Sandusky Downtown Street Fair 1960

 

In 1960, the downtown merchants of Sandusky hosted a street fair, which was held on July 28, 29 and 30. A committee of thirteen men planned the details for the event.

Four blocks of the downtown area were closed to auto traffic from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Merchants were encouraged to dress in old fashioned clothing, and the stores offered sale prices throughout the 3-day event. The W.S. Frankel Company provided 10,000 balloons for the children. Mr. William Barratt from Joseph’s clothing store arranged for special insurance coverage and early truck deliveries. Nicholas Carter from Kresge’s was in charge of giveaway promotional items. Entertainment was provided during each day of the street fair.

Cleveland television personality and performer at Cedar Point Jungle Larry appeared in person on Friday during the Street Fair.

On Friday night, Marilee and Joe Santoro, from the Arthur Murray Dance Studios, gave a dancing exhibition at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Market Street.

Saturday’s entertainment included a performance by the Perkins High School Dance Band, strolling clowns, and a square dance in the street, called by Jerome Gravenhorst.

An article in the July 30, 1960 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that an estimated 10,000 people attended the Street Fair on Friday night, and several merchants stated that “the crowds were larger Thursday and Friday then for any event they could recall in the past.”

Sandusky held several street fairs through the years. Your parents or grandparents could probably tell you stories about their experiences in downtown Sandusky at the Street Fairs.

"Five-and-Ten" Stores in Sandusky

According to the second edition of the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, the definition of a “five-and-ten” (also called “five-and-ten-cent store”) is “a store offering a wide assortment of inexpensive items, formerly costing five or ten cents, for personal and household use.”

From the nineteen thirties through the nineteen sixties, Sandusky had several five and ten cent stores. In July of 1919, the S. S. Kresge Five and Ten Cent Store leased the southeast corner of Market and Columbus Avenue for twenty five years. By 1941, there were two Kresge stores in Sandusky, both on Columbus Avenue. In 1941, Neisner Bros., Inc. was located at 133 E. Market Street, opposite the Feick Building. The 1962 Sandusky City Directory, under the section “Department Stores – 5 cents to $1.00.,” listed the W. T. Grant Store at the Sandusky Plaza, the S. S. Kresge Co. at 202 Columbus Ave., Neisner Bros, at 133 E. Market St., and two Woolworth stores, one at 220 Columbus Ave. and one at the Sandusky Plaza.

The first F. W. Woolworth store in Sandusky was located downtown on Columbus Avenue. Later there was an F. W. Woolworth store in the Perkins Plaza, and for a time the Sandusky Mall also had a Woolworth’s, located where the T. J. Maxx Store is presently. The downtown Woolworth’s closed on Christmas Eve in 1971.

Below is a scene of the east side of Columbus Avenue at the time of the January 5, 1960 fire at the Woolworth building. Both the Kresge and F. W. Woolworth buildings can be seen.
Views of the interior of the S.S. Kresge Co. in 1930 show a lunch counter, and several items for sale for under one dollar.




Today the five and ten cent stores are just a memory, while larger discount stores and department stores are found along Route 250 in Perkins Township. Library staff members recall watching donuts being made at the downtown Sandusky dime stores, buying candy before seeing a movie, seeing counters filled with household items, buying paper doll and coloring books, and grabbing a sandwich and a coffee at the lunch counter. If you have memories of the old Sandusky five and ten stores, please leave a comments section of this blog posting.