Today’s old ad comes from the same booklet that had yesterday’s ad for Routley’s Motel, published in 1954.
Smith’s Department Store on Ouellette Ave. was a long time local fixture. Founded in 1914 as the C.H. Smith Co., the downtown store was expanded in 1925.
The main store on Ouellette following the 1925 expansion. Photo from the collection of the Windsor Archives.
The Smith’s annex on Pitt St., built in 1928. Photo from the collection of the Windsor Archives.
The beginning of the end of the downtown store occured on October 23, 1974, when Smith’s opened a 90,000 sq. ft. department store in the Mall. On October 10, 1975, Marks & Spencer bought Smith’s, the Downtown store was closed on August 14, 1976.
Yeah I remember my folks talking about the old Smith’s department store. They used to tell me how much they missed the place, the friendly service and the high quality merchandise they carried. Told me when you bought a shirt or pants from Smith’s you knew it was the best. Too bad folks in Windsor were too dumb and ignorant to see the value of an institution like Smith’s.
The second photo which shows the location on Pitt is that where the EPPS store was located later or was EPPS in a different building and do you have any photo’s of it?
I remember going there when I was a kid,
Thanks
Guido – EPPS was on Chatham… Where Cheetahs is located today. I’m not sure if it had a home before that locatation downtown. That’s the only one I’m familiar with.
This would be on Pitt, just east of Ouellette. Today the entire area on Pitt is a parking lot.
May I make a suggestion for a new motto for the city core… “Come for the ample surface lot parking….stay for our vacant office space!”
Everyday you post I see how much the loss of the Norwich block did to the downtown. Without a cultural core in our downtown, all of our other bright spots don’t get a chance to shine. Imagine the art gallery being housed right on the main strip in a building with some character.
I’m not sure what Windsorites could have done to prevent a sale to Marks & Spencer. It happens in the business world. Big buys smaller, though these days, small can buy big – look at Kmart & Sears. It’s hard to imagine that Kmart doesn’t exist and its huge Troy HQ will be gone, if not already.
Not sure what the situation was for Marks to buy Smith’s, maybe the owners wanted out at that time. Keeping a business going decade after decade is grueling, and competition only gets fiercer (more fierce?) every year.
Cool post though. I forget the intertwining of Canada and the Empire that used to exist. I think for most Canadians, they have little if any connection to Britain these days.
Oh yeah that’s correct Andrew now I recall. Sorry it’s been awhile.
I remember shopping in Smiths. More importantly, my parents, who both worked downtown, and thousands of others were regulars there and shopped during their lunch hours and after work. People working downtown had many shopping opportunities back then. Smiths, Bartlett’s, Birk’s, the Metropolitan, Kresges, Adelmans and a host of smaller clothing and dry goods boutiques. Sometimes I would take the bus downtown to meet up with my parents after school. We’d have a bite to eat at one of the many fine eateries, do some shopping and then hop on a bus and go shopping on Ottawa street. All while the snow was flying. Some of the Smith family still lives in the county today. The original Bartlett House/Home is located on the 800 block of Argyle. By the way, many of these very unique and high end retail anchors were locally grown. Fewer people lived downtown in the 50’s and sixties than do today. South Windsor and East Windsor were still the hot suburbs back then and people commuted by foot, bus and car to this wonderful downtown destination. Any taIt amazes me that given our growing inclination towards all which is urban that some of our well healed citizens today aren’t embarking on retail ventures like these. It’s not far fetched and no more difficult than opening up a factory. Any Takers? Keep this in mind. If Windsor is to become a unique destination (like no other) it has to have unique attractions. Found nowhere but here. The Likes of all of the establishments mentioned earlier were like that. I, for one, am a firm believer that we can do it again, only better.
Businesses will always come and go, but these buildings are part of OUR public realm. The buildings belong to the streetscapes and thats public territory!. It belongs to you and me. We always have the final say on what’s built and what’s destroyed. It will never cease to amaze me that somwhere along the line we began to tear down brick and stone to put up particle board and vinyl. These old pictures definitely show what we lost and what we need to get back.
I would have only been 5 when Smith’s closed so maybe I’m remembering wrong….was Smith’s the store with the old fashioned iron gate elevator and hardwood floors?? We use to take the bus from LaSalle to Downtown and go to Smiths then Kresge’s for lunch.
It’s too bad Shanfields couldn’t have moved their business into one of these buildings. The appearance of the building they have now is a disgrace to downtown.
