesy Black River
Historical Society

Many changes in merchandising, alleviation of parking problems and added conveniences for the modern day shoppers have taken place since almost 58 years ago when Smith and Gerhart, Inc., then known as the Boston Store, opened its doors.

The depression of 1893 was over and business was just picking up when three men in their twenties, Henry F. Smith, J. F. (Jake) Gerhart and John Opfer, opened the Boston Store in less than 3,000 square feet of space.

Popular Store
Many old-timers still refer to Smith and Gerhart as the Boston Store, which was popular because of the finest ready-made attire and yard goods which was brought in from Boston and England.

The original Boston Store was located on the present site of the Woolworth Co. in the 500 block of Broadway. The land on which the store stood was owned by another Henry Smith, an Oberlin resident and an uncle of one of the founders.

When the store opened coal was delivered anywhere in the city at $1.75 per ton, men's work shirts were selling at 29 cents each and one bakery was giving away bread to attract customers.

Long Hours
In those early days charge accounts were filed on a spindle, clerks worked about 65 hours per week and took home a five dollar bill at the end of each week.

Today, Smith and Gerhart has a large corps of girls in a modern accounting department, a small army of trained clerks and supervisors, merchandising methods are up-to-the-minute and the 36,000 square feet of space is systematically utilized for convenient and easy shopping.

The Boston Store grew from the start. In 1903, the firm purchased from the Wickens family a building at 506-508 Broadway which adjoins the present structure.

Name Changed

1957 version of S&G logo

In 1927, the Boston Store name was changed to Smith and Gerhart, Inc., but continues to remain on the company letterheads and some of the advertising. In this year a three floor store at 510-520 Broadway was erected. With the one floor in the adjacent building added and called the "second floor annex," the firm had floor floors.

A third floor was added to the old building of which the first floor was occupied by another company and a children's department was opened in March, 1939.

In 1941, 1944, 1945 and 1946 the second and main floors were modernized, a fourth floor was added to the 506-598 Broadway structure and a "Youth Center" was added.

Air Conditioning

In the summer of 1946, a warehouse was established in the basement of that building.

Current view of the S&G Bldg

Modern shopping in recent years resulted in Smith and Gerhart becoming the first commercial establishment to install air conditioning throughout the building and the first retail outlet to open a parking area for customers.

Dan C. Smith, the present owner and son of one of the founders, said Smith and Gerhart is continuing to progress and live up to the reputation established more than half a century ago for excellence in stock, quality of goods at low prices.

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In early July 1980, it was announced that Smith & Gerhart was going out of business when its present inventory was sold. At the time, the store was the oldest business in downtown Lorain.

A Chronicle-Telegram article of July 4, 1980 stated, "The store has gone from a four-floor operation with 119 employees to nine employees working on two floors."

Downtown Lorain "Ghost" Story – 1907

In honor of Halloween later this month, here's an interesting "ghost" story from the pages of the January 31, 1907 Lorain Daily News.

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BOY FLEES AND FAINTS 
WHEN "GHOST" GREETS HIM
Erstwhile Morgue is Scene of Terror to Boston Store
Elevator Boy – Hair Raising Story of Herbert Tucker
and His Experiences With Inhabitants of the Spooky Cellar

Did you ever see a ghost, or stating it in a broader and more logical sense, did you ever imagine you saw one?

If you have never come in contact with his ghostship then you cannot appreciate the feelings of Herbert Tucker, elevator boy at the Boston store, as he pushed with blanched and terrified countenance through the store yesterday afternoon to fall limp and terrorstricken into the arms of the clerks just as he was exercising his powers of locomotion in placing the basement of the Boston store as far from him as possible. The young man had fainted.

It’s a story that had its beginnings several months ago and though it reads like a fairy tale it is nevertheless true in every particular, as young Tucker and other employes of the Boston store will readily vouch.

The building in which the Boston store is now located was formerly occupied  by Wickens and Ransom, undertakers, and the basement was used as a morgue. Young Tucker was apprised of this fact soon after taking charge of the elevator and his trips to the dimly-lighted basement were made with alacrity, mingled with awe as his hurried vision swept the large quiet room and his thoughts reverted to the dead that had one time lined its walls.

