The Niagara History Center has many objects in its collection, and many of the Lockport ephemera (materials that only last or are enjoyed for a brief time) came from Charles Rand Penney. Back in the “good old days” when businesses lined both sides of Main Street, as well as several of the side streets, many of these establishments would offer their regular customers a small gift or premium as a “thank you” for their continued patronage. These were very often given out during the holiday season but sometimes you had to “earn” them by collecting stamps or by some other gimmick. Premiums ranged from calendars to dishes, change banks to playing cards.
One of the longest running of the businesses to offer premiums was the Lewis Flower Shop, opened in 1867 by Eli B. Lewis. Throughout its lengthy tenure, the shop had several different locations in Lockport, including 519 Locust Street which it occupied from 1881 to 1967. It moved to Prospect and Stevens streets in 1967 and eventually became Wilhelm and Ashe. The floristry is now out of business. The playing cards they offered as a premium are adorned with pink and red dahlias with green foliage. They have the Locust Street address and appear to be from the 1950s era.
Conway-Miller Dry Cleaners also had several locations in the city including Locust Street, Walnut Street and West Avenue. Started in 1917 by Harry H. Conway, Peter Miller joined the business in 1941 and then became the sole owner in 1947. The cleaners were in operation on Walnut Street until 1974 when the building was torn down for urban renewal. The business moved down the street for a short time and then to West Avenue. It later became North East Cleaners. Their playing cards depict a black and white cocker spaniel running in the grass. These cards also appear to date from the 1950s.
The last deck of cards in the collection came from Harry Kipp’s Cigar Store at 8 Main Street. Kipp’s was located in a very ornate building next to the Masonic Temple. It was in business from 1940 to 1966. Two years later the building was taken down for urban renewal. These cards have a photo of the interior of Kipp’s shop with the message “Season’s Greetings from Harry Kipp, Lockport, New York.” They too are from the 1950s.
One of Charles Rand Penney’s favorite things to collect were old calendars from Lockport area businesses. There are more than 100 different calendars in the collection, many of them from local service stations that have long since gone out of business. The pictures on the calendars ranged from the sacred (Jesus and Mary) to the profane (nude women) with everything in between. The pages of the calendar that accompanies this article were torn out so it is impossible to know the date of publication, however it may date from the 1950s (many of the calendars in the collection are from that era). Drewe’s Service Station was located on the corner of North Ridge and Cambria-Wilson roads in the northern part of Cambria (the business is listed in the 1949/50 Lockport telephone book). Other service stations found in the collection include Van Dusen’s Sales and Service, Lock and Gooding streets (1957); many from Fulcher’s Kendall Service, Hawley and Corinthia streets (1950s and 60s); Gagliardi Brothers Service, Chestnut Ridge Road (1960); and Sam’s Auto Service, 414 West Avenue (undated). Other businesses represented were grocery stores, funeral parlors, liquor stores, florists, jewelers, coal companies, churches and the Williams Brothers Department Store. The oldest calendars date from the early 20th century while the newest ones are from the 1990s.
Gas stations were often the most likely place to get a calendar. As the 20th century progressed, these service stops became a ubiquitous feature of our modern landscape. Gasoline distributors first appeared in the Lockport City Directory in 1905. E. P. Marvin at 10 Elm Street started out as a bicycle manufacturer and then switched to selling gas and gasoline engines. A few years later, John Young’s Feed Store at 41 Buffalo Street was also selling gasoline.
Many new businesses were created by the advent of the “horseless carriage.” By 1920, there were several places in Lockport to purchase gasoline for automobiles. In addition to gasoline dealers, there was a plethora of automobile related shops springing up all around the city. It was at this time that gas stations began to appear independent of other businesses such as a grocery, hardware or feed and seed store. These “filling” stations, as they were called, featured pumps under a canopy and a small building that sometimes sold snacks much like our modern gas stations do. In the early days, the stations were often operated by a single individual or a family but as automobiles became more common and competition heated up, a whole team of uniformed employees would greet you to service your car. Like a pit crew at a race track, these men not only pumped your gas, they checked your oil, put air in your tires and washed your windshield. Before you drove away you were often offered a free road map or a calendar. Oil companies competed with each other to see which stations could provide the best or fastest service. This type of personal service lasted well into the 1960s.
The gas station experience began to change in the 1970s. Gas prices went up and service went down. With more people using interstate highways, the small, independent stations along the older routes began to disappear. The big oil companies tore down their small stations and built new ones with large convenient stores. Uniformed employees no longer rush out to greet you and service your car and now you have to pump your own gas. The days of free maps and calendars are gone.