Lewis Sephus Gardner's Store RPPC ~ Collecting Lima Ohio

October 12, 2017, 9:45 am

≫ Next: Leiser Clothing Store Interior Vintage Postcard - Collecting Lima Ohio

≪ Previous: My Lima, Ohio Milk Bottle Collection ~ Vintage Milk Bottles ~ Ohio Dairies

Real photo postcard, rppc, identified on the back as being:
Louis S. Gardner's store on Vine, Lima Ohio.

Louis is on the right wearing a hat, his cousin Russel of Ada Ohio is in the cardigan. (Possible last name is Myers.)

I found a couple mentions of the Gardner Wholesale Paper and Notions Store in the Lima News, and then found LEWIS SEPHUS GARDNER'S obituary on findagrave.com (link).

Birth:

Aug. 7, 1875
Decatur
Adams County
Indiana, USA

Death:

Oct. 1, 1951
Lima
Allen County
Ohio, USA

Lewis Sephus Gardner Dies Monday

Pioneer Wholesaler Founded Supply House

Lewis S. Gardner, 76, 1449 Ellison-dr, pioneer Lima wholesale merchandiser, died at 6:10 p.m. Monday in Memorial hospital after a short illness.

He was the founder of the L. S. Gardner Merchandising Co., 129 E. Elm-st.

A native of Decatur, Ind., he came to Lima in 1891 and in 1907 opened a confectionery which he converted in 1913 into a wholesale merchandising supply house.

He later was associated with the Gardner-Myers Merchandising Co. for three years before founding the present concern in 1927. Offices then were at 335 N. Main-st.

He retired from active participation in the business in 1942 because of ill health. The present building at 129 E. Elm-st was built in 1948.

He was a member of the Elks and Masonic lodges, the United Commercial Travelers and St. Luke's Lutheran church.

Surviving are his widow, Maude; a son, Roger, 1449 Ellison-dr; two daughters, Mrs. Harold McMillen, 110 S. Glenwood-av, and Mrs. Roger VanGunten, 817 Holmes-av; and two grandchildren.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Siferd and Son funeral home. The Rev. John Berger will officiate. Burial will be in Memorial Park cemetery.

The body will remain in the funeral home until after services.

(published in The Lima News, Tuesday, October 2, 1951)

His wife Maude continued to run the company, and it continued after she passed:
"Mrs. Gardner had been president of the company's board of directors since her husband's death in 1951. The company now is operated by a son and two daughters."
No more info at this point.

Family genealogy links from FindAGrave may turn up info for another researcher.


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Note: These items are part of my ''Collecting Lima Virtual Museum''. They are not for sale.

If/when I find more information on these items, I will add it to the post.

Read the Introduction to my ''Collecting Lima'' Virtual Museum Project, all about my Lima Ohio Bottles, Advertising, Antiques collection.
________________________

Ms. Dow Antiques Blog 'Tique Talk is published by msdowantiques.com
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Leiser Clothing Store Interior Vintage Postcard - Collecting Lima Ohio

November 2, 2017, 9:35 am

≫ Next: TW Bodell Garage Hardware Store Owner Harrod Ohio RPPC Photo Postcard - Collecting Lima

≪ Previous: Lewis Sephus Gardner's Store RPPC ~ Collecting Lima Ohio

Let's look at this vintage 1914 postcard that pictures the store interior of the LEISER AND CO. SPECIALTY SHOP of Lima, Ohio, with the notation LESTER SCHNITZER, SUCCESSOR. (On eBay here)

It appears that Leiser Shops were a small Midwest chain. I couldn't find out much about it, or who started it in Lima. They had ties to the MUNSER CO. which became MUNSER-LYON in 1920. Which explains Harry Lyon's name attached to the Lima store in the above list, yet the address is not in Lima.

Lima News ads for the LEISER SHOP start appearing in 1909, and run until about 1920, along with mentions in the DRY GOODS ECONOMIST 1916 and the GARMENT MANUFACTURERS INDEX 1920.

The store was located at North and Main, across from the Allen County Courthouse, in the HARPER BLOCK building. That would put it in the lower right of this postcard:

Mentions of the Harper Block appear in the Lima News starting 1886, and disappear after 1920. Not sure when the building was torn down.

Lester Schnitzer was a local fellow who worked at Leiser's, then took over management/ownership of the franchise by 1914.

(Photo source)

Lester Schnitzer's father David Schnitzer was a Director of the Elgin Motor Car Company of Elgin, IL., and his sons Lester and Harry sold Elgin Co. stock to investors in Lima.

Lester Schnitzer passed away in 1918.
_____________________

Note: These items are part of my ''Collecting Lima Virtual Museum''. They are not for sale.

If/when I find more information on these items, I will add it to the post.

Read the Introduction to my ''Collecting Lima'' Virtual Museum Project, all about my Lima Ohio Bottles, Advertising, Antiques collection.
________________________

Ms. Dow Antiques Blog 'Tique Talk is published by msdowantiques.com
Sign up for my free newsletter!

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TW Bodell Garage Hardware Store Owner Harrod Ohio RPPC Photo Postcard - Collecting Lima

November 3, 2017, 8:22 am

≪ Previous: Leiser Clothing Store Interior Vintage Postcard - Collecting Lima Ohio

Let's look at this vintage 1910 RPPC real photo postcard of the BODELL GARAGE in Harrod Ohio, a very small town east of Lima. (On eBay here.)

Research turned up a little info.

T.W. Bodell owned a hardware store in Harrod. First appearance in the Lima News was in 1895 when his store was burglarized.

In 1899 he attended the Ohio Hardware Association Convention in Toledo, according to THE IRON AGE trade magazine.

His name appears in horse breeding trade magazines too, selling stallions. In 1900 he was on the Board of Directors of the Allen County Fair.

The postcard shows his garage building in 1910.

In 1914 he sold his 'stock of vehicles and hardware' for a farm in Ashtabula. The Mr.'s Pole and Tappan (of Michigan) became the new owners.

Apparently things did not go well with the sale as the next year finds TW Bodell in a court case against them.

Finally in 1917, Bodell bought the business back. He had it listed for sale again in 1918.

There the trail goes cold, other than a mention of Mr. and Mrs. Bodell visiting friends in Lima in 1937.

_____________________

Note: These items are part of my ''Collecting Lima Virtual Museum''. They are not for sale.

If/when I find more information on these items, I will add it to the post.

Read the Introduction to my ''Collecting Lima'' Virtual Museum Project, all about my Lima Ohio Bottles, Advertising, Antiques collection.
________________________

Ms. Dow Antiques Blog 'Tique Talk is published by msdowantiques.com
Sign up for my free newsletter!

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