Six uniformed waitresses pose with a woman in a dark dress at the Husk Cafe, 1211 Pacific Ave., in January of 1943. The women wear little caps, almost like a small nurses cap, pinned in their hair.

Husk Cafe (Tacoma); Cafes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Diners (Restaurants)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Waitresses--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The cooks and waitresses of the Husk Cafe at 1211 Pacific Avenue posed at 3:30 pm on January 25, 1943 following the lunch hour rush. They are standing behind the lunch counter with its miniature juke box selectors. Mrs. C. Isabelle Hardwick and Thomas C. Hardwick opened the Husk in 1934. According to a posted sign under the clock, customers could not get counter service unless they were prepared to spend at least 10 cents. For 20 cents, you could get a bowl of hot chili or some pie and ice cream to go with your coffee. The Husk Cafe closed in the late 1950s.

Husk Cafe (Tacoma); Cafes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Diners (Restaurants)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Waitresses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cooks; Counters;

Ray Gamble banquet at Rau's Chicken Dinner Inn located at the corner of Pacific Avenue and John's Orchard Hill (the Mountain Highway). Ray Gamble was born in Lexington, Nebraska, and arrived in Tacoma in a boxcar in 1892. His was a rags-to-riches story. He started in business opening a fish market in 1913 and developed the world's largest wood flour business which furnished stabilizing materials for the explosives manufacturers. He owned several pieces of real estate including the exclusive Casa Blanca Apartments. He was also well known for his hobbies of collecting elephant statues and performing magic. Rau's Club was opened March 2, 1939. In August 1946 the name was changed to the "Country House Restaurant". (TNT 7/27/1941, p. A2; Genii, March, 1939)

Restaurants--Graham; Banquets--Graham--1940-1950; Group portraits; Gamble, Ray, 1886-1972; Rau's Club (Graham);

Rhodes department store offered their customers a wide selection of everything they might need to look their best. Rhodes received new merchandise on a daily basis. View of men's socks and shirts section at Rhodes Bros, Easter sales signs in center of sock fixtures.

Department stores--Tacoma; Hosiery; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);

A look at the boys clothing section of Rhodes Department Store on April 19, 1946. Piles of shirts, socks and other accessories await customers.

Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Sherwin-Williams Paint and Interior Decorating store, exterior at night showing lighted neon sign and display windows. The store was photographed on February 23, 1946.

Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Paint industry--Tacoma; Window displays--Tacoma--1940-1950;

West Coast Grocery with headquarters in Tacoma, expand operations. Interior view of West Coast Grocery store in Chehalis, Washington. The cash register, scale and counters are in the foreground. Shelves stocked with food, produce section and frozen food section are in the background.

Grocery stores--Chehalis; Cash registers; Supermarkets; Merchandise displays--Chehalis; Food--Chehalis; West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

West Coast Grocery, with headquarters in Tacoma, expands their operations. Exterior view of West Coast Grocery store in Chehalis, Washington. Gasoline pumps, advertisements for weekly specials and watermelons in front of store.

Grocery stores--Chehalis; Gasoline pumps--Chehalis; Supermarkets; Watermelons--Chehalis; West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

Central Motors bought, sold and serviced cars. They were about to move into this building, where they would offer their customers a wide selection of used cars and more extended services. Interior view of Central Motors.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma; Showrooms--Tacoma; Central Motors (Tacoma);

Rhodes Department Store fabric section.

Business Enterprises - Department Stores - Tacoma - Rhodes Brothers - Fabric Department

Rhodes Millinery Mirror Room along with other departments had recently been remodeled and modernized. The room featured modern fixtures in a renovated spacious room. Rhodes offered fashionable and chic hats for the modern woman. View of Mirror Room with hat displays and comfortable areas for women to try on their favorite hat styles (T. Times, 5/16/46, p. 10).

Millinery; Hats--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Department stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);

Rehn Motor Company. Several men enjoy each others company in the service area of the Chevrolet dealership.

Automobile dealerships--Gig Harbor--1940-1950; Rehn Motor Co. (Gig Harbor);

Ray Ridge Motors for Robert Sconce Advertising. Crowd admires the 1946 Mercurys at Ray Ridge Motors. Night view from outside showroom through plate glass windows. Convertible, sedan and "woody" wagon are visible.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ray Ridge Motors, Inc. (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Hogan's Lakewood Center Grocery, Nalley's display. A stack of Nalley's Hamburger Relish selling for 25 cents each stands near the cash register. Other products are displayed on shelves behind the register. Nalley's Inc. was started in 1918 by Marcus Nalley. Nalley Valley Center Street Development consists of 3 main plants housing 4 separate food processing operations: the potato chip plant, processing potato chips, popcorn and various nut products; a pickle plant, a federally inspected meat plant, and the Tacoma sales branch offices and Nalley's general branch sales office. (T.Times, 12/10/1947)

Grocery stores--Lakewood--1940-1950; Hogan's Fine Foods (Lakewood); Cash registers; Merchandise displays--Lakewood--1940-1950;

Pantorium Cleaners & Dyers at 3306 Tacoma Avenue South was one of five dry cleaning and laundry services operated by the Home Service Laundry Company. Pantorium had domestic and commercial accounts throughout Tacoma. Besides apparel , the laundry specialized in cleaning drapes, curtains, carpets, rugs and upholstery. Door-to-door service was available. People are unidentified.

