Christmas At Famous-Barr By Ac Benus

[northie]

1880 excerpt, fresh off the presses (or keyboards):

 

I just read this as I was deciding what, if anything, I was going to have as 'afters'. Fortunately (or unfortunately ) I haven't got anything remotely like what you describe ... *sigh* Edited November 3, 2016 by northie

[Defiance19]

I just read this as I was deciding what, if anything, I was going to have as 'afters'. Fortunately (or unfortunately ) I haven't got anything remotely like what you describe ... *sigh*

 

Hehe... I'm with you Northie.. Also, I could guess what epergne was in context, but I swear I didn't know the word had to go look and now I won't ever call them 'a centerpiece thingie'. They are fancy too.. 

[AC Benus]

I just read this as I was deciding what, if anything, I was going to have as 'afters'. Fortunately (or unfortunately ) I haven't got anything remotely like what you describe ... *sigh*

If (when) you get to the first chapter of the 1988 tale, please be sure it's on a full tum-tum. The boys' lunch will hopefully make you very hungry  

[AC Benus]

So now I see what you have been frantically working on!  All these stories coming together in a series. I am astounded, completely astounded, my friend. I hope you will have some real occasion to take a long series of bows, and an extended period of laurel - collecting.

 

You have given us characters of all sorts to love, engage with and remember fondly, and all through the lens of Christmas.  You have again proven why you are such a great gift to anyone who picks up one of your wonderful tales, or to anyone who writes.

 

***

 

And if I can mention one very tiny note about department stores - in the city where I grew up, the nearest large department store was the downtown Sears store. As a wide-eyed four year old, I was fascinated by everything, from the parking ramp (two whole levels!), to the many varied departments (yes, the toys...), and above all, the escalators. In the way of things, Sears closed that store in favor of suburban mall locations, and the site changed hands. It became an office building, but the health insurer tenant outgrew it. I happened to revisit the site a few weeks ago for a memorial service of an old friend who died too young. She had been a professor at a college back in that city; her college had purchased the old building and completely renovated it as a science center. The memorial was held in the atrium of the new building.  Almost nothing of the old Sears remained, except the parking ramp, which I remember vividly for my mother cursing as she tried to maneuver her rather oversized Ford around some pretty tight turns.  

 

You have my enthusiastic thanks, my hearty handshake in congratulations, and my deep admiration, always.

First about Sears, their history is a fascinating one. A mail-order retailer, in the depths of the Depression they decided to commit to building brick and mortar stores. And they committed big, with huge investments in many communities in America. A few of these Art Deco palaces still dot the landscape, like the one in Oakland (California), and South Saint Louis. I don't know if the one you mention is from that era or later, but San Francisco has one dating from right after the World War 2, and it was also very nice.

 

Here's the SF store under construction. It's still there, used for the same purpose, and very little altered.

 

 

On a personal note, I have a childhood Sears memory too. For some reason, lord only knows why, I remember my mom buying a vacuum cleaner from a Sears in a mall in Tucson, AR, when I was 2 or 3 years old. I can still remember entering the store and they had a clear section of floor space where all the newest appliances were lined up, and I remember this grand staircase with metal handrails and terrazzo flooring.

 

Later on, during one of our summer trips back to Tucson, we went to that store again and it was just as I recalled it, although my memories now are more informed from my later viewings.

 

------

 

And thank you for your encouragement. It's been a crazy year of working every spare moment on this series, but knowing I could not post it as I went along. There will be a lot of chapters posted between now and Christmas, and I hope folks will check them out.   

 

Thanks again, Parker. I love your kind words and thoughts for me.          

[AC Benus]

Hehe... I'm with you Northie.. Also, I could guess what epergne was in context, but I swear I didn't know the word had to go look and now I won't ever call them 'a centerpiece thingie'. They are fancy too.. 

Hey, Def, 'centerpiece thingie' works too, although I might call it a 'fancy-dancy centerpiece thingie' myself

[AC Benus]

A bitter-sweet (more sweet though...) song for the 2005 story -

 

If Everyday Could be Christmas, 98-Degrees, 1999

 

Edited November 8, 2016 by AC Benus

[Defiance19]

So AC, I have a silly question..  When Bear and Harry meet for the first time, he mentions the display dept's wife is Naomi.. I know their story isn't listed in the contents but would that be Naomi of Bruce and Naomi or a coincidence.. It's niggling so I had to ask.. :-) 

[AC Benus]

So AC, I have a silly question..  When Bear and Harry meet for the first time, he mentions the display dept's wife is Naomi.. I know their story isn't listed in the contents but would that be Naomi of Bruce and Naomi or a coincidence.. It's niggling so I had to ask.. :-) 

hehe! Funny you should ask. The 1964 tale is in the batter's box as we speak

 

I might post the first chapter tomorrow... Please stay tuned <3 <3 <3  

[AC Benus]

I have two of these. The attachment on the top is designed so it can be affixed to a child's coat button, to show others he or she has been to Santaland, and the visited with man of the hour himself

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

There are only two more chapters to the 1964 tale now. 

