Ann Arbor memories (Ashley: sales, apartments, loft)

[jackmccullough]

The other night my wife and I were talking about some of the stores and restaurants in Ann Arbor when we lived there from 1976-1979, while I was in law school. During most of that time she was a bookkeeper at Maude's, which I realize has been out of business for a long time.

What we were trying to remember, though, was an old-fashioned department store on Main Street. I'm pretty sure my wife bought some clothing and fabric there at various times, and the fun part of the store was that they had pneumatic tubes, so when you made a purchase you would write your check or give them the cash and the cashier would take the payment and the sales slip and send it up in the pneumatic tube, and your receipt and the change would come back.

Does anyone remember that store, and what the name was?

TIA.

[Coldjensens]

There was an SS Kresge store, but it was on South State and North University. I think it is a walgreens now. I do not remember a big department store. Seems like there was a huge hole in the ground for many years where my brother said there was once a store of some kind. That was near main street, but no on it as best I remember.

[jackmccullough]

Thanks. This was a pretty small store. I think it was on the block of Main Street between Washington and Huron, or maybe between Washington and Liberty. My wife used to work at NBD, which is now Chase, on the corner, and this store was on the same block on the other side of the street.

[CatzPaw]

Are you thinking of Kline's? My former mother-in-law, now deceased, was a saleswoman and did alterations there for many years.

The 1896 building is still there, now restored to shops and loft apartments. It was covered up under a pretty plain exterior back in the 70s. Look up Pratt Block for details.

There are some photos at the A2 Library site. See this page and also some of the surrounding pages if you are interested. https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/19570?page=4

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by CatzPaw

There are some photos at the A2 Library site. See this page and also some of the surrounding pages if you are interested. https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/19570?page=4

Is that next to what's now Gratzi? There was a clothing store we always walked through - we'd always park in the Ashley St lot when Ryder's was on Liberty. Both Ryders and the clothing store had back entrances, so if we were going onto Main to cross the street to go to Wilderness Outfitters (now Moosejaw), it was quicker to cut through there.
I think the only thing I've ever bought anything there was maybe a tie between 95 and 04

[lbj42]

The department store was called Goodyear's Department Store and was on the northwest corner of Main and Washington.
https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/66672

I helped gut the place in 1983 after it had closed and was converted into offices. It still had the pneumatic tube system when it closed. I remember there was a backroom storage area that had this huge, amazing Jantzen print on the wall that I wish I had taken.