When the downtown department stores began closing in the late 70’s and early 80’s, most of the locals chalked it up to progress. Places like Smith’s and Birk’s were viewed as relics of a bygone era and an impediment to future economic progress. With the domestic auto industry fighting for its’ life against the combined forces of the Japanese automakers and Windsor’s unemployment rate in the double digits, Windsor’s attention was focuses completely on the future of the auto industry locally to the detriment of everything else.
I like the language of some of these ads. “Imposing array of British and Canadian merchandise.”
Which parking lot on Pitt is it?
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George, is there anybody in Windsor you respect that isn’t “dumb and ignorant”? How are windsorites dumb and ignorant when this phenomenon of downtown stores closing happened in most North American cities?
Shawn, that whole block of Pitt St. is a parking lot 🙂
It would be approx. behind the Travelodge today. There is a mural on the parking lot showing a vibrant street scene of the “good old days”.
Ah yes, OK (there are a few parking lots on Pitt to chose from). Murals often depict vibrant old times, thus they are a depressing phenomenon.
Such a nice building.
Smith’s is where my sister and I ( and every other kid in Windsor ) went to sit on Santa’s knee at Christmas time. It had to be Smith’s because we all knew that was where the ” real ” Santa Claus was! The last time for me was in the same year as this ad appeared. And I still have the picture.
To Shell…
You are probably right. Smiths did have such an elevator and hardwood floors but so too did kresges, Bartlett’s and Adelmans. Your experience is very similar to my own and probably many others. do you remember the lunch counter in Kresges? What did you eat there?
The ad said that there’s no federal tax on goods purchased from Smith’s. I’m curious. Was there some kind of federal sales tax at Ontario stores outside of Windsor or was it like a duty free store catered to Americans or was it that people from Windsor generally bought their furniture and household items at Hudson’s in Detroit and paid an import duty when shipping it to Windsor??
Just tonight during dinner we were talking about all the finer stores that peppered the downtown area…..Bartlett, McDonald & Gow, Baum and Brody, Teehan’s, Meretsky & Gitlin. Yes, the downtown has changed and maybe it will once again be a place that attracts locals and not just the drinking crowd.
Gerry> Walkabout multi-use downtowns will come back to smaller cities as gas prices and etc go up. Suburban sprawl will be an 80 year blip. Or something like that.
Only a city with as many dumb and ignorant people as Windsor would have allowed their entire architectural history to fall prey to the wrecker’s ball with hardly a peep. A healthy downtown is the most visible sign of a healthy, vibrant community. Everyone knows that Windsor leads the nation in heart disease, cancer and diabetes and that our downtown is an empty wasteland of vacant lots and empty buildings. Do you get my point Shawn?
M.O.M.,
It was Smith’s for sure. I asked! LOL
We’d go to Kresge’s and sit at the bar and have meat pies. It’s funny now. I would never in a million years consider taking a city bus with my little kids to spend an afternoon in downtown Windsor. Sad, isn’t it?
My Mom said she would go to her OB appointments downtown then walk over to Kresge’s and buy a few cream puffs and eat them on the bus on the way home after.
Oh the memories this blog brings out….
Love this Blog! Keep up the great work.
George if it’s so bad you do have a choice?
It’s called pack your bags and leave!
Please let the door hit you on the way out.
Thanks.
Guido, That isn’t a choice and you know it. I can’t stand people who say if you don’t like it leave. That mentality is as bad as a person who constantly complains but does nothing about it. George has his opinion and he should be voicing it freely.
I agree somewhat to what he has stated. We keep voting for the same people in Federal, Provincial and to a degree municipal politics all the while expecting things to change. Herb Gray was an MP for 40 years and the west side has little to show for it. Other than the casino what has the NDP brought us?
Windsorites love to complain but how many of them pick up a phone and call councillors or the mayor’s office to voice their displeasure? Not many! How many take action? But a few. Just look at everyone running for the burbs and then whine that gas prices are too high. We are our own worst enemies. How about we come together collectively and make POSITIVE changes for the betterment of the entire area? It sure beats the “My way or the highway” or “pack up and leave” comments. I believe that george is just fed up and it throwing in the towel. I am not there…yet, are you?
George, I do not get your point because I don’t think people in Windsor are “dumb and ignorant.”