 

The next will be 1945, which is a personal fave of mine. I can't remember how many chapters, but it's not as extensive as Practically Perfect. 

 

I hope you will enjoy it

[Parker Owens]

Question: did FB ever get a visit from Eleanor Roosevelt?

[AC Benus]

Question: did FB ever get a visit from Eleanor Roosevelt?

Intriguing, Parker. I don't know for sure, but I found this picture of the President in town in 1936. I believe the large building on the left, corner of the next block, is the Ambassador Theater. If so, then the location is caddy-corner from Famous-Barr.  

 

http://digital.shsmo.org/cdm/ref/collection/imc/id/14169

 

Why do you ask…? 

Edited November 28, 2016 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

Here's the 90-foot tree above the corner window. They did this from about 1960 to 1968

 

[AC Benus]

Here's the corner window for 1964

 

[AC Benus]

Okay, here's the final image for the 1964 novella. Imagine being a child, looking in on the Mary Poppins corner window, and then glancing up. This the magical sight you would see - the 90-foot tree of lights...I think this is beautiful. 

 

[dughlas]

It appears a star burst.

[AC Benus]

I'll post the conclusion to Right Where We Live tomorrow.

[AC Benus]

I had foolishly grand plans this morning for posting my appendix for the 1945 story, only to read it now and see it's half-done...  

 

So, I will post what I do have of it here. Let's start off with the glorious "Second Christmas Cover" of Store Chat for 1945.   

 

[AC Benus]

Right Where We  Live

Christmas at Famous-Barr 1945

Appendices:

 

 

Appendix 1: History and Facts

 

 

Quite a few years ago, a friend and fellow collector of FB memorabilia gave me 52 issues of Store Chat; they covered the entire year of 1946.[1] I acquired about a dozen more ranging in date from October-November 1944 to November-December 1945, so altogether I have a nice chuck to inform me what store life was life during this period of time.

 

I read them all recently. It took me a while to get into them, but then I began to treasure the weekly reports because I felt I knew some of the people being talked about. One handsome young man, named 'Bink,' popped up once every few months. First news that he was entering the armed services, then an update on his training, and then where he would be stationed. Seeing Bink's face caused a small thrill in me; I had to know what was happening to him. Similarly, another member of the Famous Legion (the company had approximately 450 staff members serve in WWII) was Bill Weis. In December 1945 we learned he was injured in service and needed an operation. A month later, word came that he had started up his old job again, and it felt like I knew him; at least, I cheered for him in my heart.

 

Reading these employee newsletters for my research, it became apparent to me I'd like to capture the spirit and bring it to the reader of my story, that is, if I could.

 

The mix of camaraderie shown in the news pieces, the loss and stress of the war, and the not knowing what would happen in the aftermath made for an intoxicating mix. Also peeking through, in the most non-hyped of ways, was how altruistic and progressive Famous-Barr was as a company. Throwing massive Christmas shows for thousands of kids (and giving presents to each of them), handing out end-of-year bonuses, sponsoring a storewide Christmas party for employees the Saturday before the holiday break, and the enormous commitment to keep each and every job open for the men and women who vacated it to go to war for our country, makes one wonder what has happened to corporate America today.

 

To the best of my abilities, I tried to bring it all alive in my story.

 

Betty and Voin are also aware of the coming of equality.

 

The history of the non-violent Civil Rights movement in the United States starts humbly with college students at Stix, Baer & Fuller's lunch counter in 1944. The techniques followed those of Gandhi in India from before the war, and like him, delayed further action until after the war was over. Now, stupid Stix – they had the warning shot fired across their bow, so you would think as a company they would be ready, right? Wrong. Apparently, Mr. Fuller was dead set against equality (on a personal level) and his company suffered boycott and humiliating press accounts for years to come.

