The "Past Memories...Long Gone...But Not Forgotten!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Exploring a few Lancaster Facebook pages and enjoying all the posts that people are entering that talk about and show some of the memories they have of Lancaster and it's history.  Old black and white photographs of a few former department stores and big box stores in Lancaster have been recently posted and I emailed a copy of one of them to my friend Jere who now lives in State College, Pennsylvania.  At one time, while going through college at Millersville State Teachers College, he worked at a discount store as a security guard in the nearby Manor Shopping Center known as Arlans.  

At the same time I was working at the Acme Supermarket at the opposite end of the shopping center as a stocker and check-out clerk.  Arlans was an American discount store chain that was founded in 1945 by the Palestine brothers in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  The chain peaked in size at 119 stores in 1970, by which time the company began experiencing heavy operating losses.  In 1971 they sold 16 stores to Target and ended up closing the rest.  Another big box store chain was known as Nichols.

They were a Louisiana owned business that opened their first store in 1914 in DeQuincy, Louisiana.  Nichols took pride in offering high quality merchandise at competitive prices with friendly, hometown customer service.  They had items such as sporting goods, housewares, clothing, gifts and home accessories.  In Lancaster, the Nichols store opened on July 31, 1960 on the corner of Manheim Pike and Dillerville Road.  On June 11, 1987 they announced they were going to expand by moving to the nearby Golden Triangle.  Then on July 31, 1987 they opened their store for shopping on Sundays.  Never did move, but declared bankruptcy in April of 1991.   City Line Business Center now occupies the area where Nichols once prospered.  

On November 14, 1966 Two Guys opened in the Lincoln Plaza Shopping Center which was at the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Rohrerstown Road.  It too was a big box store like Arlans and Nichols.  It closed on January 13, 1980.  

Advertisement in the Lancaster Newspaper.

Now, to get away from these big box stores, I offer you one of my all-time favorite stores in downtown Lancaster.  Place was called Steinfeldt's.  At first it was a tobacco shop but eventually became known as "The Store of 1000 Gifts." They had a large selection of souvenir postcards, mostly from the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

This is the block that was destroyed years ago.  This is
one of the many postcards sold at Steinfeldt's

Today they are a very collectible item.  I loved it most for their novelty items they sold.  I would buy little tins of round silver pieces that look like the silver dragees that are used in cooking.  When you threw them they exploded upon impact!  Boy did they scare you if you didn't know they were being thrown at you.  

Mexican jumping beans.

