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Elder Beerman
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bentz
103 posts
Sep 23, 2013
12:58 PM
Always hear about Rikes but we seem to leave Elder Beermans out. Beermans have been around Dayton and Downtown Dayton as long as Rikes if not longer. when I was a kid we shopped beermans in Trotwood, that's where I got my Ked shoes for School, and Visit Santa a Christmas. 4th of july we sat in there parking lot for fire works and headed to DQ or Sam's Pizza for a late night treat. Any other Elder Beermans stories? Oh don't for get down town for Christmas Elder Beermans was a fun place to be.
Syxpack
134 posts
Sep 23, 2013
6:00 PM
It was Elder & Johnsons at 4th and Main Streets before it was Elder-Beermans. During WWII when it was impossible to get nylon hose, every so often, Elder-Johnson would put a coupon in the newspapers to order one pair of nylons. You would fill out the coupon with your name, address, and size. When the nylons came in, they would send you a postcard letting you know when you could pick them up. Everyone picked them up the same day. You could only order one pair. My mom and I each filled out a coupon. When they came in, my mom would allow me to stay home from high school to go pick them up because she worked. The line for the nylons would be almost around the block, 4th to Ludlow and down to 5th. Very cold in the winter time. Elder Johnsons also had a small library where you could borrow the latest and newest books. There was no charge except a small fine if you were late in returning them. Mom and I were well-read during this time. We shopped Elder-Johnson more than Rikes because we had to walk further to Rikes as we got off the streetcar on Fifth Street.
chuck48
14 posts
Sep 24, 2013
1:32 PM
Hi Syxpack Good story. The life of plenty we have today and expect everything now, it was not that long ago things were not so easy. I E-mailed you andhave not heard anything back, maybe I have got your address wrong mine is cpgrinding@yahoo.com

Last Edited by chuck48 on Sep 24, 2013 3:16 PM
Ared60
63 posts
Sep 25, 2013
7:17 AM
bentz, I don't know when you shopped at Beerman's Shoes, in Trotwood, but if it was the mid/late 60's then I may have waited on you and your family. I started working there as a salesman(think Al Bundy) after high school. It was still a full service operation at the time where you pointed to the style you wanted and then I would go back into the stock room to find it, bring it out and try it on you.
Actually not a bad job at the time. I remember making the princely sum of $1.35 phr.
I worked for them long enough to see the transition to the warehouse type store of keeping stock on racks and shoppers would pick out what they wanted to try on. I became just a cashier at that point. It was actually an easier job but I really missed dealing more with the customers.
bentz
104 posts
Sep 25, 2013
7:46 AM
Thats Neat! I was born in 61 and my mom all the time took us there for all our shoes. And yes there was always a Man who took our size and went to the back to get them! Wow you might have been that guy saw us jumping and running with our new Keds on! LOL

Last Edited by bentz on Sep 25, 2013 7:47 AM
blue J
123 posts
Sep 25, 2013
1:17 PM
My mother did almost all of Elder-Beerman's television ads for about a ten-year period, starting in the mid 1970s. When I was a little kid, all my friends knew that my mom was "the Elder-Beerman lady".

To the list of other notable department stores in downtown Dayton, also add Donnenfeld's.

Last Edited by blue J on Sep 27, 2013 7:50 AM
joey m
111 posts
Sep 26, 2013
11:24 AM
blue J was your mother,s first name Dana?
joey m
112 posts
Sep 27, 2013
9:25 AM
blue J Yes I knew her through common friends I dated a girl who knew her. I knew some of the attorneys in town and I did some catering for them. Most of the parties were in Oakwood or Centerville. She was a beautiful lady and seemed to be a very nice person. Hope she is doing well. Small world and "GREAT MEMORIES"
chancec
1 post
Apr 20, 2014
8:28 PM
One of the things I remember about Christmas at Elder-johnstons was the talking Rudolph. Disney had nothing on whoever came up with this. You worked your way through a mazed entrance to finally find yourself standing in front of Santa's most favored reindeer. He looked real, was animated and talked to you directly, like he knew you. I was always awestruck, and wondered at the fact that he had such a nice, kind voice, and talked right to me. He also seemed to know me too. I will never forget those days. Does anyone else out there remember this also, or was it just a dream?

Last Edited by chancec on Apr 20, 2014 8:29 PM
Keugene48
265 posts
Apr 21, 2014
7:23 PM
One thing I remember about Beermans downtown was the cookies they sold- Amy's cookies? The Pecan Melts (?) were wonderful, hot with melting chocolate pieces and pecans, probably the best cookies I ever had.


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