Grand Opening, Blue Moon Tavern, John Monta. Interior of the tavern with Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Long (Marcia J. Long) by the bar. The couple look proud of the work they have put into preparing the tavern for their grand opening. The lights over the mirror are turned on, the bouquets from well wishers and the shiny equipment make a welcoming interior. Format 5' x 8'
Blue Moon Tavern (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Long, Charles L.; Long, Marcia J.; Bars (Furniture); Celebrations--Tacoma--1940-1950;
An unidentified customer receives a facial and manicure at the Fircrest Barber Shop in this photograph from April 1948. The barbershop shared space with the Fircrest Beauty Nook at 405 Berkeley St. They were around the corner from the Fircrest Gift Mart and the Fircrest Pharmacy. This photograph was ordered, along with several others of Fircrest businesses, by the Lakewood Log.
Several interiors and exteriors of stores in Fircrest, Lakewood Log, Charlie Mann. An exterior view of the Fircrest Market, Fircrest Gift Mart, and Paul L. Mickens' Fircrest Pharmacy. Sidewalks go around the building but the street has not yet been paved next to them. The exterior is covered with shiny, dark colored material and a wide awning hangs over the walkways.
Fircrest Pharmacy (Fircrest); Fircrest Food Market (Fircrest); Fircrest Gifts (Fircrest); Electric signs--Fircrest--1940-1950; Stores & shops--Fircrest--1940-1950; Drugstores--Fircrest; Gift shops--Fircrest; Grocery stores--Fircrest--1940-1950;
Several interiors and exteriors of stores in Fircrest, Lakewood Log, Charlie Mann. Exterior of Fircrest Food Market, Fircrest Gifts, and Paul L. Mickens' Fircrest Pharmacy. The drug store sits on the corner and has the largest retail space and a large neon sign. The store fronts display some of each business's wares. Fircrest is a separately incorporated community immediately adjacent to Tacoma on the south. It is a mostly residential area.
Fircrest Pharmacy (Fircrest); Fircrest Food Market (Fircrest); Fircrest Gifts (Fircrest); Electric signs--Fircrest--1940-1950; Stores & shops--Fircrest--1940-1950; Drugstores--Fircrest; Gift shops--Fircrest; Grocery stores--Fircrest--1940-1950;
New Shell Station at 6th and Mason, Shell Oil Co., Mr. Holm. A day-time view of the new service station from the corner highlighting the "Shell" sign hanging from the light pole. The gasoline station is on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Mason Street. Residential property is seen in the background while other commercial property is seen further along Sixth Avenue with billboards.
Marty's Shell Service (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950;
New Shell Station at 6th and Mason, Shell Oil Co., Mr. Holm. A night-time view of the new Shell service station with three automobiles in line for service. There are two service attendants at the drivers' side windows asking how they can be of service. In these days a fill-up of gasoline included a free window washing, oil check and possibly a check of water in the cooling system.
Marty's Shell Service (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Brown & Haley candy company was founded upon the ideals of quality, service and principle. They used the purest, richest chocolate, highest grade of sugar, pure cow's cream, Washington creamery butter and the freshest local farm eggs, absolutely no glucose was used in their products. View of candy makers rolling out candy, interior view of candy plant.
Cookery--Tacoma; Candy--Tacoma; Chocolate industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma; Brown & Haley (Tacoma);
Selden's opened at 1141 Broadway in June of 1942. Their building had five floors of showrooms for high quality home funishings and floor coverings, and was said to be unique on the Pacific Coast in its spacious size and appointments for a business of its type. Selden's was owned and operated by Sidney Selden. This photograph taken in February of 1945 shows their large fleet of delivery trucks. Karl's Shoes, the Moler Beauty School, and the Hotel Lansing were in the building nextdoor.
Furniture stores--Tacoma; Home furnishings stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Storefronts--Tacoma; Selden's, Inc. (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Selden's had been at this site since 1942, this building had five floors filled with showrooms of high quality home furnishings and floor coverings. Selden's was owned and operated by Sidney Selden. Exterior view of Selden's storefront with Frigidaire appliances sign above Selden's store sign and their delivery trucks lined up, on right side is Milroy's, Hamilton Studio and a Sprenger & Jones Watches street clock, the time is 1:10 P.M.
Furniture stores--Tacoma; Home furnishings stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Storefronts--Tacoma; Selden's, Inc. (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clocks & watches;
A display of Nestles' prooducts at the Big Bear store including Nestle's instant cocoa, Nestle's Quick, Nestle's cookie mix, and Nestle's chocolate morsels. Ordered by Nalley's, Henry Willis.
Big Bear Stores (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Food--Tacoma--1950-1960; Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Sepic Electric opened a new, second furniture and appliance store at 7208 Pacific in May 1951. The new store included complete sales and service facilities and featured nationally advertised, quality appliances and furniture. Fred and Stan Sepic were the owners while Ed Cushing headed the furniture department and H.H. Princehouse headed the appliance department. Ordered by Sepic Electric, Mr. Langdon. (TNT, 6/1/1951, p.A-3)
Furniture stores--Tacoma; Sepic Electric Co. (Tacoma);
The interior of the High Hat Tavern located at 8920 South Tacoma Way showing booths and counter seats. An alcove for Mel McLaughlin's Trio has been added along the far wall close to the jukebox. Ordered by Mr. Pep Greco.
A display of new refrigerators in the window at Selden's. Trade-ins of old refrigerators were allowed. Signs advertised that "$5.00 Now is all it Takes". The new 7.6 cubic foot Frigidaire on the left was selling for $239.75. Ordered by Sunset Electric Company.
Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Refrigerators; Window displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Selden's, Inc. (Tacoma);
Candy racks in front of the cash registers at Sib's Thriftway are loaded with Nalley's candies, tempting everyone to try them. Ordered by Nalley's, Mrs. Hildreth.
A Sears, Roebuck employee demonstrates a new television console to a young Tacoma family in August, 1951. A similar television with rectangular screen is on sale for $259. Sears was having a sale on household appliances and furnishings with low down payments advertised. A sign on the wall indicates that a 15% down payments would be accepted. Several refrigerators are lined up just a few short steps away. TPL-5046
Ardens on Broadway was a women's clothing store. They sold the latest fashions and styles; view of interior of store shows racks of evening wear, dress suits, dresses and coats. According to the 1951 City Directory, the store was managed by W.C. Inskeep. Photograph commissioned by Jess Jackson.
Opened in 1933, and then rebuilt on the same site in 1949, Fife's Poodle Dog restaurant advertised "Good Food" with a variety of items ranging from hamburgers to fancy seafood. Interior view of serving area; carts full of clean cups and glasses, silverware drawers and clean plates on counter in a U-shaped kitchen area. Rollaway serving table with used dishes and dirty pan in containers is next to a metallic cabinet. A black rotary phone is hung on an adjacent wall. TPL-9691
Diners (Restaurants)--Fife; Poodle Dog (Fife); Business enterprises--Fife; Equipment;
Four delivery trucks owned by the Maxwell Petroleum Company are parked near the company headquarters at 520 East "D Street in August, 1951. These Chevrolet trucks are labeled with the company name on their doors and appear to be carrying Mobil gasoline. In the background are large holding tanks for petroleum products. Maxwell Petroleum had merged with General Petroleum Corporation of California to form one of the largest gasoline distributors in the country. According to the 1951 City Directory, Maxwell retained its name and kept a separate listing for business purposes. Maxwell was owned by H.D. Maxwell and Osie Thomas. Photograph ordered by South Tacoma Chevrolet. TPL-8464
Maxwell Petroleum Co. (Tacoma); General Petroleum Corp. (Tacoma); Chevrolet trucks;
In 1948 Mueller-Harkin Buick moved into their new building at 455 Saint Helens Ave. They officially opened at their new address on December 6, 1948. This building was large enough to supply the public with all their automotive needs, from selling new and used vehicles to repairing and replacing automobile parts. The 1951 Tacoma City Diretory list Rudolph Mueller as President and John Mueller as Vice-President. In 1953 Rudolph Mueller retired and the Buick agency was sold to Brus Buick.
Sears Roebuck and Company Department Store, Automotive Department. This elevated view of the automotive department, taken on September 5, 1951, shows tires on right, four tables with oil, seat covers, auto accessories, batteries and mufflers on right back wall. The automotive section seemed to be set next to appliances, including stoves.
Elevated view of Sears, Roebuck & Co.'s parking lot taken in summer of 1951. The Sears parking lot is nearly full; this was the top of a multi-tiered parking garage recently built by Sears. Angled parking provides most efficient use of parking space as many of Sears' customers take advantage of the free parking while shopping. Craig Furniture and Schoenfeld's buildings are visible in photo.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Tacoma); Parking garages--Tacoma; Parking lots--Tacoma--1950-1960; Craig Furniture, Inc. (Tacoma); L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma);
The pillars in the new parking garage at 13th and Market create a forest of concrete trees in this photograph from August of 1951. In 1951 Sears, Roebuck & Co. built a parking garage to help provide inexpensive, plentiful parking for their downtown customers. Sears offered one hour of free parking. Thirty years later, in 1981, Sears moved their store to the Tacoma Mall. This garage, which stands across from the downtown YMCA, became the Cornerstone Building.
Interior view of grocery store. Rows of assorted candies, chips, cold remedies and laundry products fill this portion of an unidentified grocery store in a late fall, 1951, photograph. The grocer seems to have made maximum use of a limited space in order to put as many different products out as possible for customers to purchase. A Toledo brand scale stands by to weigh any item necessary.
View of "New" Tacoma Hotel from the southeast, main facade and south side wall. Duncan's Tacoma Hotel Garage to the south of hotel, Tacoma Savings and Loan (Bowes) Building to the North. Hotel (1908) and Bowes (1909) by Heath and Twichell, Architects.
Hotels--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Tacoma Savings & Loan Association (Tacoma); Banking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Banks--Tacoma; Heath & Twitchell (Tacoma);
Jensen Fuel Company, located at 6238 South Tacoma Way, were dealers in wood, oil and coal. The company was owned by Everett R. Jensen. Attached to the main building was a 24 hour self-service unit where a customer could pay for sacks of prest-o-logs or sacks of coal. View of man retrieving sacks of each fuel item; he has his hand on the coin box. A small sign above the prest-o-log dispenser indicates that seven prest-o-logs could be bought for 60 cents; another sign states a sack of egg coal would cost 65 cents. Photograph ordered by F.D. Dickinson.
The Jensen Fuel Company was housed in a concrete block structure with glass block curved windows in addition to a large plate glass window. The business had its name in large neon letters on a ledge above the doorway. A hanging sign inside the store indicated that Quaker heaters, oil burners and furnace stokers could be purchased there. A 24 hour self-service unit was attached to the main building; a customer could stop by when the business was closed and still buy sacks of coal and prest-o-logs. Owned by Everett R. Jensen, Jensen Fuel was located at 6238 South Tacoma Way. Photograph ordered by F.D. Dickinson.
Jensen Fuel Co. (Tacoma); Fuel supply; Signs (Notices); Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;
