The holidays are here and so is the holiday shopping season. How and where we shop has changed significantly over the years. Holiday shopping in Northern Kentucky, like the rest of the nation, has reflected changes in mobility, access and tastes.
The spirit of Christmas shopping past
In the 1950s Northern Kentuckians could catch a bus to downtown Cincinnati to watch the Shillito’s elves in Santa’s workshop or wonder at the trains at the Cincinnati Gas and Electric display. Yet, they didn’t have to cross the river to find the perfect gifts at the department stores and five and dimes that filled the downtown streets of Covington, Newport, Florence and other cities.
“Covington was a very vibrant city in the ‘40s and ‘50s,” said Dr. Jim Claypool, a retired NKU professor administrator, local historian and Fort Mitchell native. “Every Christmas, there were decorations on Madison Avenue, starting at the bottom of Madison, running probably up to 16th Street or so with Christmas type lights, ornaments and so on.”
The streets were crowded with shoppers going in and out of the John R. Coppin’s Department Store, J.C. Penney’s, Sears, Robert Hall clothing, Woolworth’s and other stores in Covington’s downtown, he said.
Over in Campbell County, it was hustle and bustle, too.
“I remember window shopping on Monmouth Street with my mother right before Christmas, and then she would take us to the bakery on York Street and we would have the pastries for dinner that night,” Cathy Ahlbrand of Dayton said on Facebook.
Becky Griess Shanks also had fond memories of Newport shopping.
“I would ride a red bus named the Merchant Bus that ran from Dayton to Monmouth Street in Newport with my mom to go shopping. Monmouth had colorful Christmas lights strung across the streets. We would shop at all the stores then eat bar-b-que sandwiches at the lunch counter in Woolworth or chili at Dixie Chili. We would then climb back onto the Merchant Bus and head back home loaded down with our colorful Christmas packages.”
Children were often given an amount to buy their own gifts for the family. Woolworths, Kresge and the Dayton Dime store were favorites for young shoppers. From 1939 until 2009, parents headed to Johnny’s Toys in Latonia to find gifts to fill Santa’s satchel.
The malls move in
By the 1970s the advent of large suburban shopping malls and plazas was underway, siphoning off customers away from downtowns. Big box stores, such as Walmart and Target also expanded around this time.
Chuck Eilerman’s family built their Covington men’s and boy’s clothing store in 1892, a beautiful four-story building that dominated the corner of Pike and Madison Avenue. The business thrived for over 60 years, but, like many downtown stores, the malls and suburban plazas took their toll and they closed down in the mid 1970s.
Florence Mall opened for business in 1976 with anchor stores Shillito’s, J.C. Penney and Pogues, although the offerings changed over the years. Malls offered convenient parking and one-stop access to the big anchor stores and smaller venues. By the 1980s, the malls became a mecca for teens and families.
Online shopping and back to the future?
Many malls have shuttered or are struggling today thanks to another shift. Internet shopping — and the convenience of buying from one’s living room — has taken over a good share of holiday shopping.
Black Friday, the big brick-and-mortar shopping day after Thanksgiving, is still a thing. Yet, it is now followed by a weekend of online activity culminating in what has become known as Cyber Monday. When Amazon came online in 1995 it changed our expectations of how fast we can get what we want when we want it.
Despite the convenience of online shopping, recent years have seen some return to shopping in person. Today, holiday shoppers are encouraged to “shop small and shop local.” Northern Kentucky cities offer special holiday shopping events designed to bring visitors to their downtowns and commercial centers.
Locally sourced, sustainable gifts are popular as are hand crafted and artisan gifts. Is this the future of holiday shopping? We don’t know, but the reasons we shop are unchanged — to express love and cheer to family and friends.