George doesn’t have a point, he just likes to get people going. He’s done it here before. His next post will tell you how the unions are somehow responsible for the demolition of Smith’s. One of the unfortunate side effects of the internet is anonymous geeks hiding behind their computer screens. It’s best to ignore them, like you would an annoying child.
Yes Me it is a choice. Everyone has a choice.. if your at a job you don’t like do you stay or do you choose to move on to a different job?, if your in a bad relationship do you stay or do you choose to move on?. Life is all about choices.
Why are these people always getting re-elected? because obviously the majority are happy with the decisions that have been made by these politicians and as long as the politicians keep the majority satisfied then the majority will choose to vote for them time after time. See again it’s about choice.
Where is the building in the top photo? Is it still around? and what does it house now if it is around?
george if you arent happy with living in windsor just leave and dont come back
Jane, they’re all long gone.
I used to shop here when I was a kid. Spent many of my precious allowance and babysitting dollars in this store! I think it closed a couple of years before I moved from town but I don’t recall shopping here much as a young adult. My memories if this place are pretty mixed up with Bartlett’s I think I would love to see photos of the interior of this place if any exist. I remember a room where they sold records – lots of 45’s – and I’m wondering if that was Smith’s or Bartlett’s?
My Mom used to bring us kids to Smith’s constantly – she was a working woman and needed the best of outfits – ya know ? The current Downtown BIA really needs to take a look at getting a department store downtown. Currently the Shoppers Drugmart and the Bargain Shops on the corner of Wyandotte and Ouellette are the only viable ???? shopping facilities available. I’m extremely curious about “Shells” comment regarding the bus from LaSalle – which company had a bus from LaSalle to Downtown??????
Speaking of the Smith’s Department Store site, I just came across the artist’s renderings for the 4 storey stucco structure with a hideous post modern wing sticking out of the front of it to be built on the site. http://www.mikhailholdings.com/property/BankCenter/BankingCenter.html
According to the site, they’ve got pre-leases signed for 75% of the units in 2010. What a waste. The city had a beautiful 4 storey Smith’s demolished for this?? How does the city get away with appoving buildings like this.? At least build something taller!.
In my opinion, I would rather see that on the site than for it to remain a parking lot. Nothing has go on there for 30 years, so anything is an improvement over what’s there now.
[GULP]
I’ve never seen a building accented by a jumbo butterknife stucking out of the ground next to it.
Thanks for the link, David. 🙂
I’m not against progress either, but there should be a balance between heritage buildings and new construction. By building cheaper buildings of similar height, they don’t account for future demand. So when there is a future demand, they end up raising more heritage buildings buildings on prime downtown land, which probably could have been avoiding if they built taller buildings to accomodate future demand. There should be city bylaw that if buildings are razed, future buildings must be at least twice the height. They don’t even account for the reduced downtown parking and the greater demand for parking which will end up putting the burden on the city for new taxpayer financed garages. I don’t see a garage door on that corner that would indicate underground parking. They’re already planning on completing a 14 storey building on the other side of the CIBC around the same time, so why do they waste the potential of this prime land?? It should be at least twice the height or at least sell it to whoever wanted to raze the block on the other size of Pitt to build the 8 storey TD tower.
Anyone know what’s happening with the two empty buildings on the southeast corner of Pitt & Ouellette? I didn’t see them listed on the public MLS today. Did the developers finally decide to buy it? If so, is it just the two buildings they plan to raze or did they buy more adjacent property? If so, did they get any city approvals? Also, what’s happening with the former Joker’s nightclub? Did the city approve it’s demo or did they stop it? I haven’t seen the crane and garbage bins around there lately.
John, it doesn’t look like a large butterknife to me. It looks more like a middle finger…
Trudeau Towers?
Does this middlefinger/bank buildng fall under any design guidelines? Is it the DWBIA or the city that allows for all that stucco? Shameful!
Wow,I remember Smith’s. It was the store that I bought my wedding gown in,back in 1969. I paid only $69.99 for it and it was very beautiful.I always missed that store and still do. They had a lot of really nice clothes back then and a huge selection.
Great post and great discussion. My wife and I are constantly appalled at the lack of taste that seems to continue to dominate our fair city. Take for example the styrofoam/stucco refacing that keeps going up on top of brick structures in the name of urban renewal and cosmetic architectural facelifts. One of the best examples was when they redid the old Tepperman’s on Ottawa Street. They pulled down the old aluminum (the 70’s brand of renewal) to reveal this amazing, yellow brick structure. Then up went the styrofoam. The buildings all end up looking like birthday cakes with these arbitrary circles and squares slapped on to break up the monotonous surface.
