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Show Us Your Vintage Hat Store

G. W. Alexander from F. M. Light & Sons, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Some hat stores require a lot of research (and runs down rabbit holes), but this one was easy as the legwork had already been done.

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"F.M. Light & Sons is Steamboat Springs' historic clothing store and a special place where customers enjoy a step back into the old west while browsing among many original fixtures from one hundred years ago. Outfitting the West since 1905, F.M. Light & Sons is the oldest retail store in the area and is still owned and operated by the fifth generation of Lights, Lindsay and Chris Dillenbeck. Lindsay's great great grandfather, F.M. (Frank) Light, came to Steamboat Springs in 1905 from Hicksville, Ohio with his wife and seven children and decided this was the spot he wanted to make his future home. F.M. Light & Sons has remained at its original location at 830 Lincoln Avenue for over one hundred years. One might wonder why F.M. Light & Sons continues in business. There is a certain tradition to keep alive - not just from a personal standpoint but for other people as well. There's a certain sense of nostalgia about coming to Steamboat Springs and stopping at F.M. Light & Sons. Some customers return because they can remember seeing one of the Light brothers calling on their parents at the ranch in a panel truck and the excitement they experienced when packages arrived in their mail boxes a few days later. This is a part of our western heritage. The store has a certain sentimental connection with its clientèle. It is comforting to old time customers to know the store is still doing business in its original location by the same family. " https://www.steamboatchamber.com/listing/f-m-light-and-sons/3647/

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"During the lean years the Lights considered farming and teaching to make ends meet. And, in a unique marketing approach even by today’s standards (with better vehicles and roads), they obtained a loan from Milner Bank & Trust, increased their inventory and took their store on the road. Throughout the history of F.M. Light and Sons, creative thinking and imaginative marketing has been a cornerstone.

A STORE ON WHEELS

The great depression was the cause for many broken businesses and busted banks. Rather than waiting for the farmers and ranchers to come to town, the Lights went to them.

When 1st National Bank locked its doors one morning in 1933, Light lost all of his money. With true western grit, the Light family fought for their store. Throughout the history of F.M. Light and Sons, each generation has worked hard to further the legacy. The idea of the traveling store first took shape to do just that. When the railroad came to Steamboat, F.M. Light packed up his wagon with goods and went to the workers and eventually the ranches and farms as well. Not long after, his sons Olin and Clarence were alternating weeks on the road, traveling as far north as Jackson Hole, Wyoming, west to the Utah border and south to Aspen.

Clarence Light explained it: “a tour of the territory required a good many weeks. The usual plan was to spend a night at the ranch to get thoroughly acquainted with the family and hired men and their clothing needs, often resulting in orders of $100 or more. We always insisted on paying for our own lodging when visiting customers. We also made many lasting friendships.” Clarence was still traveling at the ripe old age of 87.

The F.M. Light salesmen would pull up in paneled trucks equipped with shelves, hangers and merchandise. Olin and Clarence would haul great suitcases heavy with samples into the ranch houses and bunkrooms. Orders were mailed into the store each day so they could be filled and shipped out to the customers immediately. For many, this was the only shopping they did all year. Within five years the traveling store represented 50 per cent of their sales. Although this was the darkest time in the history of F.M. Light and Sons, hard work and the community truly came together and the store persevered." http://fmlight.com/history/


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Resistol Breezeweight Panama from Weber & Heilbroner in New York City.

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The store chain was started in 1902 by Milton Weber and Louis Heilbroner. The original Weber and Heilbroner stores were located at 920 3rd Avenue and 757 Broadway at the corner of 8th Street. The number of stores increased to 14 at the peak. By the 1970s they were gone.

1914: 11 stores at that time.

Weber_Heilbroner_Ad_1914.png


241 Broadway location (City Hall Park), 1920s.

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325 - 341 Adams Street in 1923:

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Circa 1930: Not sure of the location.
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385 Fulton Street in 1939: The chain would grow to 14 stores at their peak and then drop to 9 during WWII.

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Surviving neon sign (as of 2013) at the former Broad location.

Weber_Heilbroner_Broad_Neon.JPG


Their well known ghost sign on 6th Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets:

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Resistol Double X Quality from Crum's Department Store in Newcastle, Wyoming.