Several weeks ago duty necessitated a penetration of gloom farther than had been his custom on former occasions the young lad was horrified to see a row of white robed figures barely discernable through the semi-darkness on one side of the basement. Thoroughly frightened, Tucker was unable to move from his tracks for a minute, but with the return of a flash of courage, he seized a club that was lying at his feet and hurled it at one of the figures. Not waiting to ascertain the result of his onslaught, he fled as fast as his legs could carry him. He returned a few days later when the cellar had been equipped with electric light fixtures and was brilliantly lighted to find that his ghost was a dry goods dummy covered with muslim. The club he had wielded on the day of his fright had gone true to its mark and was lodged firmly between the steel ribs of the imaginary goblin.

This tale had barely been imparted to one of the clerks of the store yesterday afternoon when Tucker was called upon to perform an errand in the basement. Descending the elevator the young man was in the act of stepping from the cage when a cold and clammy hand closed over his and he was greeted with “Hello, boy.”

Tucker let out one terrified yell and made a bolt for the stairs. No time to take elevators on an occasion like this.

Tucker came to the end of his flight as he was about to open the door leading to the street where he fell into the arms of a clerk. The strain had proven too much for the little fellow and he had fainted. He was soon revived and only after it had been explained to him that the hand placed upon his as he stepped from the elevator was one of flesh and blood and the property of the electrician who had been making some necessary repairs in the basement, was his fears allayed. The man having just entered the basement from the outside his hands were chilled and possessed altogether too much of that clammy, ghoulish feeling for the elevator boy.

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I tried to find out if the Tucker lad remained in the Lorain area after his fifteen minutes of fame, but was unsuccessful digging around in the city directories. I chased down one lead but was unable to determine if it was the same person.

By the way, I did posts about the early days of the Boston Store – later (and better) known as Smith & Gerhart – here and here.

Meet Mr. Smith and Mr. Gerhart

Smith (left) and Gerhart circa 1903

Here's a picture of two of the founders of the Lorain business that later became Smith & Gerhart: H. M. Smith (on the left) and J. F. Gerhart (on the right). (Note: different sources alternately have Smith's middle initial as either M. or F.)

The Lorain, Ohio 1903 Souvenir book by George H. Teague includes an entry about the two gentlemen (below).

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THE BOSTON STORE.

Five years ago two young men came to Lorain from Elyria and started in business. For over ten years they had been clerking there in the leading dry goods emporiums. They were popular, eminently capable and commanded respect and confidence of all who knew them and their enviable reputations preceded them.  With them they brought the same energy and thrift that had characterized their business apprenticeship, and with these sterling qualities combined with moderate capital the Boston Store was opened.

"Great oaks from little acorns grow," and from a comparatively small beginning exceptional success has followed them, for experience had planted them well. Patronage followed, the trade of the people was appreciated and well taken care of until today after a lapse of only five years the floor space has been increased one-third and the stock carried more than doubled. Thousands of this city's purchasing public know the Boston Store, by which name the firm is designated, but comparatively few know the names of its enterprising proprietors.

The people know that the Boston Store's three distinct departments are stocked with a complete and up-to-date assortment of dry goods, carpets and cloaks. The firm when beginning business decided on a motto that has been rigidly followed: "Keep Stock up – Prices Down," and the result is that the Boston Store has become a household word with bargains as its companion thought. All this credit is due the proprietors, two hustling young gentlemen, H. M. Smith and J. F. Gerhart – Smith & Gerhardt. Our hats are doffed, for the capacity of the store is being taxed to its utmost and more room is again the cry. Keep your eye on the Boston Store, for a magnificent future is not only predicted, but practically assured.

A Tale of Two Boston Stores

I’ve written several posts about Smith and Gerhart, the well-remembered Lorain store that was a mainstay in Downtown Lorain until it closed in 1980. As I noted before, when the store opened in 1893 it was originally known as the Boston Store.

Here's an ad from the early days of the firm. It appeared in the Lorain Times-Herald on May 16, 1901. Note that the names of the men behind the firm appear at the bottom of the ad.

By 1927, the firm had changed its name to Smith and Gerhart. The Boston Store name still appeared in the ads for a time, but it was severely downplayed. Here's an ad (below) that ran in the Lorain Times-Herald on August 26, 1927.

Well, did you know (or remember) that much later there was another store in Downtown Lorain that also had the Boston name?

From a January 1, 1968 ad in the Lorain Journal

Boston Vitamin & Cosmetic Distributors (later shortened to Boston’s Discount Centers) first showed up in the Lorain City Directory around the time of the 1962 edition. It was a drug store offering discount prescriptions located at 362 Broadway.

Courtesy Lorain Historical Society

The store later moved to 129 Fourth Street in the early 1970s.

I remembered the Boston’s store from my family’s weekly visits to Downtown Lorain each Saturday morning for trumpet lessons with Mr. Visci. I could see the store on Fourth Street (next to Ted Jacob's) from the upstairs window of Mr. Visci's studio at 356 Broadway.

Boston's continued to appear in the city directory until its listing disappeared in the 1975 edition.

From a December 19, 1963 ad in the Lorain Journal

Boston Drug Store Ad - Feb. 2, 1972

I’ve written before (here) about how Downtown Lorain had two separate stores with the ‘Boston’ name. One was Smith and Gerhart, which started out in 1893 originally known as The Boston Store, before switching to its more well-known monicker in the 1920s. 

The other store was Boston Drug, a drug store/vitamin store that first appeared in the early 1960s at 362 Broadway. It eventually moving to Fourth Street in the early 1970s (which is where I remembered it) and became more of a discount store.

And here’s an ad for that store that appeared in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 2, 1972 – fifty years ago this month. As you can see, it was still mainly promoting vitamins in its ads.

The inclusion of Chocks in the ad caught my attention. 

What were Chocks? Ah, I guess you’d have to be a Baby Boomer to remember them.

Chocks Vitamins was an early attempt at a daily vitamin for kids. My mother bought them for my siblings and me for a while. I can still remember the chalky taste.

Here’s a great photo of the Chocks bottle (one featuring Charlie Chocks), courtesy of Todd Franklin and his Flickr page.

And here’s an early version, courtesy of Pinterest.

Chocks seemed to have the market to itself for while. Eventually, however, Flintstone Vitamins (introduced in the late 1960s) became popular and, consequently, the de facto vitamin for kids. 

As a result, Chocks disappeared. Now nobody remembers them except aging Baby Boomers (like me) who might think of them as they pop a variety of bad-tasting vitamins.

Boston Discount Drug Moves – October 1972

Fifty years ago, Downtown Lorain was going through its major transition, courtesy of urban renewal. That meant that buildings were going to be torn down, and some businesses would have to find new homes.

One of them was Boston Discount Drug store, shown below in a photo that appeared in the Journal back on October 25, 1972. As the photo caption notes, "Boston Discount Drug store, now mostly installed in its new location at 129 Fourth St., Lorain, will celebrate a grand re-opening sometime in November.

"The move was triggered by urban renewal after 12 years in the same location at the corner of Fourth and Broadway.

"The Boston store is the first discount drug store in Lorain. It is owned by Cook-United who also owns Ontario stores in this area."

I've written about Boston Discount Drug before (here).

There are probably very few people that actually remember this store, which was located next to Ted Jacobs. The only reason I do is because you could see this store from the window of Alex Visci's music studio at 356 Broadway, where my brothers and I took our trumpet lessons on Saturday. mornings. While one brother was having his lesson in another room, I remember sitting on a stool in the front room of the studio (where Mr. Visci repaired instruments) and looking out the window, watching the action on Fourth Street. Eventually, Mr. Visci had to move his business to a location above Faroh's on Broadway, when his building was torn down.

Today the building at 129 Fourth Street is part of Spectrum Consulting Services.

Muir's 1-Cent Sale Ad – October 1, 1953

Drug stores – including the ones that are no longer around – have been a recurring topic on this blog.

In our area, there seems to be one located at every major intersection, whether it's Drug Mart, Rite Aid, Walgreens or CVS. I'm still partial to Drug Mart; that's where I get my prescriptions, and I shop there practically every day. The others? I've never warmed up to them, even though they've been around a long time.

