Sunday, July 27, 2014

Charlie's Sterling Service

Charlie's Sterling Service
14th and Merchant Streets
The Daily Citizen Trade Area Directory
1956



Charlie's Sterling Service was on the southeast corner of 14th and Merchant Streets at 1398 Merchant Street.

In the 1960s, Sala's Quaker State Service operated at that location. [update July 28, 2014:  Sala's Quaker State was owned by Irvin "Buss" Sala who operated the station until 1982 when he retired.]

Later, the building was briefly home to a bakery called The Bread Basket, followed by Mac's Donuts which was there for many years, closing in late 2009 or early 2010. The most recent business there was the Apple Lane Cafe which opened about a year after Mac's closed and closed in mid-2013.

Currently, it does not appear as though the building is being used as a business.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Today's Ambridge Memories' First Blogoversary!

One year ago, July 22, 2013, I published the first Ambridge Memories blog post about my memories of the Laughlin Memorial Library. At the time, I intended to blog about my personal memories growing up in Ambridge in the 1950s and '60s.

Since then, I've added a co-blogger, Robert Giles, and between us, we've posted 105 articles on a wider variety of subjects than I ever imagined when I started the blog. So what started out as "Ambridge Memories 1950 - 1970" has become "Ambridge Memories 1950-1970...and more!"

Then in January of this year, I started the Ambridge List of Lists, now with a long list of pre-1971 businesses, schools, and places of worship. And I continue to add new businesses every week. Starting the list seemed like a good idea at the time, but what an undertaking finding and adding old businesses to the list has turned out to be.

When I'm not writing, I'm doing research and gathering materials to post on the blog. I have some great photos and information to add to the blog in the coming year, so keep reading. And keep sharing your memories and photos of Ambridge.

Monday, July 21, 2014

George Hacker: first tailor in Ambridge

George Hacker tailor shop
Daily Citizen,
date unknown

In the early 1900s, George Hacker, who advertised that he was the "First Tailor in Ambridge," had a shop at 291 Fourteenth Street, the block between Church and Merchant Streets. His shop window also says "merchant," but I don't know what he sold. I also do not know who the two people are in the photo, as any caption or article which might have identified them wasn't included with the above old Daily Citizen newspaper clipping.

George Hacker, Tailor, ad
Economy Centennial Souvenir Program,
Economy of Old and Ambridge of Today
1924



No building numbered 291 currently exists on Fourteenth Street.

[Update December 17, 2016: I'm going to leave the information on 273 Fourteenth St. below because the photos of the renovations are interesting. But although I never got around to updating this post until today, I learned some time ago that 273 and 291 Fourteenth St. were never the same building.

While some Ambridge buildings were renumbered in 1917, 291 Fourteenth St. wasn't renumbered as 273.

The 1917 Sanborn Insurance map of Ambridge shows 291 Fourteenth St. immediately to the right of a building that still stands, 289 Fourteenth. That map shows 291, identified as a drug store, as a deep building extending from 14th to Boyleston St. Then there's a narrow space, perhaps a walkway, between 291 and the building on the corner, 299 Fourteenth. The 1923 Sanborn map shows 291 as a smaller building, no longer extending to Boyleston, but only as deep as the buildings at 289 and 299.

Both 291 and 299 are gone, and their lots are now a parking lot.]

[Update July 21, 2014: While there is no building currently numbered 291 Fourteenth Street in Ambridge, Gary Gardner pointed out that the facade of 273 Fourteenth Street looks very much like the facade of the tailor shop. I agree. Perhaps the house numbers on Fourteenth Street were changed. If so, that makes doing research on old businesses and homes even more complicated.

273 Fourteenth Street
Google street view
end of update.]

[Update July 22, 2014:

Maria Notarianni submitted this ad which she found in the Good Samaritan Church archives showing George Hacker's tailor shop was once at a different address:

George Hacker, Leading Tailor ad,
Ambridge-Economy Citizen,
December 16, 1904

And Gary Gardner drove to 273 Fourteenth Street yesterday afternoon and found the building is being renovated inside and out by new owner Jim Thornton. This is wonderful!

273 Fourteenth Street, front facade
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, front facade
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, tin ceiling
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, tin ceiling
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission
Thank you Maria and Gary!
end of update]

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Kubek's appliance store


Kubek's ad
The Daily Citizen Trade Area Directory,
1956



In 1933, Mike Kubek opened Kubek's appliance store at 1121 Merchant Street. Sometimes advertised as "Kubek Electric" or "Kubek Electrical Appliances," Kubek's sold brand name appliances as well as parts, and did repairs.

Kubek Electric ad
Beaver Valley Times,
June 25, 1951

Kubek Electrical Appliances ad
Beaver County Times,
January 19, 1960

According to an article in the March 10, 1989, Beaver County Times, Kubek became a Lionel model train representative in 1940. One Christmas, he bought his daughter a train, but he "played with it more than she did." Trains became his hobby, then eventually his business, as Kubek's started selling only model train supplies.

Kubek's ad for Lionel Trains,
original source unknown*

I do not know when the switch to trains-only occurred or when Kubek's closed. Mike Kubek died in December, 1992.

If you have additional information about Kubek's, please leave a comment.

The former Kubek's location is now Pamela's Hair Salon.