I’m sorry, but where else do you see this reckless and rampant erasure of architecture? Our city leaders are reticent to impose any kind of resrictions and the result is just bad, shoddy refacing – or worse. We don’t need a council that restricts to the point of creating a gated community – but you do need to have some kind of role in shaping and defining the feature that define your city. Imagine if Chicago had decided to put aluminum up on the water tower.
I worked at Smith’s in the display department under the direction of Eugene Harvey in the early 1970’s. We did windows worthy of Fifth Avenue, where I endedeup doing illustrations for Bonwit Teller. I loved my creative time at Smith’s. Windsor lost a lot when they closed that great old store!
Jeffrey Beuglet
I also loved Smiths and consider it a part of my youth. Bartlette’s, too, because we’d visit Smiths, go out a back door near the sewing notions, I think, cross the alley and go in Bartlette’s back door. I can almost smell the wood of the floor by that back door onto the alley, to hear the soft sound of our footsteps on wood worn down by traffic and weather blowing in.
My grandmother once watched an ironing demonstration at Smiths, circa 1935, where she learned an effective way to iron a man’s shirt. She taught that method to my mom, who taught it to me, and I’ve taught it to my husband and my daughter. I would have taught my son, too, but it seems I lost the iron by the time he was old enough. Still haven’t found it 😉
I’ve seen some comments mention that Windsor needs a downtown department store, but I didn’t see a mention of Steinbergs, which was supposed to fill that niche and bring shoppers back downtown. It was a huge, concrete thing with escalators, although I don’t remember very much about it.
Lavender sachets @ Christmas circa 1960`s
Smith’s was a really nice store, I worked there doing display windows. I miss the friendly staff.
Jeffrey Detroit
my dad, leon busko took me and my brother to smiths. i was 5 years old, my brother was three. best picture sitting on Santas lap anyone would want. still have it today. smiths is gone, but i have the picture.
what did the C H stand for?
C = Clarence
H = ?
I worked in the display Department on the top floor of C. H, Smiths Department store after coming back from studying sculpture in Toronto at OCA now OCAD. To get to the display dept. you entered the Pitt street entrance, across the store to a grand stairway to the elevators. You would punch the time clock with a card with your name on (the size of a business envelope) insert it vertically into the machine and it would mark your arrival time and when you left you did the same thing.
The elevator doors had a metal diagonal patterned grid expansion door in front of them that swished and squeaked as you opened and closed it. Then the solid main doors would be there. There was an attendant for the customers. Our door to display had no attendant and you had to press the button to get the elevator or we may have had a key, then up or down you went…to the floor # that you wanted, I think we were on 3 or the topmost floor. When you got there you put the brake on, evened up the elevator to the floor so it was level and step across. It was a little creepy. I have had many dreams about this. Often in my dream I would be in Toronto or elsewhere.
There was a letterpress sign machine that we used for the posters and adverts. This was one of my jobs. I had been trained in layout and design at Meinzinger’s Art School in Detroit. The letters were metal and on top of a wooden block. I would look at the copy or text, pickup the letters which were reversed visually, place them in order with spaces for end of sentences or indented paragraphs, they would be locked in place, inked up, cardstock on top and pressed and then pull the finished poster off the type. We had a huge guillotine that would cut the paper to size.
My first day on the job they had a dish with water on the set up bed and they said look Dianne you can see the type lice…so I did as they splashed me with water and had a great laugh.
The prop department was so wonderful. They had everything you could imagine and books of prestige displays done in the U.S.A. We had our own phone. I worked with Mr. Pinnegar. He designed the ads for the Windsor Star newspaper and managed the department. The photos for the ads were converted to metal plates which just fascinated me as did all the props and different uses for them.
It was much fun and gave direction to the fashion sense my mom who loved materials of all colours and textures and patterns taught me. It was assimilated. From a young age I would be sent to buy her threads at Bogins 2 blocks away at Campbell Avenue. It was across the street from the drug store and the shoemaker.
When Mr. Pinnegar found out I did sculpture he had me design a prestige window for Christmas which was quite a hit and was featured in the Windsor Star with an article and photos and later when Mr. Pinnegar retired it was mentioned again as one of his most interesting displays.
Smiths was a marvellous store and had many display areas. They did have a Santa and special displays through the seasons.
That’s a fabulous story Dianne, thanks for posting it.