It’s not at all strange for “formerly young” people in the greater Shenandoah area to reflect about a time when they say residents didn’t have to leave the borough to buy or see just about anything and when the community was actually a destination for out-of-town shoppers.
But was that really true? Was there really such a Shenandoah?
Reflection leaves no doubt about the answer: Yes.
Shenandoah may be a Roman candle, but when it flared, it was good.
In fact, the town’s once magnificent business area, during the first and even middle parts of the 20th century, had multiple outlets for men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, foundations (undergarments), hats, jewelry, furniture, mechanical and motorized vehicle parts, hardware stores, appliances, miscellaneous items at what were called “five and dimes,” restaurants, meats/groceries, ice cream parlors, candy, bars/taverns, veterans’ and civic/service organizations, locally run banks and even entertainment outlets such as movie theaters, dance halls and soda fountains.
No need to go too deeply into the bars/taverns scene except to mention that at one time Shenandoah had as many bars per thousand people as any place in the nation.
Traditionally, stores would remain open “late” (usually until 9 p.m.) on Fridays and Saturdays and customers not only from the borough but from the wide surrounding area — from “The Valley” was how folks often referred to shoppers from the Ringtown, Pattersonville, Brandonville and even Zion Grove areas — would jam the streets and sidewalks in Shenandoah’s business district to the point where driving to town, parking along Main Street or Centre Street and simply watching shoppers was an ordinary Saturday night practice.
For people within Shenandoah proper, Main Street was “uptown” because it is the highest point in the main part of the borough. Ditto for people coming from Brownsville, William Penn and Lost Creek. But for folks in Shenandoah Borough’s Turkey Run section, in Shenandoah Heights and heading down Route 924 from The Valley, Main Street was “downtown.”
On Saturday nights, a main objective for locals and visitors was to play “the pools” as various veterans and other organizations had setups for people to buy pool chances that offered monetary prizes via numbers picked usually later in the evenings, as a culmination of the downtown outing. People would gather at the windows of the various pools to watch the picking of numbers and then read the listings of winners. In those days, winnings of $25 or $50 were nothing to take lightly. Anyone who won maybe $100 was, well, “In the Money,” as the 1930s Gold Diggers might sing.
For women, Shenandoah’s fashion offerings were dazzling. Store names included Elton’s, Friedberg’s, Julliette’s and Julliette’s Bridal, The Style Shop, Rae Shop, Supowitz, Goodman’s, JCPenney, Tobias (billed as “Beautiful Fashions by Tobias”) and (later) The Upstairs. All offered seemingly endless choices.
Bruce Popalis, a former Shenandoah resident and councilman, remembered yet another store that catered to the ladies, the Sunshine Corner on South Main Street. He also recalled East Centre Street area businesses such as Leach Furrier and fur storage.
Need headgear, madam? Try Mildred’s Millinery in the first block of North Main Street near Shenandoah’s skyscraper, the five-story Shenandoah Trust Co. building that featured Stief’s Drug Store on the ground floor. Folks called it the Stief Building.
Of course, the JCPenney store (people would say they’re going to “the Penney Company”) on North Main Street offered it all when it came to clothing — foundations and fashions for men, women and children. Wonder if anyone remembers when paperwork regarding receipts was transported between the floor and the office area above the front JCPenney entrance via a pulley system.
Children were always the focus at Wolowitz store on South Main.
Clothing choices — and countless other items — were also available at the “five and dimes,” Woolworth’s and Newberry’s. Who didn’t greet Santa on the lower level of Newberry’s?
Speaking of “other items,” Nesbitt’s Cut-Rate in the first block of North Main likely had them all.
Leather goods? Horowitz. Curtains and such? Aranoff’s. Hardware? Souchuck’s, Abrachinsky’s, Chesonis,’ Dunlap’s, Shenandoah Lumber. Lodging? The Ferguson (Shenandoah) Hotel at Main and Centre streets and the Hotel Mandour at Main and Coal streets. There had also been accommodations available at a site near the northwest corner of Main and Coal.