 

As a tie-in to personal history, I will tell you that my mother was drawn into the protests. One day in the 1950s she had taken her mother for an outing downtown, and my grandmother preferred Stix's lunch counter to sit and have coffee as a break in the afternoon. My mom says the place was rather crowded, but they found stools at the counter. There was a young, pretty – and by my mother's telling – extremely polite African American woman sitting with open stools to her right and left. My mom asked – and my mom is always nice – if the young lady would mind moving down one stool so she and her mother could sit together. The young lady apologized and said that would be impossible. She was protesting the fact that people of color were not served in that establishment. My mother shrugged, seated her mother on one side of the girl, herself on the other and starting a conversation between the three of them. 

 

From Saint Louis, the means and methods of non-violent protests spread to other parts of the country. 

 

I tried to paint an accurate portrait of the place and time through my fictional characters and their happenstance.

 

There was a real Betty and Voin and Duffy, but I claim nothing but their passing resemblance to my story-people. The exception is Patti Johnson. Her work biography is based rather closely on a Famousite named Ethel Foster.

 

In her book on the company, Edna Campos Gravenhorst tells us how Ms. Foster was hired in 1947 as a new elevator operator, but by the late 1950s was running the Cosmetics Department as its manager. Her success is tribute to Famous-Barr's spirit of progress, and a great personal story of overcoming adversity. She rose within the company as far and as fast as her incredible merits could take her, regardless of her race.[2]

 

Many years later, Ms. Foster was featured on a television program, which aired in December 1964, about diversity in the Famous organization. Store Chat for that month not only mentions her participation in the documentary – both in her role as manager of Cosmetics and in her capacity as a leader in the executive offices – but also highlights a 'Communications in a Changing World' set of seminars for the STL business community to be given by Jacqueline Williams of the Special Events Department. This reminds one that President Johnson had signed the Civil Rights Bill in law only a few months before, so the country was playing catch up to Famous-Barr in many ways.  

 

 

 

Appendix 2: Food and Recipes

 

The Menu:

 

[1] Party Drinks: Eggnog, Tom and Jerry, and Holiday Fruit Punch 

[2] Soup: Tomato and Zucchini Soup with Rye Crisps

[3] Starter: Stuffed and Broiled Clams, with toasted breadcrumbs and parsley 

[4] Main: Lemon Chicken 

[5] Sides: Bean Loaf and Spinach-Cottage-Cheese Soufflé 

[6] Parker House Rolls

[7] Eggnog Chiffon Pie

[8] Chocolate Drop Cookies

[9] Carrot and Molasses Cake Bars

 

 

The Recipes:

 

[1] Eggnog, Tom and Jerry, and Holiday Fruit Punch

          Comfort Drinks 

 

Tom and Jerry received quite the revival in the '40s. A warm beverage invented way back in the 1820s and closely related to eggnog, many sets of bowls and mugs with the drink's name in gold letters were sold and used during the war years. This 'comfort drink' seemed to sum up a desire for people to feel cozy and safe at home while the rest of the word spun out of control. Another great food innovation, stemming from the U.S. military requesting it, was fruit juice in cans. Orange juice from Florida was especially prized, as fresh oranges in most parts of the country were still too expensive to juice fresh. Other juices appeared too in shelf-stable and low-cost cans: Concord grape and cranberry became favorites. Eggnog is a classic, and starting in the 1920s, when people began to have electric refrigerators at home, it became increasingly served cold and thick. All of these may be served alcohol-free or spiked with 'nog.'  

 

The following recipe makes a huge amount of Eggnog, but a third of it will go to the Eggnog Chiffon Pie, and another third will be the base of the Tom and Jerry.                  

 

Eggnog

Ingredients

 

 

- 2 Dozen Eggs, separated. You want the best-quality, super-fresh eggs available.

- 2 Cups of Sugar

- 2 Quarts of Heavy Cream (8 Cups)

- Zest of 2 Oranges

- Zest of 2 Lemons (save juice and use for the Fruit Punch).

 

For serving

- 2 Pints Cold Whole Milk (4 Cups)

- 1 Fifth of Scotch, the good stuff (optional)

- 15 Ounces of Dark Rum (optional)

- Fresh Nutmeg to grate on top.  

 

 

Mode

- It's best to use a handheld mixer because of the large amount of liquids, but doing it in batches in a stand mixer will work too.

- First pour the Egg Whites into a large bowl or pot, and beat until soft peaks are achieved. Set aside.

- Do the same for the Heavy Cream, adding

- 1 Cup of Sugar. 