But we all remember the stores that are no longer around, including the big chains like Revco, Cunningham's, and Gray Drug, as well as the little ones like Boston Drug Store in Downtown Lorain. And of course, the independent pharmacies such as Whalen Drug and National Pharmacy kindle the fondest memories of all.

One of the regional chains that I've written about several times is Muir's. It started out as a drug store but eventually evolved into more of a discount store.

The branch in Lorain on Broadway was actually the 'original parent unit' of the 30-store, which was based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And here is an almost full-page ad for the store that ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 1, 1953.

Front and center is the store's mascot, the Thrifty Scot. (Back then it wasn't politically incorrect yet to depict Scotsmen as notorious cheapskates.)

It's an odd ad. If you look closely at the products on sale, you'll have a hard time finding any recognizable brands. Instead, you find weird ones like Dewey Nose Drops, Lady Fair Cleansing Cream, Q-Wick Room Deodorant, Spotoff Cleaner and Baby Bunting Baby Powder.

Speaking of Baby Bunting, it's one of the few items that I was able to find an image of. Here's a container of it.

A look at the back of the can possibly reveals how it came to be included in the Muirs portfolio of products: the company that manufactured it – Dewey Products Co. – was located in Grand Rapids. 

I guess they produced the Dewey Nose Drops in the ad as well. (Somehow that name make me think of a drippy nose.)

I was also able to find a package of Smiles Blades that somehow survived. That illustration of the beaming, clean-shaven guy is great.

But seeing how the hirsute look is in, and facial fuzz is the norm, I imagine that razor blade sales are fairly dull these days.

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You can see a 1949 Muirs ad here (the post also mentions Jungle Larry, who was the manager of the store), and read about the 1964 closing of the Lorain store back here; 

Meet George Wickens Part 1

In the history of Lorain, George Wickens was a giant of a man. It's a shame that in 2012, I'll bet that very few people in Lorain even know who he was.

Quite simply, he was a mayor of Lorain and a successful businessman who loved the city and worked tirelessly to improve it. He was one of the city's biggest supporters and most beloved citizens.

As is often the case, the best way to get a measure of a man is to read his obituary, and George Wickens' was quite extensive. I present it below as it ran in the Lorain Daily News on Thursday, March 19, 1908.

After reading it, I'll think that you'll agree that, sadly, Lorain probably has had no one to compare with him since.

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GEORGE WICKENS, CITY'S LEADING CITZEN, DEAD
PASSED AWAY AFTER ILLNESS OF FOUR DAYS

End Came at 7:45 This Morning, Caused by Pleuro Pneumonia
A BIG LOCAL FIGURE
George Wickens Was Lorain's Most Active Advocate of Optimism for Its Future

March 19, 1908 front page

George Wickens, Sr. died at his residence, 142 West Erie Avenue at 7:45 o'clock this morning after a four days illness with pneumonia.

Mr. Wickens, whose death came as a great shock, was one of Lorain's most highly respected and prominent men and his demise is mourned by all. In his death the city loses a man who took a great interest in all things pertaining to the welfare of the city and her citizens and whose place Lorain will be unable to fill.

Mr. Wickens was as prominently identified with the growth and development of Lorain as any man now residing in the city and for years has been prominently connected with the public life of the town. He was a self-made man, one who from absolutely nothing had, by intelligence, energy, business acumen, and unquestioned probity, worked his way from the bottom rung of the ladder to prosperity and comparative affluence. He was a leader in both branches of his business and was well and favorably known throughout the state. In all local matters he was always to be found on the right side, aiming constantly to build up and improve the interests of his fellows and his city.


A MAN OF ACTION
Mr. Wickens was one of the few of Lorain's citizens who was able to accomplish what he set out to do where the interests of the city was at stake and was a man of action. While working for the interests of the city from all standpoints his one great hobby was civic improvement, and towards beautifying Lorain he has done more than any other man. He was an enthusiastic member of the Civic Improvement league, and only yesterday, with the welfare and beautification of the city still uppermost in his mind, he called City Engineer Schickler to his bedside and gave him instructions towards improving several of the city parks and changes that he desired to be made in the plans for the new cemetery to be opened adjoining Elmwood.

In municipal affairs as well as in his private life he was a staunch advocate of Roosevelt's policy of a "Square deal for all" and his life was lived on those principles.

