A Look Inside Old Michigan Department Stores: 1900-1916

Department stores could be scary for a little kid. Not only were they huge and easy to get lost in, but sometimes while you were looking at the toys, mom would wander away looking at her stuff, leaving you alone. (Unintentionally, you understand.)

How many times have you been in a department store and hear a kid screaming for his/her mom? Or see a mom running up and down the aisles frantically asking, “did you see a little boy/girl come by here?!?” Those department stores can be scary for parents AND kids.

The department store where I grew up had two levels: adult stuff on the first floor, and toys and kitchenware in the basement. Even though there were toys down there, it was still creepy, because I would usually be the only one down there...no clerk, no other customers, no piped-in music, no fan or air conditioner noise...no nothin’. Just dead silence.

Get our free mobile app

That was a small town department store...getting lost in a big city department store was even more traumatic for a kid. Did you ever get lost and get put in one of those ‘lost child’ rooms? You were put in the company of wheezing, snot-nosed, crying, stinky kids and you just knew you would be spending the rest of your life there. YUCK.

The cooler department stores at least had a soda fountain or snack bar where you could have a burger, fries, Coke, and a piece of pie while mom went searching for that new Playtex Living Bra and girdle she saw on TV.

The gallery below takes you inside some of our ancient department stores, going back over 100 years to show that some were different, while some were how you remember.