Cleaning establishments--Tacoma; Laundry--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Pantorium Cleaners & Dyers (Tacoma);

Tacoma Auto Sales. Exterior of South Side Used Car facilities. Used cars were "Bot and Sold" at this location. You could also obtain insurance and car loans. Two men wearing business suits stand outside the shop by a mid-1940's automobile with wide-wall white walls. TPL-8100

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; South Side Used Cars (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Interior of Rug Cleaning Plant, Cartozian & Sons Rug Company, Edward S. Cartozian. A man views a guage that not only reads the current conditions but also prints a scale of conditions over time on a circular chart.

Cartozian & Sons Rug Co. (Tacoma); Rugs; Service industry facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Interior of Rug Cleaning Plant, Cartozian & Sons Rug Company, Edward S. Cartozian. One of the employees of the company places a carpet into a storage bin.

Cartozian & Sons Rug Co. (Tacoma); Rugs; Service industry facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cleaning personnel; Cleaning;

Interior of Rug Cleaning Plant, Cartozian & Sons Rug Company, Edward S. Cartozian. Two young work together, one to spray the back of a rug and the other to move the rug up and down with a pulley.

Cartozian & Sons Rug Co. (Tacoma); Rugs; Service industry facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cleaning personnel; Cleaning;

In July of 1947, Edward S. Cartozian moved his carpet business in Tacoma from 759 Broadway to the old automobile dealership building at 3320 So. G St. The Cartozian family had been in the carpet business in the Pacific Northwest since 1906 when Abram O. Cartozian started selling Oriental rugs from a small rented room in Portland. Ed Cartozian sold his business in Tacoma to Matt O'Haleck in 1994. The men in this photograph are unidentified, but it is believed that the third man from the right is Edward S. Cartozian.

Cartozian & Sons Rug Co. (Tacoma); Rugs; Service industry facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cleaning personnel; Cleaning; Chevrolet trucks;

Old time truck for contest, South Tacoma Motors, Ted Hoakinson. Three men stand with an old Chevrolet truck. The cab is very tall and has a curved hood. The wheels are spoked and the tires are worn flat. One of the men has white hair and points lovingly at the hood over the engine. Both the other men are listening carefully to what he is telling them.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Chevrolet trucks;

When the South Tacoma Motor Company at 5602 South Tacoma Way ran a contest for old time trucks in June of 1947, this Chevrolet was probably the winner. An unidentified man, hat in hand, stands next to a 1919 Chevrolet Platform Stake. Chevrolet made their first trucks in 1918. They had only manufactured 8,179 trucks by the end of 1919. Photo taken for Old time truck for contest, South Tacoma Motor Co., Chevrolet, Ted Hoakinson. TPL-6544

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Chevrolet trucks;

Valley Forge Service Station, believed to be located in Fife. The service station offered Standard Oil products and did automobile repairs. According to additional information provided by a reader, the Valley Forge was believed to have been located near the intersection of Hwy 99 and 54th Ave., across the street and east of the Poodle Dog Restaurant. The Oakwood Dairy, whose delivery truck is parked outside the service station, was located near the intersection of 54th Ave. and 20th St. (Milton Ave.) at the time of this September, 1945, photograph.

Automobile service stations--Fife--1940-1950; Valley Forge Service Station (Fife); Trucks--Fife;

Camp Francis, an automobile court between Tacoma and Seattle on the Seattle Highway (99). Camp Francis offered cabins for rent, as well as gasoline and Standard Oil products.

Automobile service stations--Pierce County--1940-1950; Camp Francis (Pierce County); Tourist camps & hostels--Pierce County; Motels--Pierce County--1940-1950;

A truck prepares to fill up at an unidentified Standard Oil station in September of 1945. The station is located at an unidentified Pierce County location. This is the same station as image #64.

Automobile service stations--Pierce County;

The Eagle Grocery, 2218 Marine View Dr. N.E.; photographed in September of 1945. The small market and automobile service station was owned by Charles Powell.

Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The Eagle Grocery, 2218 Marine View Dr. N.E.; photographed in September of 1945. The small market and automobile service station was owned by Charles Powell. He and his wife Marian lived at the same address, probably on the second floor.

Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Standard Oil service station located at Mallon Ford, 5617 South Tacoma Way. The Ford dealership structure was built in 1917 for the Edward P. Leonard Ford Agency. Tommy Mallon had the gas station added in 1938.

Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mallon Motors, Inc. (Tacoma);

Clark's Garage - under construction.

Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Standard Oil Co. of California (Tacoma); Clark's Garage (Tacoma);

The Standard Oil gas station located at the Camp Tahoma Auto Camp cabins, 3836 South Tacoma Way. Camp Tahoma, owned by Frank and B.J. Winkes, offered the driving public an alternative to staying in a hotel. The auto camp was demolished around 1966 to make way for Gill Lincoln Mercury.

Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tourist camps & hostels--Tacoma; Motels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Camp Tahoma (Tacoma);