A SHORT ILLNESS
Taken ill on Sunday, Wickens' illness was not thought to be serious, but on Monday he grew suddenly worse and sank slowly until he passed away this morning. Yesterday it was thought that his condition was slightly improved.

The deceased, who was fifty-five years of age, was born in Basingstoke, South England on July 19, 1852. At the age of ten years, he commenced working in a furniture store learning the trade of cabinet maker and joiner. Completing his apprenticeship he came to America in 1871 and for a time lived at St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. He came to Lorain in 1872.

For ten years he was engaged in carpentry work, contracting and building, and in 1883 embarked in the undertaking and furniture business, with which he was identified at the time of his death.

While engaged in the carpentry business in Lorain, Mr. Wickens built many of the older houses now located on the east side and was the contractor that built the old lighthouse which now stands at the end of the west pier of the river. In 1886 he became a member of the Funeral Directors' association of Ohio and on June 2, 1892, he was elected its president.

In 1875 Mr. Wickens married Miss Celia E. Chapman and one child was born, George B. Wickens. This wife died the following year. In 1877 Mr. Wickens married again and this time in England to Miss Mary A. Colly and three children were born, William A., Elizabeth and Edward M. A little over a year ago, Mr. Wickens was married to Miss Elizabeth Wallace. Surviving him other than his wife is his three children, George, Edward and Mrs. L. M. Lewis.

In 1878 the deceased was granted a preachers license by the second London district of the Methodist church and for many years was a member and preacher in the Lorain M. E. church and superintendent of the Sunday school. He has visited his native land many times, returning at one time in England for four years. Only last summer he spent several months in Europe with his wife and daughter Elizabeth.

HIS PUBLIC CAREER
In public life Mr. Wickens was a most potent factor. In politics he was a Republican but not a radical. His ideas were broad upon public questions, which gained for him unbounded popularity. He was elected mayor of the city in 1894 and served the city as its chief executive for two years. He was mayor of the city when the plant of the National Tube company came to Lorain and had in his possession at the time of his death the first piece of steel ever turned out by the plant. In '97 Mr. Wickens was elected as a member of the council from the second ward and later was a member of the boards of cemetery trustees and water works trustees. He was elected a member of the first board of public service in 1903. At the last municipal election he was again elected to the office of member of the board of public service by a large majority. He was also a member of the board of library trustees.

HIS BUSINESS LIFE
In his business life Mr. Wickens has been most successful and in the last twenty-five years has built up one of the most extensive furniture businesses in this section of the state. In 1900 he erected the three story business block on Broadway now occupied by the Boston Store. In the spring of 1899 a branch store was opened on Tenth avenue. In 1904 the five-story building in which the business in now located was erected, the store opening for business on December 13, '95. The Parkside Chapel, identified with the undertaking business of Wickens and Ransom, was erected in 1903.

Vintage postcard showing the Parkside Chapel

Last summer Mr. Wickens was the delegate sent by Ohio to the International convention of funeral directors held in one of the southern cities and up to his death was one of the three members of International committee on embalming, representing the United States.

At a meeting of the Ohio Furniture Dealers' association held in Cleveland recently, he was elected president of the association.

Mr. Wickens belonged to many secret societies and was a charter member of the Ohio Anti-Saloon league organized at Oberlin a number of years ago. Among the numerous lodges of which he was a member are the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, K. O. T. M., Rathbone Sisters, Red Men, Protected Home Circle, National Union, Modern Woodmen, Woodmen of the World.

DEATH WIDELY REGRETTED
The death of Mr. Wickens has caused a wave of regret from one end of the city to the other. He was probably one of the most charitably inclined men of Lorain and there has been hundreds of little deeds of kindness that have gone unnoticed by those not intimately connected with him. No one wanted if Mr. Wickens was aware that help was needed and he did not wait until some charitable institution had taken up the case but furnished immediate relief.

Funeral arrangements have as yet not been completed.

