At first glance I too thought that it was a mirror in the store window, but the "reflection" didn't match what was happening in the street.

After taking a closer look I realized that the camera is looking through the front window and also the side window of the store. This is obvious when you extend the sidewalk alongside the church and see that the man is walking away from the church. The features of the corner building near the man seem to match up with building behind the church.

[It is indeed a mirror (the type on the posters is reversed), reflecting a scene out of frame to the right. - Dave]

We always referred to him and his stores as 'J.L. Hudson's'. That's what was printed on their bags. According to Wikipedia, "Hudson also supplied the seed capital for the establishment, in 1909, of Roy D. Chapin's automotive venture, which Chapin named the Hudson Motor Car Company in honor of J.L. Hudson". Hudson's also sponsored the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was a big deal for me as a kid.

There are so many neat things to look at in the photo. One thing, in particular, that is interesting is to the left in the front of the drug store. There is what appears to be a mirror showing the reflection of a man walking in the background.

In these old photographs I enjoy looking at the the neat buildings, but prefer looking at the people. This was taken way back in 1904. However, in that moment, those people were in the present day just as we are now. They were living their lives, each with a story to tell. Thanks to the photographer, we are able to see a glimpse of their life the way it appeared in 1904.

Seems like the roof cresting of this vintage almost never survives to the present day view. Maybe it was as delicate and flimsy as it looks. Or maybe it was just too much effort to preserve when roof maintenance and repairs were required.

The marquee holder that JennyPennifer alludes to looks significantly more robust and I agree it is lovely. Too bad it didn't survive, either.

The church is still active, the building on the far left appears to be the same, and the original street bricks are exposed at the crosswalk. The Hudson's store is an early branch of Detroit's J. L. Hudson's department store.

Unusual to see the name of the store located so close to street level.

The Trinity Episcopal Church appears to be thriving today. Their vertical banners remind me of the verse: but the greatest of these is love. At some point the church took over the c1904 Hudson's building. The streetcar is gone, as is the heavy foot traffic. But the building to the left, across the street is still there, little altered.

is that huge, gorgeous, ornately curved wrought iron cage-like thing hanging with cable supports from the little gables to the left of the main door, at the corner of the bell tower at street level? Whatever it is, it's not there anymore. At any rate other than that, this church looks nearly identical today. My husband is from Rossford, a few miles from Toledo, and I have seen this beautiful church many times.

[It is a sign unto you. Electrically lit! - Dave]

Surely coming around the corner to see Mr. Blooper, I mean Hooper, in his drug store!

The Valentine Building (left) and Trinity Episcopal Church (center) remain more than a century later, but within five years of this photo the Hudson's store was gone from this spot. Detroit-based retailer Joseph L. Hudson opened for business in Toledo in 1881 around the same time that he opened his first store (in the Detroit Opera House). This Hudson's building was destroyed by fire in 1909. Afterwards, Joseph sold part of his interest in the site to James Thompson and went into business with him before selling his interest in it to Cleveland businessmen, and leaving Toledo. Hudson's Inc. would eventually return to Toledo, however.