I would buy them before I went to choir practices on Saturday mornings as a member of the boys choir at St. James Church and throw a few during choir practice.  My little angelic face was never suspected of doing that.  Also loved their Mexican jumping beans which were seed pods that had actual larva of a small moth in them.  It would jump when mildly heated.  Fun to hold in your closed hand to warm them and open your hand to see them jump perhaps a quarter inch in height.  They were non-toxic, but not meant to be eaten.  I'm positive a few of my friends tried to eat them, but I never did!  The store was demolished along with the remainder of two blocks of the downtown area when they began the big mistake of urban renewal.  To this day I believe they wish they had never destroyed the neat stores in the two blocks of North Queen Street.   There are quite a few other stores in Lancaster that are worthy mention, but for today, I have rambled on enough!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Just A Bunch Of Stuff To Entertain Both You And Me!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I are bored out of our minds watching the President try to justify his recent decisions on NBC, watching woman parade around in the latest designer clothes on QVC, watching reruns of "Leave It To Beaver" on ME TV and watching reruns of sporting events from the 1980s.  We knew that we just had to do something to pass the time with the TV turned off.  Decided to search different sites on my MacBook Air and found a few things more interesting than what I just listed.  On the "Trivia Genius" website I found a question asking if I knew the "Musicians with the most number-one hits."  Carol guessed her favorite band, The Beatles, and I...had no idea.  In case you were wondering...#5 was Madonna with 12 Number-one hits; #4 was Michael Jackson with 13 Number-one hits; #3 was Rihanna (Who? I'm giving away my age here I guess!) with 14 Number-one hits; #2 was Mariah Carey (I heard of her) with 18 Number-one hits; and #1 was The Beatles with 20 Number one hits.  Way to go Dear!  "So what's next!" she yelled to me.  "How about trying to guess five truths or lies you've been told about eating healthy?" I said.   Well, these are a bit tougher than you may think.  #1 - Is being vegetarian or vegan instantly healthier.  It's a lie!  Opting not to eat meat may seem to be more healthy, but in return you must remember to take certain vitamins that are needed in a healthy diet which can be found in animal products.  #2 - Does weight loss require a diet you hate.  Another lie!  You can still eat the things you love and lose weight.  The trick is to practice moderation and eat smaller portions.  #3 - Eggs are bad for your heart!  Lie!  For a long time people thought eggs were considered a no-no because it was thought that they were very high in cholesterol which is bad for you.  But, now we know that even though eggs do contain more cholesterol than foods of similar size, they're incredibly powerful at helping the body naturally reduce bad cholesterol levels and improving good cholesterol levels. #4 - Margarine is more healthy than butter.  Another lie!  Once again, butter was supposed to increase your cholesterol and make your blood pressure higher which would cause heart disease.  We now know that we shouldn't over-indulge in butter, but margarine might actually be worse, since margarine might actually be higher in trans and saturated fats.  Take your pick!  And, #5 -  All carbonated drinks are bad for you.  OMG...I never knew that!  And, I love sodas.  Well, it's not a lie!  It was thought that drinking a sugary soda all the time is a great way to get diabetes and raise your dentist bill.  Well, carbonated doesn't always mean "sugary."  They suggest you drink sparkling water or naturally fruit-flavored seltzers that don't contain added sugars.  Hey, wait...does that still mean that sodas are bad for you?  Well, at that point I stopped reading and headed to the fridge for a Coke.  The final part of my story today deals with a trip my wife and I took to the local grocery store.  A few days ago we heard on TV that our local GIANT grocery store would open at 6:00 AM for people who are over 60 years old.  They reasoned that we would want to arrive early before the place got dirty and all the virus bugs came to eat the scraps on the floor.  We were standing at the door at 6:00 AM when they opened...in the dark...with about 50 other people!  Do you know how long a line that is when you are supposed to be 6 feet apart?  We didn't even get into the store until 6:20 AM with all the walkers and little old ladies carrying shopping bags.   The guard at the door was checking for gray hair I think.  When I went past him he wasn't so sure about me since I shave my head.  Carol looked at him and said, "He's with me!"  And she has the gray hair!  About 80% of the people were wearing plastic gloves.  What a sight; blue ones, green ones, and of course clear ones.  Guess what...no toilet paper!  While checking out I asked the teenage clerk if he volunteered to come in this early.  "Yeah, right!" he said. After shopping and heading back to the car, we placed our groceries in the back and took off our gloves and threw them on the floor of the car.  At that point I had this very rational observation.  "We just went through the store and put items in our shopping cart with gloved hands.  So, what if the person in front of us had the coronavirus and touched some of the items we put in our cart.  The gloves probably saved us...right!  But now when we go home and take out all the groceries with our bare hands, we will touch the same items that may have the virus on them.  Shouldn't we leave our gloves on all day long?  We decided the gloves don't make a bit of difference.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Today we needed not only an afternoon nap, but a mid-morning nap.

The "The Decline Of The Large Retailers In Lancaster, PA" Story

Foreword:  A short time ago Lancaster's newspaper featured a story on page 1 telling that the local Sears store would close in March.  The story that follows was written in early November, before I knew the exact date of closing.

It was an ordinary day.  Hopping on my Craftsman mower to collect the fallen leaves.  Have been doing that fall chore since we moved to our beach house in Lancaster, Pennsylvania about 20 years ago.  One of the first purchases we made when we moved was a riding mower, since walking behind a smaller push mower on an acre of land gets pretty old.  And, we were told by a fellow who repairs mowers that the best on the market was the Craftsman sold by Sears.  My neighbor had a pickup truck and he and I along with my sons made a trip to the Sears store to pick up the mower.  I have used it every summer for over 20 years now and with a few tune-ups it has given me great service.  Then, a couple of days ago I read in the newspaper that Sears was going out of business.  How can that be?  Tough to tell how many items we have bought at the store at the Park City Mall in Lancaster County.  

Shopping Mall entrance to Sears

Sears came to Lancaster when they opened a store on Penn Square in 1933 in downtown Lancaster.  That was eight years after the mail-order merchant diversified into bricks-and-mortar retailing.  It stood at the same location where a large fountain now stands.  Eventually business in Lancaster grew and Sears, Roebuck and Co., the official company name with the "and" spelled out and Co. abbreviated, moved to 40 E. King Street in 1941.  Then in 1958 they moved to the newly opened Lancaster Shopping Center and was one of the first large retailers to leave center city Lancaster.  

An advertisement for Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Then in 1972 they became one of the first four anchors at Park City when they moved into their 158,000 square foot store.  With the growth of e-commerce retailers in the last couple of years, Sears is vacating their Park City Center store following Bon-Ton and perhaps J.C. Penney which is also on the ropes.  Only Boscovs still remains.  Sears had purchased discount retailer K-Mart a few years ago and the K-Mart store near my house closed in March of 2017.  

An older Sears store logo.

There are still a few K-Mart stores in Lancaster County that are still open, but it may be just a matter of time before they follow the lead of Sears and close.  Retail stores are closing left and right in Lancaster.  Not too long ago Toys R Us closed their doors.  Retail giants seem to be succumbing to the large online websites such as Amazon and eBay.  I must admit I buy many items online since it so much easier to do so and the price is usually less than the big retailers.  The big online companies do have big work forces and all the delivery services, including the US Postal Service  seem to be hiring more people to deliver the products.  I hate to see all the big retailers going under, but as I get older it is so much easier to shop online.  

Ad for Sears homes.

Sears was responsible for introducing America to Build-it-yourself houses when they sold kits with names like Croydon and Alhanbra.  There were actually 447 styles of homes which were featured in the Sears catalogs with illustrations of finished interiors.  One design was modeled after Mount Vernon, George Washington's plantation house in Virginia, but was called the Jefferson.  You bought the home and framing lumber, nails, varnish, carved staircase parts and plumbing components were delivered to you.  You needed to supply the builder, but the cost was considerably less than a conventional house.  

Sears even sold motor buggies.

Today the Sears homes are the subject of many books.  Many homes had a Sears Catalog as reading matter.  Then in 1966 Sears opened an art gallery in Chicago selling works by Chagall, Picasso, Miro and Andrew Wyeth.  Sears sold more the 50,000 pieces of fine art in 1971 when it ended it art sales.  Today Costco is exploring the fine arts market.  Sears will be missed I'm sure.   Luckily I found that the Ace Hardware distributors in Lancaster County are now selling Craftsman tools and maybe in the future will add the riding mowers.  Of course, my current mower may last until I decide to give someone else a chance to mow grass and move into a retirement home.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Exploring The Wild In Style" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Heading north out of Lititz, Pennsylvania to make a visit to Cabela's, Inc. in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.  The ride will take about an hour, since we are taking the back roads to take in the scenery.  The store is about a quarter of a million square feet in size and extremely impressive if you are an outdoor's person.  Our chauffeur today is Hal and I am sitting in the rear seat of his Ford Escape with Jeff while Barry plays shotgun for today's trip.  The four of us have known each other for many years, since we taught school together in the Manheim Township School District in Lancaster County.  

Main entrance of Cabela's in Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Hal had been to the store quite a few times while Jeff and Barry have visited a time or two.  Today will be my first visit to the mammoth store that specializes in supplies for hunters and fishermen.  The company, which was recently sold to Bass Pro Shops, does well over 1 billion in sales each year and attracts 60 million visitors a year.  