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On that same page, an article with the headline A WICKENS HOBBY MAY BE LOCAL INSTITUTION tells how an idea of George Wickens foreshadowed Lorain's modern Pride Day. The article stated, "If the suggestions of the board of trade are carried out, Lorain will have regular days set apart each fall and spring as holiday clean-up days. Health Officer Hug, at the meeting last night spoke of the necessity of such a move. "To those who have occasion to pass the alleys and back yards about the city it becomes at once apparent that the conditions are decidedly unsanitary, unsightly and very offensive to aesthetic natures. Clean-up days was a hobby with George Wickens, and a mighty good one, too, and I think it would be an advisable thing to have the city carry out his suggestions. Clean-up day should become a regular institution each spring and fall.""

The suggestion by Dr. Hug was to be presented as a resolution to Mayor King.

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The Elyria Chronicle of March 19, 1908 also reported the passing of George Wickens in a front page article. GEORGE WICKENS, PROMINENT LORAIN CITIZEN IS DEAD was the headline. The article noted that he was a well known popular business man with "many friends in Elyria."

Smith & Gerhart Easter Ad – March 23, 1951

Smith & Gerhart is another iconic Downtown Lorain business, well-remembered by the over-60 Lorain crowd. It was one of the few firms that lasted almost a hundred years, opening in 1893 (as the Boston Store) and closing in 1980.

It was one of the many stores that Mom occasionally visited during our weekly Saturday morning trips downtown (along with Kline's and the dime stores).

One of my best friends in high school got a job as a security guard at Smith & Gerhart when we were seniors. I remember visiting him there in the alley behind the store a few times while he was working.

Anyway, above is the Easter-themed ad for Smith & Gerhart that ran in the Lorain Journal on March 23, 1951 (when the holiday was even earlier than this year's). I like that large bunny clip art (although he has been chopped in half by the Journal art department, like so many other ads).

I'm not sure if I buy the premise of the ad – Easter Gift Suggestions – but Smith & G was hoping Lorainites did. And there's something for everyone; tissue faille blousettes, handbags, pearl chokers for Mom; straw bags for kiddies and teen-agers; dress gloves for the kiddies; and ties and socks (sigh) for dear old Dad.

But who was Mrs. Steven, mentioned in the ad as the name behind the chocolate Easter eggs? Was she a Lorain housewife who lived on Reid Avenue and cranked out chocolates in her kitchen?

Nope. As noted on the Roadshow Collectibles website, ""Julia C. Krafft, 98, the founder of Steven Candy Kitchens Inc., was a farm wife in 1921 when she started the very successful, nationwide firm that manufactured and distributed her Mrs. Steven's Candies. 

Mrs. Steven's Candies proved a very popular item in Chicago for several generations. Her three-pound box that sold for a dollar made it possible during the Depression for people with marginal incomes to purchase a quality box of chocolates. 

"Her candy eventually sold through 22 retail stores and 800 outlets across the country. Mrs Krafft was born on a farm near Wayne, growing up in a log cabin there. After grammar school, she attended Ellis Business College in Elgin. After working for a while as an office manager at a threadwork in Elgin, she married Leslie Steven and lived on a farm. They were later divorced, but she kept the name for her candy. 

"Looking for a second income to help out, she followed a friend's advice and started making fudge. She found an outlet, a drugstore in the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad station and began selling as much candy as she could make. She left the farm, and with $1,000 in capital set up her business in Chicago, selling candy out of a drugstore in the Chicago & North Western station. Her business and cooking abilities came together in the company that continued to expand until she sold the company in 1956."

Huck & Yogi Visit Hills – November 1966

Huckleberry Hound seems to be a recurring topic on this blog. I wrote about him appearing at the 1959 Ohio State Homecoming game just last month.

Well, that affable blue hound sure got around. This time, Huck and his co-star Yogi Bear were making an appearance at the Hills Department Store on Route 57. The ad above appeared in the Lorain Journal on November 10, 1966.

Although we shopped regularly at Hills, unfortunately I don't think we were there the same day Huck and Yogi were.  (We missed Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Hills visit too.)

But Hanna-Barbara’s promotional department must have had some kind of ongoing connection with Hills, because on another Saturday afternoon, I know we came home from the store with some H-B freebie stuff. I seem to recall a Punkin’ Puss hand puppet, as well as a 45 rpm record with a lame, "groovy" pop song about Yogi Bear.

