Mabel Normand Bathing Suits Were Sold in Sandusky

In the 1910s, Mabel Normand bathing suits were carried by the Scheuer Brothers store in Sandusky. Mabel Normand was a popular silent film star. When she wore bathing suits in films such as Water Nymph and Diving Girl, some people thought the suits were racy. 

The Scheuer Brothers Company was located in the Graefe Building on East Market Street.

The advertisement above for the Scheuer Brothers appeared in the December 1912 issue of the Fram. In 1919, William S. Frankel acquired the interests of A. J. Scheuer, and the store became known as the Scheuer-Frankel Company. Around 1929, Frankel became the sole owner of the business, and it was known as the William S. Frankel Company. After he passed away in 1949, his son took over the business. Frankel’s was a popular department store for area residents until the mid 1960s.

Mabel Normand Bathing Suits Were Sold in Sandusky

In the 1910s, the Scheuer Brothers store in Sandusky sold Mabel Normand bathing suits, named for a popular silent film star. When she wore bathing suits in films such as Water Nymph and Diving Girl, some people thought the suits were racy. The Scheuer Brothers Company was located in the Graefe Building on East Market Street.

The advertisement above for the Scheuer Brothers appeared in the December 1912 issue of the Fram. In 1919, William S. Frankel acquired the interests of A. J. Scheuer, and the store became known as the Scheuer-Frankel Company. Around 1929, William S. Frankel, Sr. became the sole owner of the business, and it was known as the William S. Frankel Company. After William S. Frankel, Sr. passed away in 1949, his son William S. Frankel took over the business. Frankel’s was a popular department store for area residents until the mid-1960s.

A View of the North Side of East Market Street in 1956

In the Sandusky Pictures Collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is a photograph of the north side of East Market Street in Sandusky which was taken in September of 1956. At the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and East Market Street, Donald A. Smith operated the Smith Drug Company, which was affiliated with the Walgreen Agency. Prescriptions and health and beauty aids were sold here, along with light meals served at the luncheon counter. Baked goods were sold at Cassidy’s Fine Foods at 121 East Market Street. Moving east down East Market Street we find Jean Frock’s, the Neisner Brothers five and ten cent store, and the William S. Frankel store, which sold women’s apparel. Walter’s Shoe Store was located at 151 East Market Street, and the large Sears and Roebuck department store was at 161 East Market. Not pictured in this picture is the Joseph’s Store which was at the end of the block. Joseph’s sold women’s and children’s ready to wear clothing in the mid-1950s.  On the left side of the picture you can see the clock from the Citizens Banking Company which was in the Feick Building at that time, on the south side of East Market Street.  Visit the Sandusky Library to browse through decades of historical Sandusky City Directories. The earliest Sandusky City Directory in our collection dates back to 1855.

The Bazar and Frankel’s

In 1890 Alexander J. Scheuer and Henry J. Lehman took over Hammond’s Bazar, located on East Market Street in downtown Sandusky. Their store stocked everything from mirrors and baby carriages to fine cut glass. Shoppers who visited Sandusky could purchase souvenirs at the Bazar or buy clothing for any member of the family. The Bazar even stocked lamps, swings, oil stoves, and hammocks. The Bazar can be seen in the picture below of the parade honoring the returning Spanish American War soldiers from Company B of the Sixth Ohio Regiment in May of 1899.

After the death of Mr. Lehman in 1911, A. J. Scheuer and his brother Henry J. Scheuer operated the store. By 1915, the Scheuer Brothers moved to the 100 block of East Market Street. In 1919, William S. Frankel acquired the interests of A. J. Scheuer, and the store became known as the Scheuer-Frankel Company. Around 1929, William S. Frankel, Sr. became the sole owner of the business, and it was known as the William S. Frankel Company. After William S. Frankel, Sr. passed away in 1949, his son William S. Frankel took over the business. Frankel’s was a popular department store for area residents until the mid 1960’s.