Miss Harter of #9 Down told of her early experiences as a salesgirl in the 1880’s, recalling in the early morning it was the first duty of the men employees to carry out bolts of sheeting, muslin, calico and gingham and stack them on tables on the __ in front of the store.
Country people would drive in with eggs, butter and vegetables to exchange them for tea, sugar and spices at the groceries and then spend what little they might have left over on dress patterns or bolts of cloth. Can't you just picture it?
The Munger's came to __ in 1869 and he started out with a small store in the old Fox block above the Waverly Hotel on upper N. Main Street near the Van Kirk building today.
In 1953, Munger's held a "Women's Day" where the women of the store assumed active management. This involved the male employees __ as women!
In 1955, H. G. Munger & Co. was cited as one of the outstanding stores in __, in a small town or city.
Life size oil __ of Henry G. Munger and his grandson Henry M. Simmons were unveiled posthumously at the store in 1939, painted by artist Leo S. Trimm of Syracuse. Both can be seen in the Historical Society's museum today.
Elfie Harter (1860-1951) was the first __ to be employed by the store in 1879. She worked there for 55 years, becoming the first woman buyer in New York State.
Henry G. Munger was among the first to launch in a smaller community the __ store idea thought to have been feasible only in cities. He opened his newly built store in May, 1918 and expanded to nearby blocks to create what some referred to as the "Macy's of the Mohawk Valley."
In June, 1919, H.G. Munger & Co. celebrated their golden anniversary with a concert on the mezzanine floor by Perry's orchestra and animated __ showing costumes from 1869 to 1919.
Before his death, grandson Henry M. Simmons made plans to modernize the store, widening the aisles, new glass cases and circular counters, and the addition of a modern men's shop. The newly renovated store opened May 18, 1939 as a __ to Simmons.
Munger's is one of the few stores in Central New York that remained under __ ownership. In 1950, the president was Guernsey Jewett, a son-in-law of Henry G. Munger. The vice-presidents were grandson Bruce Steele and Charles Belmer, husband of Munger's granddaughter Eleanor.
In 1954 for a Christmas holiday sales promotion, Munger's held a "Stag Night" which drew more than 1,000 __, who received help in selecting items for their significant other. Of course, live models displaying lounge wear and night caps may have helped.
For the store's 70th anniversary in 1939, 6 models wore costumes from the __ __ time period of the '60s in the apparel department. The models were Mary Nagle, Evelyn Sliwoski, Georgette Barnes, Constance Spoor, Vivian McCaughan, and Mrs. Bertha Hewes. (2 words)