Commercial Building at the Southeast Corner of Market and Wayne Streets

This picture of the Bing’s Furniture Store at 202 East Market Street was taken by Helen Hansen in 1983. At that time the building recently had a face-lift which included the addition of shutters over the upper level windows, and sandblasting of the exterior brick. This commercial building was built by Sandusky contractor George W. Doerzbach in the Spring of 1894. It originally was a one hundred foot square brick structure. An article in the Sandusky Register of March 30, 1894 reported that the foundations of the building were blasted out of the stone bedrock. The stone that was blasted was then used in the basement and the first floor. Klotz and Kromer provided the engines that drove the elevator. A tin roof was put in by J. Mertz and Son, and the interior painting was done by Holland and Tebbutt. Total cost was $40,000 (about $1.2 million today). 

Here is an illustration from the Sandusky Register which depicts the building as it originally appeared:

 From the Sandusky Register, Mar. 30, 1894

The basement was leased to Engels and Krudwig, who pressed 400 tons of grapes in the fall of 1893, while the construction was still ongoing. In April of 1894, the J.L. Hudson Store opened at this location, after having previously done business in the Hubbard Block. The J.L. Hudson Company, which had its headquarters in Detroit, claimed that their store was the largest and finest in Erie County.

The April 9, 1894 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that at Hudson's grand opening, Professor Theodore Taubert’s orchestra provided musical entertainment, and potted plants and ferns decorated the store. Mr. J.L. Hudson himself arrived from Detroit to be present at the opening of his store’s newest location. The store sold men’s clothing and hats, women’s apparel and dry goods. J.P. Hicks was the manager. Mr. Hudson died on July 5, 1912, and soon after, in the summer of 1913, articles in the Sandusky Register announced that the Sandusky store would soon be closing. 

For a short time, John J. Healy operated a retail store at the site of the former J.L. Hudson store. Jacob H. Herman sold furniture and carpets here for many years, until the Bing Furniture moved in to this site in the 1940s. Since 1987, Value City Furniture has been in business at the southeast corner of Market and Wayne Streets in Sandusky. 

*In January 2025, Value City announced it was going out of business. The future of the building is presently unknown.

Roosevelt Days in Sandusky

On March 4, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his first inaugural address to the nation. The U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression, and referring to the country’s condition at that time he famously stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The merchants of Sandusky, Ohio celebrated the inauguration of FDR by sponsoring “Roosevelt Days” on March 3 and 4, 1933. An article in the February 27, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that “the greatest merchandise value-giving event in the city’s history will be afforded.” Every merchant was to offer one super special item at a reduced cost. All the streets in the downtown district were decorated in the national colors of red, white and blue. A full page in the March 2, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Register was devoted to the “red hot bargains” to be offered during Roosevelt Days.

During Roosevelt Days, the Perry and Bretz men’s store were selling Gold Medal hats for $3.50 and Fifth Avenue hats for $5.00.

The J.H. Herman store’s ad stated that they were offering a “March of Miracle Values at their furniture store.

Many of our ancestors lived through the Great Depression, and Sandusky merchants were making an effort to offer affordable products for Sandusky area residents in 1933, to ease the financial woes so many were facing at that time.

Christmas Gifts for the 1915 Holiday Season in Sandusky

By browsing through historical issues of the Sandusky Register, we can determine some of the popular gifts that were advertised to area residents in 1915. Mr. Bamberger carried winter scarves and hats at The Avenue Store on Columbus Avenue.

C.V. Baumgardner advertised pianos, while J.H. carried a wide variety of “talking machines.”

The Manhattan store sold suits, overcoats, and other men’s clothing.

Scheurer’s advertisement pictured toys, so that children could look at the newspaper and select a gift.

The Herb and Myers suggested that local residents purchase the unexpected gift of furniture as a Christmas present.

According to the December 17, 1915 issue of the Sandusky Register, many local stores planned to close by 6:00 p.m. on December 24, to allow the employees time off to spend with their families for the holiday. Several organizations proposed the early store closings, including the Business Girls Association, officers of the Trades and Labor Assembly, and every clergyman in the immediate area. 

J.H. Herman Carried the Columbia Grafonola for Christmas, 1919

In December, 1919, the J.H. Herman store sold the Columbia Grafonola. The grafonola was a type of phonograph which was used to play recorded music. In the 1920s, the grafonola was popular with music teachers all across the U.S. In the book The Grafonola in the Class Room, the Columbia Graphophone Company pointed out that music helped to cultivate contentment, faith, hope and love, and brought people together from all walks of life.

In the December 12, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Register, an advertisement from the J.H. Herman Company showed several models of Grafonolas. A special Grafonola Christmas Club offered customers a plan in which payments could be made over time.

The J.H. Herman Company was Sandusky’s “largest furniture store” for many years. It was at the southeast corner of Market and Wayne Streets in Sandusky from about 1906 until the late 1940s, when Mr. Herman moved his furniture store out to Cleveland Road. By 1948 Bing’s Furniture was at the site of the former J.H. Herman furniture store. Since the late 1980s, Value City Furniture has been in business at this location.

Advertising Signs on Barns

Throughout the Midwest and South, advertising signs were often painted on barns and other buildings in the early to mid-1900s. Building owners were paid to have the advertisements on their property, and many farmers appreciated the fresh coat of paint on the barn. Citizen’s Banking Company offered loans for real estate, and an interest rate of 4 percent on the sign pictured below.

The Herb and Myers Company “Big Store” gave Union Stamps to customers at their Sandusky store in the 1920s.

The Dilgert and Bittner (sometimes spelled Dilgart) store suggested that local residents could furnish their homes completely with the products sold at their store in Sandusky.

And restaurants advertised their menus, as well.