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Preparing for the Holidays Fifty Years Ago by Mike Esposito The 1947 advertising motto of the Troy Retail Merchants Bureau was "Building a Greater Troy as a Greater Shopping Center." Troy in 1947, with an estimated population of 76,000, was a major retail center. Its three department stores, Frear's, Denby's and Peerless, were the equal of many metropolitan rivals. Its large furniture emporiums, R.C. Reynolds, Standard Furniture, John P. Ryan, Breslaws, Ben Katz, and its hundreds of retail stores and specialty shops, especially its shops for women's wear, were on a par with the better class stores in any city. River Street between Franklin Square and Fulton, and Third Street from Fulton to Congress was the heart of downtown (or "uptown" if you lived south of Ferry Street). The shopping strip contained over forty apparel stores, the city's four major department stores (Frear's, Denby's, Peerless, Stanley's), four "5 and 10's" (Woolworth's, Grant's, H.L. Green's, and Kresge's), thirteen shoe stores, thirteen beauty salons, six jewelers, seven restaurants and luncheonettes, candy stores, florists, book stores, three theatres, and dozens of other specialty stores. Holiday shoppers overflowed into the streets in order to pass each other. Retail stores selling women's wear were numerous: Weinberg's, Muhlfelder's, the Up-To-Date, Knitcrafts, the People Store, and Lord & Tann. Fashion Furs, Hasso's and Broughton's were the major furriers. Among the popular children's clothing stores were the Young Folks, Kranson's, the Quality Shop and Kings Children's Store. All sold children's wear produced at Troy's Tiny Town Togs and the Trojan Maid. Among the men's apparel available at Chasans, Snappy's, Wells & Coverly, and the Morris Store were products made by Trojans in Troy's clothing factories: Cluett's, Berk-Ray, Kelly Clothes, Standard Manufacturing, M. Nirenberg, Wultex, and others. Preparing for the holidays in Troy could have included a visit to Lavendar's Book Shop or Clark's Book and Gift Shop for the bestsellers of the year, including Laura Hobson's Gentlemen's Agreement, James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific or Russell Janey's The Miracle of the Bells. If the latest in phonograph records were a gift choice, Pommer's and Miller's would carry popular novelty records such as Open the Door, Richard or Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah or the year's chart topper, Peg O' My Heart, by the Harmonicats. Hartigan's basement and Stanley's fourth floor were transformed into popular "Toylands" during the holiday shopping period. Not many television sets were available as family gifts in 1947. Total sales nationwide were about 170,000, mostly 10¦ table top sets. People flocked to the theatres, resting between shopping sprees to see musicals including MGM's Good News and Disney's Song of the South. Hollywood actress Loretta Young, married to Trojan Tom Lewis, had two popular films appearing in Troy theatres in 1947, The Farmer's Daughter and The Bishop's Wife. Troy's ten theatres had a total seating capacity of over 11,000. Children could enjoy a two-hour cartoon matinee for 25 cents while their parents shopped. Dozens of luncheonettes and restaurants were available for a midday or early evening break from shopping. The counters and booths at Paul's, the Puritan, the Mayflower, Peggy's, the Famous Lunch, and Manory's were especially popular. Many Trojans learned a few new dance steps at the Marvelli Studios in preparation for holiday parties held at the Sunset Inn, the Airport Inn, the New Gainor's, and the Crystal Lounge. Holiday dinners were available at the Hotel Troy's Grille and Tap Room, the Hendrick Hudson's Club Buffet, the Tavern, Callaghan's and the Volcano. In preparation for those special holiday meals at home, shoppers would flock to the city's dozens of food markets. The A & P stores, Empire Super Markets, Central Markets, Houlihan's, Boylan's, the Mohican Market, all offered a selection of food products at competitive prices. Individual favorites of many Trojans were A & P's Eight O'Clock coffee, Borden's Egg Nog mix available at the Collar City Creamery, Manory's famous Nesselrode ice cream pies, and Peanut Butter Ribbon Candy at Fay's Candies. Thirty-two retail bakeries, including the Public View, the Crystal, and the Capital, provided fresh baked goods daily. Depending on the particular Troy neighborhood you lived in, fresh produce was brought to your door by vendors such as the Carey Brothers, Mike Esposito, Gus Speciale, Anthony Patti, and others. Freihofer's baked goods were still delivered by horse and wagon; milk, eggs, ice, poultry and other items were also available from door-to-door vendors who made shopping a bit easier for city folk. Two pages of Christmas Music services to be held at Troy churches were advertised in the Times Record. A popular tradition was the holiday chorus singing carols on the great stairwell inside Frear's Department store. Troy youngsters were fascinated by the store's pneumatic tube system used in conjunction with processing sales. The Troy Music Hall's December concert featured the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performing before 1,200 students from the Troy Public School System. Union-Fern's 1947 Christmas parade included an eighty-foot dragon float which thrilled the youngsters. Children at St. Vincent's and St. Joseph's Homes and Vanderheyden Hall were treated to holiday parties by RPI fraternities, the Elks, and many other local organizations. City residents received a Christmas Eve snowfall of eight inches and a Christmas Day temperature of 12 degrees below zero (the lowest temperature registered in 71 years) as families in some Troy homes prepared for a special gift, the arrival of nine babies born on Christmas Day at Troy's four hospitals. In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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