Downtown Stores 1950's-60's (babysitting, shop, bus)

[NoahZark]

I remember Lou Bauer Ford very well. I bought four cars there in the early 50s. My very first "new" car was a 1956 Ford that turned out to have been a demo, and still had cigarette butts in one of the ash trays. I went back tok Herman Richter, the manager, who was also a family friend, to complain, and - believe it or not - he exchanged it for a REALLY new Ford "hard top," black with a white top and black & white fabric & vinyl upholstery, that was really a classy vehicle.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by NoahZark

Yes, I remember Max's very well. It was at 7th & Central and specialized in "all the latest styles for men." I was a very good customer and remember "My Salesman," Don Altman. It was through someone at Max's that I landed a very good job as a bill collector while i was in college in the 50s.
Sometime ager I had let Cincinnati Max's moved to the Swifton Mall (?) and changed its name to the Gentry Shop.But it was never the same as the original. Things seldom are.

Max's last name must have been Elkus, then.
What's funny is that "everybody" said the same thing as the last two sentences in the quoted post when Gentry Shops left Swifton in favor of the farther-out suburbs. You could still find good, quality "threads" at the succeeding locations (Montgomery Rd and Princeton Pike, at the fringe of the mall sprawls of Kenwood and Tri-County.) But - maybe it's my imagination, and/or memory playing tricks on me - something had changed. Could've been the newness of the buildings, perhaps, but somehow the newer stores were...different. The wall-to-wall carpeting and softer fluorescent lights (to say nothing of big windows facing outside) were probably enough to trigger that feeling, though. Point still being that no one felt quite the same at "Gentry" any longer.

Speaking of Woolworth's, those "dime stores" were high class compared to their present-day counterpart, Family Dollar. YUCK! There was no shame over having a Woolworth's nearby because "everyone" shopped there whether they'd admit it or not. (I still have stuff I bought from the one where I live now, well over a decade later.) Now I joke with a heavy layer of sarcasm that "nothing says 'nice, up-and-coming neighborhood' like a Family Dollar store."

[Charles oaks]

Does anyone know the names of any downtown Cincinnati furniture stores? Around 1950? My dad always told me about one store that sold him a television set. He told the salesman he could not afford one so the guy insisted he take it home and pay what he could when he could. He paid 5 or 10 dollars a week for about a year. Wish I could remember the store

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by Charles oaks

Does anyone know the names of any downtown Cincinnati furniture stores? Around 1950? My dad always told me about one store that sold him a television set.

Smith Furniture was one of the big downtown stores, but I don't believe they sold television sets. Could it have been Sun Furniture?

[dlfleeman]

Originally Posted by james mister

Does any one remember Hardy shoe store on vine street? They sold matador boots when they were popular around 1962. Later they sold beatle boots when that group became famous. Does any one remember peri's Pancake house over on main street? It was close to willis music store.

I bought several pairs of shoes at Hardy, first the Matador boots. Later the laced moccasins with teardrop soles. Made in Italy no less! Those were the days when inexpensive footwear came from Europe - not Asia. I played drums, and those shoes were the best for my bass drum work. Loved that place

[Harvestman]

Originally Posted by Charles oaks

Does anyone know the names of any downtown Cincinnati furniture stores? Around 1950?

Davis Furniture on Main was in business for over 100 years before closing in 2002(?) and is currently vacant...with no floors inside.
There was some debate as to what would become of the building, but I think it'll remain a crumbling hulk for the foreseeable future.

Originally Posted by franke01

I do remember them losing their masts or whatever they were called and the driver going to the back and reattaching them.

Looked pretty dangerous - blood in the water for liability lawyers these days, I would think.

This still happens even with modern trolley buses. Saw it happen with one of Dayton's Skodas after turning out of the transit center in downtown Dayton. Presumably it's less dangerous than it seems, since the driver did not make a big deal out of reattaching the poles.

[CraigCreek]

There was a little mom and pop candy shop in a small one-story brick building, a couple of blocks northeast of the public library, when I lived in Cincinnati back in the early 70s. They made and sold rock candy on a string, made with brown sugar - delicious. I seem to remember an old man behind the counter - probably in his mid to late 70s, which doesn't sound quite so old to me nowadays.

Was it Shillito's or Pogue's which had a pet department? They had a mynah bird, no longer for sale, who would screech "Forty-nine ninety five! Forty-nine ninety five!" whenever anyone came near. He was quite a character.

[$honey]

Originally Posted by Charles oaks

Does anyone know the names of any downtown Cincinnati furniture stores? Around 1950? My dad always told me about one store that sold him a television set. He told the salesman he could not afford one so the guy insisted he take it home and pay what he could when he could. He paid 5 or 10 dollars a week for about a year. Wish I could remember the store

There was also a furniture store in downtown Cincinnati called The Jake Tennenbaum Furniture Company. I believe my parents bought a sofa and carpeting there. I recently saw some wood furniture listed as antiques for sale on line.

[Joseph K. Hazlett]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

I was gonna mention Shillitos, but someone beat me to it! How about Mabley and Carew?

Worked at Pogue's as stock boy in 1949

[MiddleCincinnati]

Wasn't that Murray's (or Murray Bros.)? They moved to the Norwood mall after that building was razed.

Originally Posted by CraigCreek

There was a little mom and pop candy shop in a small one-story brick building, a couple of blocks northeast of the public library, when I lived in Cincinnati back in the early 70s. They made and sold rock candy on a string, made with brown sugar - delicious. I seem to remember an old man behind the counter - probably in his mid to late 70s, which doesn't sound quite so old to me nowadays.