Memphians didn't have to travel very far to do their shopping. Main Street alone had large department stores that offered just about everything a man, woman, boy, or girl could want, and they could take their pick of Goldsmith's, Lowenstein's, Bry's, Julius Lewis, and John Gerber.
Gerber opened his establishment in 1880, right across the street from Court Square, and expanded it greatly over the years, with the building eventually taking up the entire block. In 1949, it gained the distinction of adding the first escalators Memphians had ever seen, and newspapers devoted stories to these newfangled "moving stairs." They were such an innovation that Mayor Watkins Overton came to the store to snip the ribbon to get them moving.
I'm pretty sure that a Lauderdale was selected to be the very first escalator passenger, but I'm too modest to say so.
I managed to turn up this old photograph showing the ladies' glove counter at Gerber's, and that shows you what a classy place it was — to have an entire department devoted to gloves. You'll note the displays for various styles, colors, and sizes of gloves, and I assume all those flat boxes on the shelves held pairs for sale.
I especially like the old-fashioned cash register, though of course at the time it was probably the best anyone could buy.
And speaking of "at the time," I wish I could date this photo, but all I can say is that I believe it's from the late 1930s. You can't help noticing the distinctive "Arms-Farms" poster hanging above the cash register, but so far my research hasn't turned up a specific date for that poster, or the organization behind it. Still, it seems to be conveying a message about getting ready for war, so that's why I think the photo was taken just before the United States entered World War II.
Look very closely, and it seems someone has propped a baby picture on top of the glass counter. I certainly wish the photograph had included a clerk or two in the image. But still, it's a nice image of a bygone age.
