Here's What Baltimore Department Stores Looked Like During The Holidays In The 50s & 60s

[@speedracer1945]

At Christmas , stores were decorated with cool stuff . Even the storefronts downtown had displays in the windows.

[@stevenwolfe7615]

Awesome video O remember many of these stores back then thet had class and family oriented. Everyone loved the window displays and huge trees .Baltimore will never be the same until thet bring it back

[@shortliner68]

Having been born in 1950, I remember well how the department stores and shopping district as a whole looked back in the 1950s and '60s. The streets were always busy with shoppers, especially during the holiday season. Even through the 1970s Howard and Lexington continued to be very busy. I loved shopping downtown with all the big stores and smaller specialty shops. Sad to see it looking more like a ghost town today knowing how vibrant it used to be. The earliest memories I have of downtown are from the early 1950s as a preschooler, taking a streetcar ride with my mother from our home in west Baltimore. She usually shopped at Gutman's or the Hecht Co. as those stores were a bit less pricey. My family wasn't very well off and she had to stretch what money we had. I loved riding the old gated elevators in those two stores. The ladies operating them could stop them quickly and perfectly even with the floors which would make your stomach flip a little. Enjoyable times that I miss very much.

[@amitisshahbanu5642]

Always wore white gloves to go shopping downtown

[@AUTISTICLYCAN]

I agree but Stewart's was never a true Baltimore institution. The 3 major department stores that defined a uniquely Baltimore Christmas were Hecht's, Hutzlers, and Hochschild Kohn. Unlike Hutzler's, Stewert's never wove itself into Baltimore's diverse social fabric. Stewert's always felt like a carpet bagger rather than authentic Baltimore. If I had to choose a fourth uniquely downtown department store it'd be Bragger Gutman's and maybe The Reads Drug Store. The big 3 Baltimore department stores sent Grade A items to Bragger Guttman's once they sold out of popular sizes. My mom brought me $100 Hutzler's suits for $30 at Braggers. It's 😪gone now!

[@amitisshahbanu5642]

My mom worked at the May Company in the early 30s.

[@amitisshahbanu5642]

Bought some fine size 10 Italian heels at BG.

[@shortliner68]

I loved Brager Gutman's. Whenever I would shop downtown I'd try to always patronize Gutman's. I have my earliest memories of downtown shopping trips with my mom in that store. Plus, they kept their gated elevators manually operated with attendants after after all the other stores had automated. I thought that was admirable to keep those elevator operator jobs in an increasingly automated world.

[@robinlippy4799]

Wish I could have seen it!

[@mikewebb639]

I was growing up there as a kid in the 60's, and the 70's was same as the 60's as far as the Christmases. Nothing changed except for the Firefly Head Shop on Eastern Avenue. My favorite shopping areas in the late 60's and 70's was Eastern Avenue (The Avenue) Highlandtown and Eastpoint Mall. I know the stores he named, used to go in all of them, but the one that did Christmas the best he didn't name, Epstein's. Lower level, every year, every kid waited for the Santa display to go up then the day Santa would arrive. you could sit on his lap and tell him what you wanted for free or pay 10 cents and get a gift. The gift was always the same, one of those little plastic Pinball games. Also Two Guy's Department store out on Merrit Blvd. Think it was Merrit.

[@mordecaiesther3591]

Those were the days ! I wish it had stayed that way for 1,000 years . World went skank

[@MP-lq3xx]

agreed!

[@videosuperhighway7655]

WAWG When America Was Great.

[@jenniferwilson9579]

So sad, I miss Hutzlers