Advertisements in 1934 Girardot

I was looking through the 1934 Girardot yearbook. That was the year my dad graduated from Central. I have his 1931 yearbook, but money was tight in 1934, so he didn’t buy a book and he didn’t have a class photo taken.

I was lucky enough to find this one in a Cape antique shop. An inscription in the flyleaf said that it belonged to Carlston Bohnsack. I wonder if he was related to the Bohnsacks who ran the photo of the Clark Gable lookalike on page 125 of the yearbook.

I did a story on Lueders Studio just the other day. The Suedekum & Sons Hardware store looks much like it did when this ad appeared.

Rigdon’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning

I discovered that Rigdon’s Laundry had a mystery associated with one its drivers that could come right out of a forensics TV show.

Phil Haman’s became Nowell’s Camera Shop

Entrance to 609 Broadway

There should be a groove worn in the tile from the number of times I walked into Nowell’s Camera Shop. I’m still collecting photos taken of Bill Nowell and the store for a longer piece in the future.

Lang Jewelers still in business

Lang Jewelers and Zickfield Jewelers are still in business on Main Street. I’m sure railroad buff Keith Robinson will be able to tell us what a “Frisco, Mo. P. R. R. Inspector” is. Was he certified to maintain railroad watches? Notice how the telephone numbers have two and three digits?

Lang Jewelers today

Lang Jewelers’ sign proudly proclaims that it has been in business since 1916 and its window reflects its colorful neighbors across the street.

We’ll feature other yearbook advertisers on another day.

 

 

10 Replies to “Advertisements in 1934 Girardot”

  1. Carlston Bohnsack, father of Bob (CHS ’72) was not directly related to W.H. Bohnsack, founder of Bohnsack’s Clothing Store or Maurice Bohnsack, WH’s son, who sold the business to Buckner Ragsdale about 1942.

    In answer to the question about Lang’s; the phrase “a Frisco, Mo. P. R. R. Inspector” indicates that both the St Louis – San Francisco (Frisco) Railway and the Missouri Pacific Railroad recognized Lang’s as an Inspector (maintainer) of official railroad watches and clocks. This was important because trains ran based upon Timetables and Train Orders, so it was necessary that everyone’s watches were accurate. The safety of peoples’ lives depended on them.

    1. Thanks, Keith, I knew you’d come through with the answer.

      I wonder if Lang’s was the only railroad watch inspector in town? It must have been a point of pride if he bothered to put the info into an ad in a high school yearbook.

  2. My grandparents, Carl and Quinn Bauerle, bought the camera shop building and lived in the apartment upstairs for many years…..I still have some of the old bottles from the drug store (Hamans).

    When we visited Cape this last October we all gathered around the front door of the shop and looked at the oak shelves and other things still there. Mom and Dad sold the building a number of years ago and I don’t know who owns it now.

    Linda

    1. Linda,

      Like you, I peered through the window and was surprised at how much it looked like I remembered it. I’d hate to think how many hours I spent leaning on those counters talking with Mr. Nowell and Marty, his salesman.

      Remember when the front window had “Kodaks” inscribed on it? Kodak pitched a fuss until they were convinced that the sign dated back to when “Kodaks” was a generic term for cameras.

      Ironically, I was just reading that Kodak is circling the drain, an analog company in a digital age.

      I keep putting off writing about Nowell’s because I’m sure that I’m going to find one more photo stashed away somewhere.

      I used those old brown chemical jugs for years to hold my photo chemicals. I’ll have to look to see if there are still some of them in the basement.

    2. Linda, my father, Martin Robinson, worked for your grandfather at Excelsior Furniture store until I was born in 1954. My dad thought very highly of your grandfather, and I think he reciprocated. He gave my mom and dad a Magnavox TV as a wedding gift and my younger brother, Karl was named after him.

  3. Ken: I am looking to find a 1968, 1969 and a 1970 Girardot If you ever find any of these please let me know because they are super hard to find. Or if you would post this and help me maybe locate one because so many Centralites read your newsletter maybe I would possibly run across all or one of them.
    Thanks,
    Lyndel Revelle

    1. I just checked the classmates.com website. They have the 1969 yearbook online. (I tried to post a link, but it wouldn’t go.) You can buy a copy of it from them for $99.95.

      (You’re on page 111, BTW.)

      I’ve been lucky enough to pick up some old Girardots and Sagamores in the local antique stores for five to ten bucks.

  4. Lang’s Jewlry Store closed their doors this Fall 2013. Roger and his wife retired. They sold their inventory and have the building for sale. I haven’t talked to Roger in a couple of weeks so I don’t know if he has sold the building yet. We are Elks and belong to SEMO Military Vehicle Group.

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