The H. & S. Pogue Company, Cincinnati, Ohio



A great new book by a
devoted Cincinnati author
that covers Pogue's

Pogue's 1916 building on the corner of 4th and Race Streets.
The smaller buildings to the east on 4th Street
were occupied by Pogue's as well.


The 1916 building was designed to replace the
older buildings used by the store, but this vision
remained elusive and only the first four bays
were constructed.

This 1932 image advertised the new "Greater Pogue's"
that included the store's familiar older buildings as
well as the new portion within the Carew Tower.

In 1930, Pogue's occupied part of the Carew Tower
complex at 5th and Race Streets.
Pogue's 4th Street store is visible next to the
Art-Deco structure of the Carew Tower, which
also housed the beautiful Netherland Plaza Hotel.

The Arcade of the Carew Tower,
with Pogue's on one side,
and Mabley & Carew on the other.
Mabley & Carew left the complex
 when Rollman's & Sons went
out of business and became
Mabley's flagship, allowing Pogue's
to expand into its Fifth Street space.

Pogue's Camargo Room opened on
the sixth floor in 1964

The Ice Cream Bridge offered sweets and
food on the bridge over the arcade that
connected the Fourth Street and
Fifth Street buildings.

Pogue's erected a large parking
facility across Race Street from
the main store buildings.



The H. & S. Pogue Company (1863)
410 Race Street
Cincinnati, Ohio

DUnbar 1-4700







Downstairs
Fourth Street
Sporting Goods • Receiving
Lower Arcade
QuickSnack  Health & Beauty Aids • Personal Care
Lower Arcade Budget Store

First Floor
Fourth Street
Fine Jewelry • Mineral and Gem Gallery • Fashion Jewelry • Watches and Clocks  Silver Gallery  Jewelry Repair • Beauty World • Fine Fragrances • Toiletries  Plaza Millinery  Plaza Sportswear • The Eye Ball Shoppe • Handbags • Small Leather Goods • Gloves • Belts • Fashion Accessories • Hosiery • Rain Shop • Lingerie • Robes • Daywear • At-Home Shop • Gifts  Calculators • Greeting Cards • Stationery • Notions  Camera Shop  Coins & Stamps
The Fourth Street Market Epicure • Bakery • Wine Shop • Fine Candies • Godiva Boutique • Flowers By Pogue's • The Wine Bar
Fifth Street
Top Shop • Arcade Sportswear  Young Cincinnatian Shoes • Plaza Shoes
Men's Store Men's Bar • Men's Accessories • Men's Furnishings • Men's Shirts and Ties • Men's Hats  Men's Sport Furnishings • Men's Active Sportswear • Tennis Shop • Men's Pendleton Shop • Men's Lifestyle  Luggage
Second Floor
Fourth Street
Shoe Salon • Aigner Shop • Pappagallo • Sportswear • Dresses • Coats • Figure Shop • Women's World
Camargo Shops Camargo Dresses • Camargo Casuals • Camargo Knits • Camargo Coats • Camargo Sportswear • Camargo Active Sportswear • Camargo Blouses • Camargo Sweaters • Camargo II • Young Camargo
Specialty Shops Miss Couture  Country Clothes Shop • Coat Salon  Suit Salon • Fur Salon • Rose Room • Milinery Salon • Bridal Salon  Formal Salon
Bridge
Ice Cream Bridge Soda Fountain
Fifth Street
Plaza Coats  Plaza Dresses  Maternity
Junior Shops Junior Sportswear • Junior Elegant Shop • Junior Dresses • Junior Coats • Junior Shoes  Junior Lingerie and Robes
Men's Store Men's Clothing • Men's Shoes • International Shop • Contemporary Shop • Alumni Shop

Third Floor
House & Town • Uniforms  Fashion Fabrics • Art Needlework • Toys
Young World Boys' wear 3-7 • Student Shop • Izod Shop • Girls' