Owl Drugs

 

Old Los Angeles.  Well, sort of.  Actually, it's Beverly Hills and while somewhat smaller, this building is still there.  Many years ago, I worked nearby and used to walk down there on my lunch hour and buy a snack.  Anyway, I found some information to pass along, but not as much as I'd like.  I know the store opened in 1947, but I couldn't find the name of the architect.  I know the building was commissioned by Justin Dart, the CEO of Rexall Drugs, and that it wasn't just the world's largest drug store, but also the headquarters for the company.  Today, it's a CVS and Target.  The caption on the back of the card, "World Headquarters, REXALL DRUG COMPANY, Beverly and La Cienega Boulevards LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA."  It was published by "WESTERN PUBLISHING & NOVELTY CO., LOS ANGELES, CALIF."  This card was never mailed.  

Hermann Tietz

  

I don't often have enough to go on to research my photos, but every once in a while.   Take a look at the top of the print, and the name "HERMANN TIETZ" can be seen.  Hermann Tietz was a German-Jewish businessman.  He was born in 1837 and died in 1907.  He and his brothers, Oskar, and Leonard founded a chain of department stores in Germany.  In 1900, the largest store in the chain was opened in Berlin. In 1934, all Tietz holdings, both department stores and factories were Aryanized and a forced sale was made to rival Georg Karg, who rebranded the stores as Hertie Department Stores. 

The words (at least the second and third word) on the bus in the foreground translate as 
Stranger Tours.  Special tours for first-time visitors to Berlin, perhaps. 

He Grew Up and Sold Ice Cream

I'm not very good at judging ages, but I would think that the bottom two photos were taken when this young man was in his late teens to early twenties, and the first about seven or eight years earlier, and since the bottom photo is dated 1918, say around 1910 for the top.

With the eucalyptus trees and the neatly spaced orchard in the background of the top photo, southern California at a time when most of the area was still farm land  seems like an obvious location.  But, how to prove that?  Apart from the Crescent Ice Cream sign, there's also a Bradford Baking Company bread box in the middle picture.  I did a bit of searching on the net, and found a story about the recent purchase of Metropolitan Ice Cream by The Crescent Ice Cream Company of Los Angeles, dated 1916, and another story of a law suit by Weber Bakeries against The Bradford Baking Company in Los Angeles Civil Court, dated 1919.  I couldn't find any details, or who won the suit, but when I arrived in Los Angles, in 1980, Weber Bread was still available.

The Salesman

What is this man selling?  Let's see...Argus slide viewers, a home haircut kit, a Kodak Starflash Camera, typewriters, a clock, a tripod, Shaffer pens, a movie projector, and what looks like some sort of audio equipment in the radio, record player, open reel tape recorder type of stuff.  All things I can remember, and some of which, when I was young, I found amazing.  So, pawn shop or general store?

Not Worth Remembering

Written on the back, "Aunt Liz 2nd husbon."  Apart from the poor spelling, the first think I thought about was how many husbands Aunt Liz had.  The number must have been large enough that her family didn't bother to keep track of their names.

Marketplace

Or sweat shop.  I can't tell.  There's a bit of Spanish in the background of the second picture.  Also English, so does that point to a border town like Tijuana or Juarez?

Tussy Cream Deodorant

Oh that strange, disembodied face staring out from the top picture. A bit of advertising , of course, but with all the reflections, a bit weird. Tussy Cream Deodorant has been manufactured since 1925, and according to it's manufacturer's web site, Suite-K.com., it's available in dollar stores everywhere. Stamped on the back of the top picture, "APR 28, 1951" If the regular price for a jar of Tussy was $1.00 in 1951, and it's for sale in dollar stores today, that means that the price hasn't changed in 61 years. Now that's a bargain!

Finding Your Niche

Nice picture but the message on the back is better. "A small corner of the biggest job of my life. Just the niche I've always wanted. Pat, Kathy and Me." Who wouldn't want to find their niche?