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Ever since the original Huckleberry Hound series became a hit, Hanna-Barbara had costumed characters of Huck and Yogi making public appearances in support of the show (and the various toys and other items tied in with it).

An article in the Morning Call of February 27, 1960 noted, “Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear, in man-sized costumes, travel year around, from city to city, visiting stores. Each outfit cost $1,500 and new men are hired in each city to climb inside and play the TV animal heroes for the kids.”

Here are a few ads showing how the appearances were promoted in the newspapers.

This is an early one that apparently predated the preparation of good promotional artwork. Yogi’s got some severely dilated pupils in this ad that ran in the Boston Globe on August 23, 1959.

On the other hand, this ad (below) from the Oakland Tribune of October 30, 1959 has some excellent renderings of the duo. And they were giving away rings and sample packages of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and OK’s too!

Here’s a nice article about a personal appearance of the pair at the Los Angeles Sportsmen’s and Vacation Show. It ran in the Los Angeles Times on April 9, 1961. Yogi looks a little stubby, more like a bear cub than a full-sized bruin.

Here’s another ad from 1961. By this time, Yogi had eclipsed Huck as the star and had his own show. You can tell because he’s headlining the ad, and now Huckleberry is referred to as his pal. This ad ran in the Daily Oklahoman on July 28, 1961.

Here’s another ad (below) featuring the costumed versions of the characters. It ran in the Newport Daily News on August 8, 1964. Gee, with chowder and clam cakes being served, maybe they should have had Squiddly Diddly there too.

Lastly, here’s another Hills ad announcing a visit by Huckleberry & Yogi to a store in Pennsylvania only a few weeks before the Lorain gig. The ad ran in the Evening Standard in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on October 19, 1966.

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Wonder what the Huckleberry Hound costume looked like in color? You can see a couple of them on this early album cover.

By the way, we had one of those Huck Halloween masks!

George Washington's Coffee Ad – June 1919

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I enjoy writing about vintage advertising mascots. And this page (above) of the Lorain Times-Herald from June 20, 1919 – one hundred years ago this month – has a really offbeat one.

The advertisement is for G. Washington’s Coffee, which was an early instant coffee. Its mascot is an anthropomorphic can of the stuff. He’s in military garb because he’d been overseas during World War I, supplying the soldiers with an easy-to-prepare cup of coffee, (which they referred to as their ‘Cup of George’).

Here’s a closer look at the little guy.

You can read more about George Washington, the inventor (not the President) of the ‘prepared’ coffee here.

Anyway, as usual, there are other things of interest on the newspaper page, including ads for Whistle, McKee’s Shoes, the Boston Store, and a boat ride from Lorain to Put-in-Bay 

Jacob F. Gerhart Obituary – May 13, 1961

To wrap up my look at Smith & Gerhart, here's the obituary of Jacob Gerhart, one of the founders. He lived to a ripe old age of almost 90 years old, and the news of his death appeared on the front page of The Lorain Journal on May 13, 1961.

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Jacob F. Gerhart Dead
Founder Of One Of Oldest Business Firms Here Dies

A civic leader and founder of one of Lorain's oldest business houses, Jacob F. Gerhart, died Friday afternoon at the residence of his brother, Frank, 176 Avon Belden Rd., Avon Lake.

Mr. "G", as he was known before his retirement 23 years ago, would have been 90 years old Sept. 21. Born in Carlisle Township in 1871, he attended Elyria schools. At the age of 14 he became an employee of a dry goods establishment in Elyria and then spent his life working in that field.

In 1887, Mr. Gerhart, together with Henry Smith and John Opfer purchased the Boston Store on Broadway and retained the name of the business until Opfer sold his share to the other two. From then on, the establishment was known as Smith and Gerhart until Mr. "G" sold his interest in 1951.

He was a director of the National Bank of Lorain from 1933 to 1952 and active in many phases of civic groups including the Community Chest, the Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants Association.

Mr. Gerhart was also a former member of Lorain Elks and was an honorary member of the Rotary Club. He belonged to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Avon Lake and the Holy Name Society. He was  a longtime member of marathon cribbage players, a quarter of prominent Lorainites, A. J. Ginnane, Edgar J. Craft, James L. Martin and Gerhart.