- Beat the Egg Yolks in a separate bowl or pot until they are thick (about 5 mins.) and fall off the beater in heavy ropes. Gradually add

- 1 Cup of Sugar and mix another 2 mins., or until it's smooth and incorporated.

- Assemble the base by slowly adding the Egg Yolks to the Heavy Cream, and then fold in the Egg Whites. 

- Remove one-third and place in a separate container for the Tom and Jerry. Chill.

- To the remainder, stir in the Zest and Alcohol (if using) and chill overnight.

- The next day remove another one-third for the Eggnog Pie.

- To serve the remainder, place in a chilled punchbowl. Slowly stir in the cold Milk, and grate Nutmeg generously on top.    

  

 

Tom and Jerry

Ingredients

 

 

- 1/3 of the prepared Eggnog base from above

- 1 Stick of Butter

- 1 Quart Whole Milk (4 cups)

 

For serving:

- 2 Cups Heavy Cream

- ½ Cup Sugar

- 10 Ounces of Brandy (optional)

- Fresh Nutmeg to grate on top.  

 

 

Mode 

 

- Place a sturdy serving bowl and several mugs in a low oven to warm up while you assemble the beverage.    

- Set up a double boiler with simmering water. Place the Butter in the top pan and melt. Pour in the Eggnog base and stir to incorporate the butter.

- Stir continuously until the Tom and Jerry mixture reaches about 180-degrees on a thermometer.

- In the meantime whip the Heavy Cream with the Sugar until standing in soft peaks.

- Stir in the alcohol, if using, and the Tom and Jerry place in the serving bowl. Just before serving, top with the whipped cream and grate a generous amount of Nutmeg over the top.

- Ladle into the mugs and enjoy.     

 

 

Holiday Fruit Punch

Ingredients & Mode

 

 

- Chill a large punchbowl. When ready to set out, place in it

- 1lb. Frozen Strawberries, cut in bite size pieces,

- 1lb. Frozen Peach Cubes, cut in bite size pieces,

- 2 or 3 Drops of Peppermint Oil

- 4 Tablespoons Grenadine, and

- 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar. Stir gently while adding    

- 1 Quart Cranberry Juice, and

- 2 Liters of Ginger Ale. Spike if liked with

- ½ Cup Crème de Menthe, and

- Dark Rum to taste.    

                

 

--------------------

 

 

 

[2] Tomato and Zucchini Soup with Rye Crisps

Wintertime Garden in a Bowl

 

The cracker recipe is adapted from Elizabeth Craig's wonderful book, Beer and Vittles (London 1955). Try and find a copy for yourself; it is well worth the investment.

 

Rye Crisps

Ingredients & Mode

 

 

- Preheat Oven to 425° F.

- Place in the bowl of a bread machine (or use a stand mixer with a dough hook)

- 4 Tablespoons Butter, softened, 

- ½ lb. Grated Cheddar Cheese,

- 4 Tablespoons Rye Flour,

- 2 Tablespoons Bread Flour,

- Dash Cayenne Pepper,

- ½ Teaspoon Salt.

- Mix well, and when just coming together, drizzle in approximately

- 1 tablespoon Cold Water until the dough appears smooth.

- Prepare a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper to fit it. Take the paper to your rolling board and

- Flour well. Roll the dough on top of the paper as thin as possible.

- Use a pizza wheel and cut into an even number of crisps, about 16 altogether.

Put the paper in the pan and bake for about 7 mins., or until crisp and dry.

           - Let dry while still hot on a rack. Leaving them in the pan with make them soggy.

 

 

 

[...]

 

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

[1] He was a longtime Famousite, and unofficial historian within the company. 

[2] Chapters 3 and 10, Famous-Barr, Saint Louis Shopping at its Finest, Charleston 2014.

Edited December 6, 2016 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

[AC Benus]

[AC Benus]

[Mikiesboy]

 

 

interesting looking ride he has

[AC Benus]

interesting looking ride he has

I know, right.... What a face. I was thinking it's rather pug-like, so that would make it a 'dog fish' lol 

 

I'm not exactly sure of the folklore, but arriving by river was the VP's main mode of coming to Saint Louis from his "faraway, mystical lands," so the fish makes sense (even though for a hundred years or more he always arrived by steamboat). The dragon-slash-griffin flying fish...now that takes a bit more fancy to imagine, I guess.

 

All fun and games anyway - pageantry for the masses    

Edited December 15, 2016 by AC Benus

[Mikiesboy]