Stepping into the world of fishing and hunting

The store has over 400 employees who are some of the most interesting and helpful you will ever meet.  Hal told us the story of the place and how the entire area around the store was constructed after Cabela's was completed.  The parking lot is as big as some residential neighborhoods.  Anyone entering for the first time has to be impressed at the size of the place.  Tough to see to the other end due to the immense size of the interior.  If you aren't a fan of stuffed animals and taxidermy, this isn't the place for you.  Has to be a couple of hundred preserved animals of all sizes in the myriad of displays around the store.  The rest of my story will be a visual one to show you the immense size of the place and the quality of products they sell as well as the High Temple of Taxidermy.  I naturally had my camera with me.  I have only identified a few of the photos, since most are easily identifiable and the rest I have forgotten their names.  Enjoy!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Click on images to enlarge them.

Entering the fresh-water aquarium

Friends from left are Barry, Hal and Jeff

The second level has a lunch room

John, one of many fabulous employees

The end of the journey.  Took almost 2 hours to explore the place.

The "The First 5&10 Cent Store In The World" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Clicked on my e-file labeled "Woolworth" which I have been collecting for the past three years.  In 2015 I wrote a very brief story telling about Frank Woolworth and his first successful 5 & 10 cent store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Over the past couple of years I have been able to collect over twenty-five photographs of that building that was located at 19-21 North Queen Street.  Mr. Woolworth began his career in retail sales when he opened a small store in New York.  Wasn't long before it failed.  He then opened a store in Lancaster at 170 North Queen Street.  His idea was to open a store where the customers could pick up his merchandise and examine it before buying it rather than the retail model at the time of handing a clerk a list of items and having them gather the items for you.  His store in the second block of N. Queen was so successful that he decided to build what he called the Lancaster Skyscraper.  He hired C. Emlen Urban who designed it in 1900.  The building was constructed of steel, iron, stone and brick.  It was five stories high with a roof garden and two gold-domed towers that rose 45 feet into the sky.  The store closed in 1949 and was demolished, making room for what was said to be a bulk-standard concrete and glass superstore that stood at 19-21 North Queen Street until the late 1990s when it too was demolished, making room for an extension of a neighboring bank.  Follow the photos and advertisements I have been able to locate and see for yourself the rise and fall of one of the greatest stores in downtown Lancaster.

This store was located at 170 North Queen Street in downtown Lancaster.

An enlargement of the front of the store.

A postcard of the Woolworth Building at 19-21 N. Queen Street .  This building was designed by C. Emlen Urban and has five stories with the roof garden and gold domes on either side of the garden.

Another view of Woolworth's skyscraper with the 1st floor awnings extended.

Red Cross flags fly in front of the store. To the right is the McCrory's Department Store.

Interior of the store with customers shopping.

A dispenser for your choice of cologne.

A black and white of the counters in the department store.

Another view of the interior of the store.  

A postcard sent to a friend telling where their office is located in the building.

The Woolworth building is to the rear of this postcard.  It shows the east side of the first block of North Queen Street as you look south towards Lancaster's square and the Soldiers & Sailor's monument.

This shows the building from the opposite end of North Queen Street looking north.

The rooftop terrace can be seen in this old black and white photograph.

I believe this is a painting rather than a photograph.

This may be an advertisement for the Everts & Overdeer Plumbing and Heating contractors.  They picture the Woolworth Building Roof Garden. 

An advertisement for Woolworth's telling all the locations of the store.

Another ad for F.W. Woolworth

This color ad shows the variety of Hubley Toys they have for sale.  Hubley Toys were cast iron toys made in Lancaster, PA.

A Christmas advertisement showing greeting cards for sale.

This photograph would be from 1949 when the store was demolished to build a concrete and glass superstore.  What a shame someone didn't have the foresight to stop the demolition of one of Lancaster's finest buildings in its history.

This is what was built!  What a shame!!

This photograph and the following one show the demolition of the concrete and glass superstore to make room for an expansion of the bank that stood nearby.

History being destroyed.

A collage of photos telling the history of F.W. Woolworth 5 &10 Store.

Mr. F.W. Woolworth.

The obituary of one of America's premier salesman and entrepreneurs.