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Earl Crum started Crum's Department Store in Newcastle, Wyoming in the 1930s. His son Dave and grandson Tom would help carry on the store for the next six decades.

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Mid-1950s: On the left just past Castle Cafe.

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Late 1950s:

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The store was in this location until a fire in 1980:

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They then moved to a different location on Main Street.

Crums_Department_Store_Newcastle_1980s_New_Location.JPG


They were here until 1995 when they moved to the Wallack Building (next to the Dogie Theater -- where Curves is in this photo).

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They closed in 1997.

The gap left by the 1980s fire.

Crums_Department_Store_Newcastle_Today.JPG


I was hoping to find more on this store as a newspaper archive had a multipart series on the three stores above, but the week they covered Crum's was missing. I can't find it anywhere. Dang ...
 
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Late 1920s Dobbs derby from The Printz Co., Inc. store in Franklin, Pennsylvania. There was padding behind the sweat band from a Franklin newspaper dated 1929 and from a brown paper bag from another Franklin store.

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From Bert H. Printz's obituary (1859 - 1945):

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In 1864, Bert immigrated to this country with his parents from Austria-Hungary. Bert attended schools in Youngstown, Ohio. Upon finishing school, Bert went to Hornell, New York where he worked as a shoe salesman. Bert spent two years in New York. He moved to Sharon, Pennsylvania and worked in a clothing store as a salesman. Bert started his own clothing and men's furnishing store in Sharon in 1886. He opened up more stores in the following places: (1) Franklin, Pa, (2) Oil City, Pa, (3) Kane, Pa, and (4) Jamestown, New York. He opened up a branch of his store in Youngstown, Ohio in 1917. This branch store became the headquarters for "Printz Company Men's Clothing and Furnishing". His business was one of the first businesses to give employees a share of the profits. His store was later sold after his death. It became known as: "Rose and Sons".

1895 (during a parade): This building was constructed in 1883 as was known as The Snook Block or, later, The Printz Block (The Printz Clothing Co. had their corporate offices on the second floor). This was the second store in the chain founded by Bert H. Printz. The store was opened by Aaron A. Printz in in 1889 and sold to David Printz in 1896.

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1905: Building on the right. Store was on the far end.

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1910:

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1910s:

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1950s:

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1958 Ad:

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1966 Ad:

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The Franklin (and Oil City) stores were sold to Bill McCready in the mid 1970s.
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,686
Resistol Breezeweight Panama from Weber & Heilbroner in New York City.

View attachment 492224

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The store chain was started in 1902 by Milton Weber and Louis Heilbroner. The original Weber and Heilbroner stores were located at 920 3rd Avenue and 757 Broadway at the corner of 8th Street. The number of stores increased to 14 at the peak. By the 1970s they were gone.

1914: 11 stores at that time.

View attachment 492239

241 Broadway location (City Hall Park), 1920s.

View attachment 492231

325 - 341 Adams Street in 1923:

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Circa 1930: Not sure of the location.
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385 Fulton Street in 1939: The chain would grow to 14 stores at their peak and then drop to 9 during WWII.

View attachment 492248

Surviving neon sign (as of 2013) at the former Broad location.

View attachment 492238

Their well known ghost sign on 6th Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets:

View attachment 492228
Amazing Bob—I can’t wait to look for these.
 
1933-1935 (Based on the NRA label behind the sweat) Knox from Ball Stores in Muncie, Indiana. I'd like to think the hat was purchased during the grand opening in 1934.

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"Ball Stores opened with great fanfare in November 1934. The store was located in the old W.A. McNaughton Company building at the corner of Charles and Walnut Streets in downtown Muncie, Indiana. George A. Ball, the vice president of Ball Brothers, was the store’s first president. Ball Brothers had no particular desire to operate the store, but they believed the need existed in Muncie for a high quality retail outlet. On opening day, some 50,000 peoplecrowded the store to gaze upon the gleaming new fixtures and the wide range of merchandise. The new store employed 125 people, many of whom had been unemployed for quite some time due to the Great Depression. The store carried a complete line of merchandise, selling everything from clothing and shoes to groceries and furniture.

