My one regret is that my children didn't get to see all of the store's displays. I remember standing there just watching the automatons until my mother would say let's go I'm getting cold, but as long as I stood there watching, I didn't feel the cold. Thank you for giving us memories.
My mom and her best friend took us kids downtown on the rapid transit from Shaker Hts every year on the day after Thanksgiving. It wasn’t called Black Friday back then. We saw Santa and chose our toys on the toy floor of Higbees, Halles and Mays. No big box stores or online shopping back then. We had lunch in Silver Grille restaurant Higbees. Each of us kids got our own little cardboard stove with our lunch inside. My kids and grandkids have no idea how wonderful Christmas was back in the 50’s. I feel so blessed to have been a child of those times.
So glad I grew up in the 60s and 70s and had a chance to experience the magic of Downtown Cleveland at Christmas time! I remember coming down at night to stand in line to look at the displays at Higbees and May Co. My parents arguing about who had the best Santa, Halle's or Higbees! The mezzanine at Halles where Santa was. Breakfast with Mr. Jingeling! The kid-size toy shop where adults weren't allowed. At least I have my memories!
I grew up in Parma, Ohio about 10 miles from downtown Cleveland. I fondly remember watching the window displays at Higbees. My Mom and me and my Sister and Brother would ride in on the bus. Sometimes it was really cold downtown with Lake Erie nearby and the wind coming out of the NORTHWEST! I remember some of the stores had a whole floor just for toys! My Mom would let us kids check out the toys while she shopped. Somehow she would end up buying us toys but we never saw them until Christmas morning! One store had a giant Christmas Tree inside it. The floors of the store encircled this huge open area in the middle. We also always got a Frosty in the basement of May Company when we went shopping there.
Brian Kay it was the Sterling Linder Davis Department Store on Euclid Avenue. It was about a half block East of the Square and on the North Side of the road, if my memory does not fail me!
@@eagleviewhd Sterling Lindner Davis was further down than 1/2 block. It was across from the Halle Bros.building between E. 9th St. and Playhouse Square on the north side of Euclid.
These vintage store animation displays for Christmas are PURE AMERICAN ART. SO SAD it isn't done a lot today- idiots would rather use computers than their brains to create beauty such as these elves, Santas and Christmas themes....
Does anyone remember riding on the streetcar under the High Level Bridge? The car went down on Superior just before the bridge, and came up on Detroit Ave. around W. 28th St. When you looked out the widow, it was as if the streetcar was moving suspended in the air. And the seats were wicker, and in the summer if you had shorts on , you would have the wicker pattern imprinted on your legs when you exited the car.
I loved all the window displays, it was a magical time for children and adults too. I think it was either May Company or Higbees that had play area on the 10th floor or bit lower for folks who wanted to shop and the children were left there under adult supervision. IF ANYONE RECALLS THAT LET ME KNOW.
Does anyone remember the parades back in maybe 1965 or 66 going down I think Euclid Avenue I was only five or six years old with the big floats and Franz the toymaker and Barnaby? I think I have it in home movies it's probably all faded in gone by now. We used to live on Lakeshore Boulevard in Brahtinahl I don't know if I spelled that correctly but does anyone remember the last name in that area the last name was Rand? Lots of money I would love to talk about that