Fashionable men weren’t without options in Shenandoah. JCPenney was a good starting point. Outlets over the years included Sublusky’s at the southeast corner of Main and Centre streets, where painted footsteps on the street and sidewalk led pedestrians to the store entrance. Later, Morris Men’s Shop occupied the spot. Other options included Eddy’s Men’s Shop on South Main Street, the A.W. Stanley Department Store at the southeast corner of Main and Coal streets, Aggon and Demalis in the first block of North Main, west side, and Raymond’s in the first block of North Main, east side, Crystal Clothiers at the northwest corner of Centre and Jardin and Young Male World on South Main Street.
For those needing footwear, Shenandoah’s offerings made for happy feet. Try K&M, Hersh’s, Allen’s (later transformed to Ben’s by the late Ben Spagolio), Triangle’s street level and downstairs at the northwest corner of Main and Lloyd streets and any of the five and dimes.
Hmmm … due for a ring or maybe an identification bracelet? Jewelry stores were not in short supply. Sol Levit’s, in the first block of North Main Street, where Luna DiMaggio’s pizza shop and restaurant now stands, was an exclusive jewelry store that customers from throughout Schuylkill County and beyond patronized for cherished items well beyond identification bracelets. Berson’s Jewelry and Gift Shop in the 100 block of North Main, the Paul Shockitas Jewelry Store in the first block of West Centre Street and the Blewis Jewelry store along East Centre all had their special offerings. The Zackeravage store on the first block of South Main Street focused on coal jewelry, musical instruments and related items.
In the furniture world, Shenandoah was a destination. Davison’s, Siswein’s, Ufberg’s and Keystone, all on Main Street, and earlier Joe Rich on East Centre Street, made the town the veritable furniture king for people far and wide. Furniture was spelled S-h-e-n-a-n-d-o-a-h even through the business section’s declining years.
Businesses that offered appliances of multiple types included Reilly’s on the ground floor of the VFW building on West Centre Street and Rudberg’s near Main and Oak streets where the high rise now stands. Gene’s TV on South Main and Johnny Koury’s in the Main and Washington streets area provided other options.
Miller’s Auto Supplies on East Centre Street was a destination not only for people needing stuff for their cars or trucks, but also for young bicycle riders looking to decorate their bikes. Miller Washer on East Cherry Street at the rear of the current Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society headquarters at Main and Cherry was a mother lode for vehicle parts and myriad mechanical items.
A heavy day of shopping could prompt folks to crave a burger or hot dog and fries or perhaps even a cheeseburger steak platter with fries and slaw. Such eateries were never far away. Remember the Boston Lunch on West Centre or the Zaharis Restaurant on East Centre with the L&D just across the street? How about Kline’s on North Main Street and John Finn’s Melrose, originally on South Main and later along the Gold Star Highway just south of the Gold Star Bridge? The Park Restaurant and Vernalis’ are still going strong. How about Sands at Centre and Bower? For the nightclub crowd, Al Sands used to have his eatery open Saturday nights and into the wee hours of Sundays. There would be a line at the door — at 3 a.m.
Ice cream, shakes and lighter fare were available at places such as Schutawie’s Luncheonette in the 100 block of North Main Street or at Fetter’s, with a peanut machine in the window, in the first block of West Centre Street. Folks could also stop at an ice cream bar that was a feature in the dairy building on North Chestnut Street. Candyland on North Main Street later shifted to North West Street.
Fine eating and seafood houses were acutely popular sites, contributing greatly to the town’s power as a magnet for visitors: Jermyn’s, Kitty’s (Stanley’s), Mack’s, House of Cinco, Quaterola’s, Keff’s, Bates and, of course, Paskey’s, which later went back to its original name, The Lyric, which originally was a movie theater that dominated Centre and Jardin streets.
And speaking of movie theaters ... add The Capitol at Main and Coal streets and The Strand in the first block of South Main and there can be little doubt folks had choices when it came to entertainment. People attending a matinee feature at The Capitol were more often than not blinded by the outside daylight that greeted them after the movie ended. How many young couples on “dates” sat in the balconies of the Capitol or Strand sneaking their first innocent kisses?