Pamela's Hair Salon
Google street view
_____

* The ad was found without attribution on a site for model train enthusiasts, Mark DiVecchio's O-Gauge Train Layouts. But given the AMbridge phone exchange, the ad is pre-1956.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop

Everything I know about B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop, can be found on these two postcards:

Postcard front,
B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop,
November 1911

Postcard back,
B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop,
November 1911

Postcard front,
B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop
December 1911

Postcard back,
B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop
December 1911

B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop, was at 533 Merchant Street in Ambridge, at least in 1911.

The shop sold a variety of men's clothing from union suits to "Holeproof Silk Hose" and "Holeproof Soz" * to "coat sweaters." ** The shop would also tailor a suit or overcoat. At least in the last two months of 1911 it did and would.

The shop advertised on calendar postcards, at least in November and December 1911.

The shop advised "Mothers, Daughters, Sweethearts" that it was Ambridge's "X-Mas Headquarters," at least for men's presents in November and December 1911.

The printer of these B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop, postcards stacked at least one December 1911 card with ink that wasn't completely dry, on at least one other December 1911 card, the one shown above.

If you can add any information about B. Eichenser, The Men's Shop, please leave a comment.

Later, Sacks, which sold women's clothing, occupied 533 Merchant Street. The building was destroyed by fire on July 6, 2014.

533 Merchant Street,
March 30, 2014

Fire
533 Merchant Street
July 6, 2014
credit: Alan Freed Photography/
Ambridge Connection
used with permission
_____

*Holeproof Hosiery appears to have been a brand of, well, hole-proof hosiery. One of the types of Holeproof Hosiery was "soz."

Holeproof Hosiery ad,
La Follette's Weekly Magazine, Volume 1

**To the best I can determine, "coat sweaters" and "sweater coats" were cardigans.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Ambridge trivia: Did you know...? #2 French Point Monument

"The French Point Monument" at the intersection of Church and Henrici Streets commemorates the arrival of the Harmonists in the area along the Ohio River that would become Economy, their third and final home.

The marker is not one of the larger historical markers put up by the state like the ones near Old Economy or in the Harmony Society Cemetery, but rather a brass plaque set in stone, erected by the Economy Centennial Association during the 1924 Economy Centennial celebration (see #6 on program below).

Centennial Program for June 6, 1924,
Economy Centennial Souvenir Program,
Economy of Old and Ambridge of Today

The French Point Monument,
Church and Henrici Streets,
April 1, 2014

Plaque,
The French Point Monument,
Church and Henrici Streets,
April 1, 2014

The text of the plaque reads:

On May 24, 1824,
the first contingent of the Harmony Society,
who founded Economy, Pa.
embarked at New Harmony, Ind.,
on the steamboat "Ploughboy."
______

Landing here on June 6, 1824,
they encamped the first night
under a large oak tree 290 feet north of this spot.

Erected by
Economy Centennial Association,
June 6, 1924.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

For signs of old Ambridge, look down

Merchant Street has changed a lot since the 1970s. Most of the businesses from the '50s and '60s are gone. But if you look carefully, you can still see signs of a few of those businesses. Sometimes you just need to look down.

If you are interested in seeing these signs, act quickly, because more disappear with each passing year.

Of all the businesses shown in the photos in this post, the only one still open is Stangl's.

Stangl's Bakery sign
572 Merchant Street
March 30, 2014

Anderson's Candy was open until recently, but it looks as though it's now closed for good. The Baden store remains open.

Anderson's Candyland sign
529 Merchant Street
March 30, 2014

Katcher's Furniture is gone, and when I was in Ambridge in March, the store was vacant.

Katcher's Furniture sign
659 Merchant Street
March 30, 2014

The Sacks women's clothing store was empty when I visited. And while the sign was still there, it was hidden by a barrier across the front of the entryway. Fortunately, Bill Orlowski had taken a photo during his 2009 visit.

Sacks sign
533-535 Merchant Street
July, 2009
credit: Bill Orlowski, used with permission

I couldn't photograph all of the Fashion Hosiery sign because the entryway is now covered with a black mat, and the lower part seems to have been replaced by a sidewalk repair. But Bill got the best part of the sign. I always loved those little naughty dogs!

Fashion Hosiery sign,
551 Merchant Street
March 30, 2014

Fashion Hosiery sign
551 Merchant Street
July, 2009'
credit: Bill Orlowski, used with permission

Bill photographed the remaining bit of the Davidson's department store's sign. Good eye, Bill; I didn't even see it. A bicycle shop is in this part of the building.

Davidson's sign
518 Merchant Street
July, 2009
credit: Bill Orlowski, used with permission

Is the Terner's men's store sign still there? I missed it when I walked by in March, but it was there in 2009.

Terner's Men's Wear sign
654 Merchant Street
July, 2009
credit: Bill Orlowski, used with permission

Timney's appliance store was razed in the summer of 2013, and the Timney sign is gone. Now the Dollar General which used to be in the old G. C. Murphy's building is there in a newly constructed building.

Timney sign
612-614 Merchant Street
July, 2009
credit: Bill Orlowski, used with permission

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Ambridge trivia: Did you know...? #1 Fourth St.

Ambridge's Fourth Street was once named "Charles Street."

I do not know exactly when the change from Charles to Fourth happened, but based on some of the materials I've looked at for my Ambridge research, the change was made between 1917 and 1924.