The "From Hotel to 5&10 Market" Story

The Cecil Hotel in North East, Maryland sometime in the 1920's.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the small display case in Cramer's Antique Market on Main Street in North East, Maryland.  Had lunch with our friends Jerry and Just Sue in Chesapeake City and decided to take the 15 minute drive to explore the shops that line both sides of Main Street in the small town.  It was in the late 1600's that the first Europeans found and established a village for fishing, trade and farming along the Northeast River.  

The old Hotel Cecil sign that hangs in the 5&10 Antique Mall.

Before then, the Susque- hannock Indians lived off the land and river that is a feeder into the great Chesapeake Bay.  In the 1920's, The Cecil Hotel stood on the west side of Main St. welcoming visitors and guests to the town.  The building eventually became "Cramer's 5 & 10" where the residents of the town could do their Christmas shopping.  

The hotel then became Cramer's 5 & 10 store.

Cramer's Christmas Catalog featured a Buck Rogers Sonic Ray Gun for $2.29 as well as a Saucy Walker doll for $15.95, prices which I'm sure were fairly expensive for that time period.  All items were made in the U.S.A. it was stated in the catalog.  Then, a Mr. Dave McDaniel, the retired chairman of the 1st National Bank of North East, purchased the building and renovated it to house 60 antique dealers and named it the 5 & 10 Antique Market.  

The inside of the antique mall as it appears today.  The
candy counter still remains as in years gone by.  

The photos I am looking at in the display case show the history of the building with cars and dress from earlier periods.  The two story mall still features the candy cases that once housed the penny candy as well as gourmet chocolates.  Glass jars filled with peanuts Swedish fish and jawbreakers still bring back memories of past times for those who grew up in North East.  I've purchase a few items over the years in the market such as a Wallace Nutting photograph and a Phillies baseball bobble head.  Neat looking through all the old stuff, wondering if some of the items of mine that my mom threw out over the years might be sitting on the shelves or display cases of the store.  As I left the musty smell of the store, I snapped a photo to share to show you what the store looks like today.  Much the same as it did when it first opened to the public as a hotel in the 1920's.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The 5 & 10 Antique Market on Main St. in North East, MD.