Memories of Life in Downers Grove

Downtown Downers Grove

Once upon a time in Downers Grove, the storekeepers knew all their customers (including their children) by name. And the children in town knew the storekeepers! People shopped in Downtown Downers Grove because that's where the stores were. Mothers took their small children to town with them, because that's the way it was, and from the child's point of view, the business district was full of wonderful things!

On a walk to the village in the 1920s, the first stop was the Piggly Wiggly grocery store at the southwest corner of Main and Burlington. There was a wonderful turnstile in the store – just the right height for a small child to hang on for a few turns before being taken in hand by a long-suffering mother.

Later that space was occupied by the News Agency where newspapers, magazines and tobacco were sold. The News Agency was also "penny candy" headquarters. There was a large glass double showcase in the front of the store with every imaginable variety of penny candy – jawbreakers, double-bubble gum, licorice whips, candy cigarettes, all-day suckers, tootsie rolls, chocolate covered peppermint patties, etc. Mr. Ensminger, who must have been the most patient man in the world, would stand by politely and wait for each child to make up his mind how to get the most for the two or three pennies he clutched tightly in his small fist. On occasion, Mr. Ensminger was known to accept a small bouquet of dandelions or other wildflowers in exchange for a piece of candy, in case there was a shortage of pennies from home that day.

In Eggers Drug Store the big attraction was an ice cream cone, dipped in a bowl of horsefeathers (chocolate shot) which sat on the counter for just such a purpose.

And there were many bottles of interesting liquid medicines and pills on the shelves behind the counter. One could even buy in bulk the ingredients to make homemade hand lotion, cough syrup, or other magical potions!

Woolworth's Five and Ten Cent Store, more commonly known as the "dime store," was in the middle of the block, and in addition to the lunch counter (where you might get a ham or cheese sandwich if you were there at lunchtime) they sold anything and everything – needles and thread, face powder and lipstick, oilcloth for the kitchen table, washcloths, small hardware such as cup hooks, thumbtacks, crayons and other school supplies – you name it, they had it! They kept their candy in bins with glass (or isinglass) doors and they had lovely things like the big orange banana-flavored circus peanuts, Jordan almonds, sugar-coated filberts, butterscotch wafers, and many other varieties guaranteed to present difficult decisions.

At the First National Bank, the main feature in the eyes of the small child may have been the cuspidors, strategically placed around the lobby, most of them containing a couple of cigar butts!

McAllister's Department Store was for clothing, underwear, socks, and yard goods. But the overhead pneumatic tube was the most fascinating thing to watch. When a sale was made, the clerk sent the canister flying up to the office on the second floor where some unknown presence made change and "shot" it back down to the counter where the customer was chatting with the clerk.

At Klein's meat market, Emery Klein would cut any piece of meat you wanted and would throw in a soup bone for nothing if you asked for it. He made mock chicken legs, with a white paper frill on the end of the stick to hold it by. Perhaps he would even donate a piece of liver for your cat! Especially interesting was the floor which was covered with sawdust! It smelled good. There was a big roll of wrapping paper on the counter for wrapping the meat purchases and a ball of string hung from above in a container with a hole in the bottom where the string emerged. The meat man was very fast and efficient in tying up the packages.

Mochel's hardware store had a great variety of things for young eyes to behold. All kinds of tools, paints and paintbrushes, nails, screws, and even bicycles and scooters.

When you went to the grocery store, such as Nash's or Pitcher's, Mr. Nash or Mrs. Pitcher would personally take things off the shelf for you and assemble your order at the counter. The grocery cart had not yet been invented. If you bought more than you could carry, they would even deliver it to your home.

A&P Food Store sold sacks of coffeebeans, which the customer opened and dumped into the big coffee grinder. It made an exciting noise and smelled wonderful!

The shoe store was a special treat. The clerk would measure your foot with a ruler with a slider on it. He sat on a stool with a place where you could put your foot and he always used a shoehorn to try on your shoes. Then the fun part, when you went to the x-ray machine and looked through the top and saw your feet down at the bottom, and they were all bones, just like a skeleton!

Mr. McPherson had a variety store, with a smaller assortment of penny candy, which included little paraffin bottles with real grapejuice inside! And when you sucked the grapejuice out you could chew the paraffin like gum!

Sometimes there was a stop at Selig Sisters for thread or other sewing notions. There were interesting hats to look at and try on while your mother was looking over materials for your next dress.

When you walked into Orfanos' Candy Kitchen, you were immediately wrapped in the most delicious aroma of chocolate and coffee. Their hand-dipped chocolates were displayed in the front of the store, and there were booths in the back where you could get a Coca Cola in a glass, flavored with lemon or cherry, or maybe even a chocolate soda. The wooden booths had high backs on the benches, so you couldn't see into the next booth.

Turning off Main Street onto Curtiss Street you could go to the Post Office, where there were walls of little boxes with small windows you could look into to see the mail in each one. Again, they were very likely to know you by name, and you could even receive mail at your house with only your name and Downers Grove for an address! The town was small enough that the postman could make two deliveries each weekday, and one on Saturday.

The Kroger Consumer's chain store was on Curtiss, and they occasionally had "premiums" which you could buy for a very small charge when you had spent a certain amount of money on groceries. A child's scooter for $.75 or $1.00 was worth shopping there frequently!

In the fruit store, the oranges and apples and melons were piled in pyramids. You wondered why they didn't fall down, and secretly hoped that a "landslide" would start while you were watching.

The Public Library was another good place to stop, and there were always picture books to look at, even if one had not yet learned to read. Miss Bryce was behind a counter in the center of the room, and she always made sure that "quiet" was maintained. She was good at teaching children proper library behavior and how to handle books carefully and with respect.

After a shopping trip to the "village," it was time to begin the walk home again. At the railroad tracks, perhaps there would be a train to wait for. The bells would ring and the man in the tower at the crossing would come down and stand just behind the gates holding his Stop sign. The train whistle would blow, and the noisy engine would come puffing to a stop at the station. After the few passengers alighted and others boarded the coach, the brakeman would shout "All aboard," the engineer would ring the bell on the engine, toot his whistle again and the train would chug, chug, chug in a crescendo until it picked up speed going off down the tracks. When the gates went up, it was safe to cross the tracks. Sometimes the baggage carts on the platform on the other side were piled with boxes, trunks, etc., maybe just unloaded from the last train, or to be loaded on the next train to stop.

On the way home it was a good idea to stop and look in the display windows at the new Tivoli Theater to see the pictures of the "coming attractions."

On Warren Avenue Mr. Puckorius's Photography Studio in his home had a display window on his front sidewalk. Often there were wedding photos or graduation or confirmation pictures of friends or other familiar faces to look for.

After a leisurely walk four blocks home, the happy excursion was over – but it would be repeated next week, or sooner!

Patricia Chase Olson