Surviving are two sons, Arthur of Rocky River and Joseph in Lorain; three sisters, Mrs. Anna Giblin of Lorain, Mrs. Mayme Kilbridge of Berlin Heights and Mrs. Agnes O'Shea in Massillon; six granddaughters, and a great-granddaughter.

His wife, Sebenia, died several years ago.

Friends may call at the Burmeister Funeral Home, 163 Avon-Belden Rd., Avon Lake, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. today and Sunday.

Funeral services will be held Monday at 10:30 a.m. in St. Joseph Church with Rev. Fr. Carl C. Wernet, pastor, officiating.

Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Lorain.

Vernors 150th Annniversary

Sody pop (actually, we just called it ‘pop' in our house when I was a kid) has been a favorite topic on this blog. I’ve written about Wild West Sarsaparilla, Cherikee Red, Wild West Firewater, Pepsi, Vernors, Canada Dry and others.

I tend to buy the diet pops now, and one of them is my old favorite, Vernors. I noticed on my package that the company is celebrating its 150th Anniversary this year.

Vernors even created a special logo featuring Woody, the Vernors gnome, to commemorate the event.

Seeing as it’s going to be pretty hot for the next few days, I may have to make me one of them thar Boston Coolers with my Diet Vernors.

Click here to visit the Vernors website. It’s got some neat images and history of the 150-year-old drink.

And if you happen to live somewhere where Vernors isn’t available, you can always visit the Vernors Store website, which also carries a lot of other Detroit goodies.

Tell’em Woody sent ya.

Woody the Vernors gnome, from a 1960s ad in the Lorain Telephone directory

Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Program – 1967

Sorry, but I think I’ll spend one last day in Hockeytown here on the blog.

On Friday I mentioned that I was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs – so I just had to post this. It’s the October/November 1967 issue of Maple Leaf Gardens Hockey Magazine. This issue includes the program for the Saturday, October 21, 1967 game between the Leafs and the New York Rangers.

The magazine is a lot of fun to look at. It’s from a historic time period too, since the Leafs had just won the Stanley Cup in 1967.

To make it even more interesting, the 1967-68 season was the one in which the National Hockey League had just expanded from the “Original Six” (Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens) to include the six new expansion teams: Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and Oakland Seals.

Anyway, here’s the cover and Table of Contents. The cover features Ron Ellis, one of the Leafs from that era who, happily, is still with us.

I mentioned that the Leafs had just won the Stanley Cup the previous season (unfortunately it’s the last time they won it.) Well, here’s a spread celebrating that victory, with a great illustration of some of the team members holding the Cup. That’s the “Chief,” team captain George Armstrong, second from left holding the trophy; donut king and Hockey Hall of Famer Tim Horton is at far right.

There are plenty of ads featuring Leafs as shills for various companies. Here’s an ad with Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (and former Cleveland Baron) Johnny Bower.

And here are the team lineups for the game that night.

Other ads in the program feature well-known Toronto and Canadian institutions, like radio station 1050 CHUM (and well-remembered DJ Jay Nelson), Mac’s Milk convenience stores, and Le Coq d’Or Tavern.

I love this full-page ad for Shopsy hot dogs, with its great caricature of Sam Shopsowitz. Today, in addition to Shopsy hot dogs distributed through grocery stores, there's still a small chain of Shopsy deli restaurants in the Toronto area.

My favorite ad in the whole program is for the Canadian division of Post Cereals, featuring Sugar Bear and other mascots all suited up as Maple Leafs. Hey, that’s Linus the Lionhearted right next to the Honeycomb Kid.

****

Although I began making regular trips to Canada back in the late 1980s, I didn’t make it to a Maple Leaf game there until October 1998. Unfortunately, that was the season that the Leafs moved to the Air Canada Centre from Maple Leaf Gardens, their longtime home of 50 years. I still took a photo of the Gardens anyway.

Today, the lower levels of Maple Leaf Gardens are home to a shopping center and a Loblaws grocery store. However, there is still an ice rink on the third level, which is used by Ryerson University.

On that same 1998 trip, I took a photo of the CHUM radio station sign at the station’s home at 1331 Yonge Street. Since then, the station moved to a new location and is now known as sports radio station TSN Radio 1050. The old building has been demolished and replaced by condos.