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Washington, D.C., circa 1923. The Hub furniture store at Seventh and D Streets N.W. Free with any kitchen cabinet: One each of 74 "nationally known food products." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
It amazes me how many of these products have disappeared from history - at least in the sense that there are no google hits for them (until now).
[We all thank you for this fascinating piece of detective work! Click the ad below to enlarge. Interesting how Coca-Cola has become "Cocoa-Cola," both here and in the store window. - Dave]
Oh my goodness...one of my favorite bloggers posted on my favorite blog? I am beside myself. I'm a big fan of all Mr. Lileks' work, and there have been so many times I've connected his site(s) and this one in my head.
Tthe more things change, the more they stay the same...
Like Hitchcock, the photographer (and tripod) make an discreet appearance in the window.
That's probably the Strand Theater at Ninth and D. Home of the Loomis Radio School! Click to enlarge.
Wow, lots of familiar old names there, like Comet and Astor rice, Dromedary, Karo. I didn't know that FAB was so old. And James Lileks has a userid here? It only makes sense. Hi James! How do you like the new I-35W bridge?
Hub Furniture was located on the SE corner at 7th and D (309-319 7th). I think the Shorpy photo is looking at the 7th Street facade so the geometry is not right to see Center Market in the reflection. Across the street would have been the Lincoln National Bank, but I have yet to find any photos of this lost building to see if it had a pointy tower.
The Historic American Buildings Survey photographed Hub furniture in 1987. The awful monolithic facade was applied in 1958, covering up the original 6 buildings composing the store. Evidence of the former display windows is still visible along 7th street.
Those are Hoosier cabinets. The Sellers brand shown in the window was made until about 1950. I have a Hoosier in my kitchen, helping out with the decided shortage of built-in cabinets.
A bottle of Pabst is one of the items listed, and there's a poster for PBR in the center of the window. What exactly was PBR in 1921? That was during Prohibition -- did they make a nonalcoholic beer or something?
[Beer was legal during Prohibition -- as long as it didn't contain more than a half-percent of alcohol. Below, a Pabst ad from 1921. Note that now it's called a "brew" rather than a beer. - Dave]
Can anyone tell me what make and model that unusual car in the background is?
[It's a Franklin. - Dave]
They don't give out food anymore, but here it is 2008 and Hub Furniture is still with us here in the DC area.
So many survived. There was a Fab detergent in the 60s/70s, as I recall. The Borax and lye they can keep, along with the naptha and cleansers.
I too am all tingly that the great Lileks is here. I have lost -- I mean "enjoyed" -- entire afternoons on his site.
I'm more apt to wonder about the lye and soap being included amongst "food products."
[Hm. Basic foodstuffs? - Dave]
So many brands, so many questions. Gorton's Flaked Fish in a can sounds like mealy cod-mush; Astor's Uncoated Rice sounds almost naughty. It's a surprise to see FAB, since that sounds like a brand from the era of punchy three-letter surfactant merchants, like DUZ, BIZ and VEL. Bonus: there's a reflection in the window for Ceresota Flour, which was made in Minneapolis for 60 years in an industrial complex six blocks from my office.
Re: the pointy tower in the reflection – was that the Central Market at 7th & B?
[Yikes. A comment -- and a question -- from Lileks himself! What is the answer somebody? This is like finding out Conrad Hilton has checked into your B&B. I'm all tingly. - Dave]
Everything old is new again. Here is a new product promotion: "Hellmann's® Mayonnaise Dressing With Extra Virgin Olive Oil is creamy and delicious with the added great taste of Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's lower in fat than regular mayonnaise and a great complement to a healthy diet."
With a name like that, it has to be good. Or, on the other hand, never saw that on the store shelves. It must have been bad.
I'd like to try out some of that Aunt Jemima pancake mix. I had some of her syrup just this morning.
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