Christmas At Famous-Barr By Ac Benus

[AC Benus]

The Floormen only have initials ... the Window Trimmers have full Christian names. Difference in status ?

I doubt it. If anything, the Floormen (or 'floorwalkers' as they were called in Britain) were higher in the organization. They were only one step removed from management positions, and usually the people promoted to 'Buyer.' 

 

I suspect it was all down to the one submitting the list to the newsletter's editor. The person in charge of the Floormen listed them by first initial out of personal preference - although 'Thom. Hanley' is the exception. Ah-ha! Perhaps Thom. was the one tasked with compiling the list    

[AC Benus]

 

Employee Lounge, Sixth Floor. (Thanks to Tim Landon for helping rotate the image )

[AC Benus]

This staircase from the Basement Mezzanine to the Basement Level is talked about more in the 1929 and 1945 novellas. The image is poor, but know it was a tribute to the Cascades Fountains at the Saint Louis World's Fair, and featured the store's eagle logo in marble. This was elegance for the people, and worthy of the best ocean liners at the time – the exact same era as Titanic and its First Class Staircase.

 

 

Here are the Cascade Fountains. The electrical engineer had his dark hair turn gray as he worked out the kinks to make the world's first underwater lighting display, but everything worked flawlessly on opening day.

 

 

 

And here is Titanic's First Class Staircase – a mite smaller than FB's, I might point out

 

[Parker Owens]

It was an era of exploring and overcoming technical limits; so much to discover. Sadly, so much of that talent was wasted in the war...

[AC Benus]

 

The First Floor decorated for opening day, September 8th, 1913

[AC Benus]

 

The First Floor Soda Fountain. All marble, onyx, stained glass, and gilded bronze, it was 150 feet long, could seat 90 guests and was every bit as luxurious as any one Harrods Food Halls, it's exact contemporary. The difference was, while Harrods was only for the rich, Famous-Barr's motto was "A Palace for all the People."        

 

This was the largest soda fountain of its type, ever. 

[Parker Owens]

And we gave up on these things for...everyday low prices? 

[dughlas]

We gave them up for low prices and strong profit margins ...

[AC Benus]

I've just been doing research for the 1880 novella, and read that Barr's grossed $2 million in sales for the year 1877 (when there was a serious recession going on. I'd love to know how much a rinky-dink outfit like Macy's earned at the time ) 

 

The fact is, that's a tremendous amount of goods to handle. For comparison, The Anheuser Brewing Association (Anheuser-Busch) sold $1 million of product that year, and the world's largest brewery - William Lemp and Co (the man who first put beer in bottles!) - grossed a fund-matching Barr's 2 million. 

 

Retail was huge business at one time (Famous-Barr grossed $1 billion dollars in annual sales starting in 1996), so consolidation in the market has meant a lack of jobs across the country. It's a shame.    

[AC Benus]

Bruce and Naomi's thrift store dance:

 

Ken Mackintosh's Creep

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU3tLIANCHQ

[AC Benus]

This vid might work for you if the other one does not

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BifhuS3SxNo

[Reader1810]

Not quite Wini and crew but some of the historical photos did bring them to mind. 

 

Celebrating U.S. National Parks Service 100th anniversary

[AC Benus]

Not quite Wini and crew but some of the historical photos did bring them to mind. 

 

Celebrating U.S. National Parks Service 100th anniversary

Gosh, people got close to the bears... scary 

[Reader1810]

Gosh, people got close to the bears... scary 

 

Too true, they really aren't teddy bears.

 

As we normally do, we stopped by the dump to get rid of the garbage on our way home from the cottage (this was about three weeks ago). I knew the bears hung around there waiting for the "loot" to arrive but I had never seen one myself. This time I turned around (safe in car of course) and got to see a big black bear sauntering off into the woods (he was about 40 to 50 ft away down a small hill) with the trash bag clamped in his jaws. I thought later, I should have gotten a picture. I'm sure it would have been fine because he had other things on his mind, but as they say, better safe than sorry...

