Retail Richmond, Odds and Ends - 1947
Dublin Core
Title
Retail Richmond, Odds and Ends - 1947
Description
Here are some odds and ends, not necessarily connected by a common theme or issue.
First, I present interesting items from a copy of the Richmond Daily Register of March 11, 1947. We learn the following facts: There are three movie houses in Richmond – the Madison and State theatres (both run by the Schine chain) and the Eastern Auditorium, run to entertain students but open to the general public, by Eastern State College.
Wilson Bond was an area realtor, Bob Walker was his auctioneer. Lerman Brothers and E. H. Muncy Furniture were thriving and George Myers was, among other appliances carried, the local Frigidaire dealer. At that time, Frigidaire was the best-selling brand in the country and many people called all refrigerators “Frigidaires” regardless of manufacturer.
I am not sure exactly where it was located, but the Maple Lawn Tea Room was open and doing business in 1947, you could call them up at 361-J. Richmond’s self-proclaimed premiere tailor was J.W. Cobb. James Anderson sold “the iron fireman” (a stoker, I believe).
There were several bicycle shops. The one-single panel cartoon carried in the paper went by the name of “The Old Home Town.” Other businesses were Best-Lovell Hardware, C.W. White and Sons (seeds), Home Furniture and Cornett Drugs. Kennedy Produce, Blue Grass Hardware and the Richmond Ice Company were booming.
Notice what a variety of things were bought and sold by Kennedy Produce — poultry, eggs, wood, hides, rags, irons, batteries, magazines, feathers and country cured meats. They sold at retail hardware, fence, roofing, paint, turpentine, plows, garden seeds, harnesses, as well as electrical and plumbing supplies. Can our big chain stores of today match this range of goods?
On another note, the Glyndon Hotel is up for sale this year. This Richmond landmark dates back to 1889. The first building burned and the present edifice went up in 1892. Glyndon is a Danish word for “haven of rest,” but where the Danish connection originally came from I have been unable to uncover. If you know of the Danish connection to Madison County, please let me know.
There use to be a side porch on the South Third Street side, as well as a tailor’s shop and a barber shop and a ladies-only entrance. Over the years, there have been a number of dining rooms associated with the hotel, and what at the time was Richmond’s only public elevator. For years, Daniel Boone looked down at you from a portrait in the comfortable lobby. Many county families met to recount their retail adventures in the lobby of the Glyndon after a long day downtown shopping.
My long-time column co-author, Bob Grise, has written of the horse drawn streetcar that ran between Richmond’s two railroad stations — one on East Main and the other on North Third. A major stop on this city route was at the Glyndon Hotel.
If we lose the Glyndon Hotel to the dubious forces of progress and urban renewal, Richmond will not be the same. The proud old place holds a central location in Madison’s heritage.
First, I present interesting items from a copy of the Richmond Daily Register of March 11, 1947. We learn the following facts: There are three movie houses in Richmond – the Madison and State theatres (both run by the Schine chain) and the Eastern Auditorium, run to entertain students but open to the general public, by Eastern State College.
Wilson Bond was an area realtor, Bob Walker was his auctioneer. Lerman Brothers and E. H. Muncy Furniture were thriving and George Myers was, among other appliances carried, the local Frigidaire dealer. At that time, Frigidaire was the best-selling brand in the country and many people called all refrigerators “Frigidaires” regardless of manufacturer.
I am not sure exactly where it was located, but the Maple Lawn Tea Room was open and doing business in 1947, you could call them up at 361-J. Richmond’s self-proclaimed premiere tailor was J.W. Cobb. James Anderson sold “the iron fireman” (a stoker, I believe).
There were several bicycle shops. The one-single panel cartoon carried in the paper went by the name of “The Old Home Town.” Other businesses were Best-Lovell Hardware, C.W. White and Sons (seeds), Home Furniture and Cornett Drugs. Kennedy Produce, Blue Grass Hardware and the Richmond Ice Company were booming.
Notice what a variety of things were bought and sold by Kennedy Produce — poultry, eggs, wood, hides, rags, irons, batteries, magazines, feathers and country cured meats. They sold at retail hardware, fence, roofing, paint, turpentine, plows, garden seeds, harnesses, as well as electrical and plumbing supplies. Can our big chain stores of today match this range of goods?
On another note, the Glyndon Hotel is up for sale this year. This Richmond landmark dates back to 1889. The first building burned and the present edifice went up in 1892. Glyndon is a Danish word for “haven of rest,” but where the Danish connection originally came from I have been unable to uncover. If you know of the Danish connection to Madison County, please let me know.
There use to be a side porch on the South Third Street side, as well as a tailor’s shop and a barber shop and a ladies-only entrance. Over the years, there have been a number of dining rooms associated with the hotel, and what at the time was Richmond’s only public elevator. For years, Daniel Boone looked down at you from a portrait in the comfortable lobby. Many county families met to recount their retail adventures in the lobby of the Glyndon after a long day downtown shopping.
My long-time column co-author, Bob Grise, has written of the horse drawn streetcar that ran between Richmond’s two railroad stations — one on East Main and the other on North Third. A major stop on this city route was at the Glyndon Hotel.
If we lose the Glyndon Hotel to the dubious forces of progress and urban renewal, Richmond will not be the same. The proud old place holds a central location in Madison’s heritage.
Creator
Dr. Fred Engle
Date
12/21/2010
Rights
Content may be freely copied for personal and educational purposes with appropriate citation. Permission is required to reprint.
Collection
Citation
Dr. Fred Engle, “Retail Richmond, Odds and Ends - 1947,” Madison's Heritage Online, accessed March 29, 2023, https://madisonsheritage.eku.edu/items/show/1796.