In 1938, Fred and Margaret Ball Petty purchased the business from Ball Bros. Fred became president and treasurer of the company and served in those capacities until his death in 1949. Margaret assumed control of the company until 1965, when her son Edmund took over. He served as president until 1982, when he was succeeded by Martin Clark. The Pettys operated the business as an independent department store specializing in high quality merchandise. The store also held the honor as the largest independently owned and operated department store in Indiana. In 1968, Ball Stores acquired Collegienne Shops, a retail outlet on University Avenue near Ball State University. In 1970, the Muncie Mall opened, permanently changing the shopping patterns of Muncie and drawing consumers away from downtown. Both Sears and J. C. Penny soon abandoned their downtown locations in favor of the new mall. In 1978, Ball Stores opened an outlet at the mall in order to remain competitive in the Muncie Market.

By the 1980s, the company was starting to experience financial difficulties. A group of investors, most of whom hailed from Muncie, acquired the company in order to reestablish its past glory. However, the downward slide continued. In 1984, the store's home furnishing outlet closed. In 1986 the downtown store closed, followed by the closing of Collegienne in 1988. In 1989, after city officials considered and withdrew proposals for transforming the Ball Stores building into the new city hall, the building was demolished. By 1990, the Muncie Mall outlet was closed, bringing an end to a chapter in Muncie's commercial history." -- Ball State University Archives


1910 (The McNaughton Company):

Ball_Stores_Muncie_McNaughton_1910.JPG


1930s:

Ball_Stores_Muncie_Christmas_1930s.jpg


1937:

Ball_Stores_Muncie_1937.jpg


1950s:

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1960:

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1960s:

Ball_Stores_Muncie_1930s.jpg


1980s:

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1989:

Ball_Stores_Muncie_Demolition.jpg
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,686
1933-1935 (Based on the NRA label behind the sweat) Knox from Ball Stores in Muncie, Indiana. I'd like to think the hat was purchased during the grand opening in 1934.

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"Ball Stores opened with great fanfare in November 1934. The store was located in the old W.A. McNaughton Company building at the corner of Charles and Walnut Streets in downtown Muncie, Indiana. George A. Ball, the vice president of Ball Brothers, was the store’s first president. Ball Brothers had no particular desire to operate the store, but they believed the need existed in Muncie for a high quality retail outlet. On opening day, some 50,000 peoplecrowded the store to gaze upon the gleaming new fixtures and the wide range of merchandise. The new store employed 125 people, many of whom had been unemployed for quite some time due to the Great Depression. The store carried a complete line of merchandise, selling everything from clothing and shoes to groceries and furniture.

In 1938, Fred and Margaret Ball Petty purchased the business from Ball Bros. Fred became president and treasurer of the company and served in those capacities until his death in 1949. Margaret assumed control of the company until 1965, when her son Edmund took over. He served as president until 1982, when he was succeeded by Martin Clark. The Pettys operated the business as an independent department store specializing in high quality merchandise. The store also held the honor as the largest independently owned and operated department store in Indiana. In 1968, Ball Stores acquired Collegienne Shops, a retail outlet on University Avenue near Ball State University. In 1970, the Muncie Mall opened, permanently changing the shopping patterns of Muncie and drawing consumers away from downtown. Both Sears and J. C. Penny soon abandoned their downtown locations in favor of the new mall. In 1978, Ball Stores opened an outlet at the mall in order to remain competitive in the Muncie Market.

By the 1980s, the company was starting to experience financial difficulties. A group of investors, most of whom hailed from Muncie, acquired the company in order to reestablish its past glory. However, the downward slide continued. In 1984, the store's home furnishing outlet closed. In 1986 the downtown store closed, followed by the closing of Collegienne in 1988. In 1989, after city officials considered and withdrew proposals for transforming the Ball Stores building into the new city hall, the building was demolished. By 1990, the Muncie Mall outlet was closed, bringing an end to a chapter in Muncie's commercial history." -- Ball State University Archives


1910 (The McNaughton Company):

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1930s:

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1937:

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1950s:

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1960:

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1960s:

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1980s:

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1989:

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Oof, what a loss!

And it continues—nice article in The NY Times about the demolition of the Hotel Pennsylvania of Glenn Miller fame (“Pennsylvania 6-5- oh-oh-oh”): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/...ytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
 
Oof, what a loss!