The mighty Capitol, at one time, during the latter stages of its operation, even hosted a performance by the internationally known super rock group Three Dog Night.
Dancing was a huge part of the entertainment scene for folks back in “the day.” The former Allen N. Mowrey VFW Post 268 along West Centre Street often featured weekend dancing to live bands in its second-floor bar area and even third-floor hall, where dances for teens were held. Reilly’s Appliances on the ground floor of the VFW building had sheet music among its offerings.
When the Columbia Hose Company was based on South Jardin Street along with what was the borough hall and jail — the site now is part of the sprawling headquarters and museum of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society — the firefighters sponsored wildly popular Thanksgiving Eve balls featuring music by live orchestras.
But perhaps the most legendary dance mecca in Shenandoah was Maher’s Hall on North Main Street, which featured regular weekly dances. It had a balcony from where people could watch the top orchestras of the day perform on stage and see other folks dancing. The annual Snowball Dance at Maher’s was the talk of the region.
The hall at the former Shenandoah AMVETS post in the 100 block of South Main Street was hugely popular for receptions for weddings, anniversaries, showers, funerals and similar social events, as was the Melrose hall along the south side of the Route 924 Gold Star Bridge. Miners’ Hall, on what had been the third floor of what is now the one-story St. Stephen Hall at the southeast corner of Main and Oak streets, was another destination site for dances, social events and receptions. It was nothing for wedding receptions in Miners’ Hall to surpass 500 people.
Stone’s Hall in the 200 block of North Main saw its share of social gatherings. It was set in a former school building that also featured a ground-floor bowling alley. Weddings, anniversaries and showers weren’t strangers to the hall at the Anthony P. Damato American Legion “Medal of Honor” post in the 100 block of North Main.
The Damato post, by the way, wasn’t the only American Legion post in Shenandoah. There had been the Samuel H. Kehl American Legion on West Oak Street near Ferguson Street. That was referred to as the “old” or World War I post. The building still stands, although the Kehl post, as well as the VFW, are no longer active. The local AMVETS and Catholic War Veterans posts remain in existence, but no longer have their own buildings.
Other sites that included music and dance agendas were the old Shenandoah Elks Lodge and the Moose Lodge, both in the 200 block of North Main Street; both groups are no longer functional.
Shenandoah, at one time, was the only borough in Pennsylvania to have service from three railroad lines. The Pennsylvania, the Reading and the Lehigh Valley lines provided the town with passenger and freight services that included ... shipments of cattle for some three meat-packing facilities that were here, including a slaughterhouse.
For food shopping, destinations required choices that included Schlanger’s on South Main and the Capitol Food Store then on North Main, plus “supermarkets” such as A&P and Acme right on South Main Street. At Schlanger’s, grain and similar items were sold from huge bins or wooden barrels. The Joe Swies market in the first block of West Centre Street was a staple. Truth be told, there were grocery stores/meat markets in practically every neighborhood throughout the community, with names such as Kutskiel’s, Kwedder’s, Mrs. Link’s, Yablonsky’s, Rabada’s and more. There had also been a Matta’s Groceries on the East Side, according to Popalis. Kowalonek’s, Capitol Food and Lucky’s Deli keep Shenandoah a kielbasa king today, but many other markets that flourished in “the day” helped put that crown on the town.
Any business or civic sites been missed here? You bet there have ... more than a few. Didn’t even touch the greater Shenandoah area’s history regarding the music field or the old-time blow-out eastern European-style weddings. But that’s for another day, and it’s simply stronger and bolder evidence that oldtimers’ reflections about the importance of Shenandoah’s role back in “the day” are correct.
The Shenandoah Roman candle, although all too brief, was spectacular.
(Schreppel was a longtime writer and editor with the Evening Herald newspaper and later with The Republican-Herald until his retirement)
Contact the writer: eschreppel@republicanherald.com