You may be having most of your holiday packages delivered to your door this year, but let’s travel back into a Christmas holiday season of the past to learn how shopping downtown has changed and stayed the same. The year of our visit will be revealed at the end of our trip. A cartoon ad appeared on the front page of the Daily Eagle, Dec. 3 to announce only 19 more days for Christmas shopping.
Grocers along Main Street were advertising Christmas goodies such as walnuts, cranberries, dates, and figs, as well as ingredients for homemade mincemeat pies and fruit cakes. Zink’s grocery ad offered turkeys, ducks, geese or chickens — LIVE or dressed. There were also the Lancaster Sanitary Fish, Fruit & Poultry Market on West Main, and the Mauger Fish Market on East Main.
Florists’ ads were reminding shoppers about Christmas flowers and novelties, and to “Temper the Christmas Excitement with the Peace of Beautiful Flowers.” Benadum’s Florist and the Quality Flower Shop were right downtown. The Trimble & Oppeneer Greenhouse (809 E. Wheeling) was a proud member of the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery and able to “deliver flowers in 2 hours’ time any place in the U.S. or Canada.”
Music stores’ ads were stressing the joy music brings to the holidays. Kane’s Music Store (213 S. Broad) was encouraging the purchase of a player-piano for Christmas. “It brings you the best piano music without years of study…” J. C. Welton & Co. (127 S. Broad) was featuring Victrolas, and E. A. Young & Co. (109 N. Columbus) said he offered “Just what you want, whether it be a deluxe console model Brunswick phonograph or an inexpensive table model.”
Three jewelers were located right downtown: Harry Boving, Albert Wendel, and E.B.O. Smith. All featured “classy” ads suggesting jewelry was the best gift for women. For men the L. E. Huddle Co. (212-218 W. Main) stated: “There is no gift you can buy that delivers as much benefit, comfort and happiness as an automobile…Let us explain to you how easy it is to buy one.” Huddle also suggested: “Your good car will appreciate a little gift and — this is a secret — you get the benefit of anything you give it…Look to us for the latest tested and proven accessories.”At least 10 stores were located downtown offering men’s clothing and furnishings: Robert L. Benua Co., Highland & Fricker, HUB Clothing, Liberal Credit Clothing Co., Joe Mattox, Gerhard Miller & Co., Peter Miller’s Sons, Mondhank & Mills, U.S. Army Store, and Work & Briner. For the ladies there were: Hickle Co., Kessel’s Fashion Shop, McFee & Miller, Rothbardt’s, C. P. Thimmes & Co., and Charles P. Wiseman & Co.
The Syndicate was a department store for the entire family. Two items of special note: Santa Claus arrived at The Syndicate on Dec. 15 and stayed until Christmas to meet the children of Lancaster. The oldest clothing firm at the time was Peter Miller’s Sons. And if you are wondering about other “specialty” shops, yes, there were hat shops, shoe stores, pharmacies, furniture stores, hardware stores, and others not mentioned.
Few ads included prices except Christmas trees at Wacker’s Grocery (300 N. Columbus). Wacker’s trees were 35 to 75 cents each, and 10 cents less if taken with you. Christmas trees were also advertised for sale at Keller’s Quality Shop (121 W. Main), E. H. Binninger’s Sons (201-05 S. Columbus), and Ed Littrell’s stand in the Market House.
Interestingly, for the first time in the history of the Lancaster Post Office, there was no rural mail delivery on Christmas Day. The city mail carriers did, however, continue to make one delivery on Christmas Day (22 Dec. Daily Eagle). “Several of the Main St. restaurants were closed Christmas all day, something that never occurred before” (26 Dec. Daily Eagle). Yes, there was snow: “A white Christmas dawned upon us yesterday which came as a great surprise but was welcomed by nearly everyone…but the snow had about all disappeared by nightfall” (26 Dec. Daily Eagle). And you ask, what year was this? It was 100 years ago — 1923!
Readers may contact Harvey at[email protected]