Some would say this was progress. What is located there today:

Ball_Stores_Muncie_Today.JPG


What was lost: (the building predates the Ball Store by 31 years)

Ball_Stores_Muncie_Drawing.jpg


1940s (I think):

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1960s:

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In the 1970s the street was somewhat converted to an open-air mall. Ball Stores erected a statue out front.

Ball_Stores_Muncie_1970s_Statue.jpg


Thankfully it still survives when the store did not. Entitled "Passing of the Buffalo".

Ball_Stores_Muncie_Passing_of_the_Buffalo_Statue.jpg


Ball_Stores_Muncie_Demolition_2.jpg
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,686
I like the old one better. :rolleyes: InNYC they did save the historic B. Altman’s department store—it’s now part of City University (I think). But nice old buildings continue to disappear all too frequently.
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,686
Some would say this was progress. What is located there today:

View attachment 495539

What was lost: (the building predates the Ball Store by 31 years)

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1940s (I think):

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1960s:

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In the 1970s the street was somewhat converted to an open-air mall. Ball Stores erected a statue out front.

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Thankfully it still survives when the store did not. Entitled "Passing of the Buffalo".

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And GREAT work sharing all these, Bob—thanks!
 
Messages
17,533
Charles P. Shipley started business in 1885 as a saddle maker. The business grew to include a catalog of Western merchandise beyond leather good, to include Stetson hats. In ~1955 the Shipley family closed the business & it was taken over by a longtime employee who sold used saddles & did repairs only.




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How is Roos Bros. not in here? This Stylepark (Mid-1930s?) was from one of the stores prior to the merger with Atkins (two in San Francisco, two in Berkeley, and one each in Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose, Los Angeles and Fresno). I can't quite read the imprint on the "Sanither" sweat band.

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This all began around 1864 ...

https://www.jmaw.org/roos-san-francisco-jewish/

The Post and Kearney Street location in San Francisco in 1878 - started in 1866 and destroyed in the 1906 earthquake / fire.

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The San Franciso store on Market at Stockton and Ellis. It opened in 1908.

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^^^^^ Also in 1957 it became Roos / Atkins after a merger with Robert S. Atkins stores.

The store chain went out in the 1990s.

Berkely: I couldn't find a decent vintage photo of this one or the other location.

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Oakland store in the 1930s.

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Palo Alto:

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San Jose: The modern white one on the left.

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Fresno: 1939.

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Los Angeles: Opened in 1929. On Hollywood east of Vine.

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jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,047
Location
San Francisco, CA
Lol, I drive by that Berkeley one all the time and have never noticed the giant Roos Bros. at the top. The Market St. Building still looks more or less the same, though the Virgin Megastore is long gone. I actually drove behind that building a few hours ago running errands downtown. For some reason I thought I had a Roos Bros hat, but apparently not.
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,686
How is Roos Bros. not in here? This Stylepark (Mid-1930s?) was from one of the stores prior to the merger with Atkins (two in San Francisco, two in Berkeley, and one each in Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose, Los Angeles and Fresno). I can't quite read the imprint on the "Sanither" sweat band.

View attachment 499921

View attachment 499922

This all began around 1864 ...

https://www.jmaw.org/roos-san-francisco-jewish/

The Post and Kearney Street location in San Francisco in 1878 - started in 1866 and destroyed in the 1906 earthquake / fire.

View attachment 499932

The San Franciso store on Market at Stockton and Ellis. It opened in 1908.

View attachment 499930

^^^^^ Also in 1957 it became Roos / Atkins after a merger with Robert S. Atkins stores.

The store chain went out in the 1990s.

Berkely: I couldn't find a decent vintage photo of this one or the other location.

View attachment 499948

Oakland store in the 1930s.

View attachment 499933

Palo Alto:

View attachment 499946

San Jose: The modern white one on the left.

View attachment 499947

Fresno: 1939.

View attachment 499943

Los Angeles: Opened in 1929. On Hollywood east of Vine.

View attachment 499944
Amazing!
 
Messages
10,806
Lol, I drive by that Berkeley one all the time and have never noticed the giant Roos Bros. at the top. The Market St. Building still looks more or less the same, though the Virgin Megastore is long gone. I actually drove behind that building a few hours ago running errands downtown. For some reason I thought I had a Roos Bros hat, but apparently not.
I feel like I came across that logo recently as well. But can’t remember where.
 

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