Edited August 27, 2016 by Reader1810

[AC Benus]

Recently we've been thinking about greasers

 

Here's a pic I found just today. Tough but sweet, especially the boy with the picture-perfect cocker spaniel, AWWWWWW

 

[Mikiesboy]

Recently we've been thinking about greasers

 

Here's a pic I found just today. Tough but sweet, especially the boy with the picture-perfect cocker spaniel, AWWWWWW

 

The dog is sweet, but I'm not sure the dude with the leash is too happy ... but you never know. Nice pic AC!!!

[Defiance19]

Recently we've been thinking about greasers

 

Here's a pic I found just today. Tough but sweet, especially the boy with the picture-perfect cocker spaniel, AWWWWWW

 

 

There's something to be said about a group of tough guys who choose this delicious dog as their mascot. Awww, indeed.. 

 

You just know that the guy in the front with the cigarette 'Lou', is the leader of the gang. Cool, and maybe too confident. The guy in the back, also with a cigarette 'Bruiser', is always ready for a throw down. The others might fear him a bit. 'Freddie', holding the leash, is the newbie. He's waited so long to be part of the gang and desperately wants to show Lou he belongs... 'Jerry Lee' sitting on the bench, is loyal to a fault, though he is a bit awkward and usually the folly for Bruiser's pranks..... 

 

omg...I'm only just a little bit ridiculous! 

[AC Benus]

The dog is sweet, but I'm not sure the dude with the leash is too happy ... but you never know. Nice pic AC!!!

I got the pic from Pinterest. Last night the same person posted another one from the set and provided some info: it's from Prague, circa late 1980s. As for the dog boy...maybe he wishes the pooch was home with Mom while he's loitering in the park trying to look tough

[AC Benus]

There's something to be said about a group of tough guys who choose this delicious dog as their mascot. Awww, indeed.. 

 

You just know that the guy in the front with the cigarette 'Lou', is the leader of the gang. Cool, and maybe too confident. The guy in the back, also with a cigarette 'Bruiser', is always ready for a throw down. The others might fear him a bit. 'Freddie', holding the leash, is the newbie. He's waited so long to be part of the gang and desperately wants to show Lou he belongs... 'Jerry Lee' sitting on the bench, is loyal to a fault, though he is a bit awkward and usually the folly for Bruiser's pranks..... 

 

omg...I'm only just a little bit ridiculous! 

Nice, Def! I love it; I can see Freddie having a major boy-crush on Lou. Maybe something long-term will come of it. As for the mascot, I bet the young man with the leash wished his mom had not said "Since you're going out to park to sit around with your 'friends,' you might as well take Bella with you." "MOM!" "She needs air too!" lol   

Edited September 10, 2016 by AC Benus

[Timothy M.]

I got the pic from Pinterest. Last night the same person posted another one from the set and provided some info: it's from Prague, circa late 1980s.

 

so are they on their way to a Grease revival?

[Parker Owens]

@Def...love the story line! Sounds like a story prompt developing...here's the pic, now develop the story behind the snap. But what is the Czech word for 'Bruiser?'

[AC Benus]

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

 

Long-armed epergnes graciously held up crystal plates of the pastry chef's finest, bite-sized art: stacks of chocolate-coated petit four, each decorated in code to alert server and eater alike what flavor was contained within; genoise fancies, Italian sponge cake morsels – cut and rolled in chopped almonds on the sides to keep gloved fingers from becoming soiled – were iced pink on top with halved cherries and diamonds of translucent-green angelica; piped meringue mounds surmounted crenulated shortbread bases, and were double dipped in chocolate and raspberry fondant; petits choux and cream horns were enrobed in ganache or dusted with powdered sugar; oval tartlets had fillings of cherry puree and icing; and apricotines, buttons of macrons glued together with apricot jam and dusted lightly with cocoa, awaited selection.                        

Edited November 1, 2016 by AC Benus

[Timothy M.]

Now I want to eat desserts...

[AC Benus]

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/gallery/image/14028-2005-fb-gift-card/

 

I'm getting ready to begin uploading the entire series...it's been 18 months of incredible amounts of work...

[Parker Owens]

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.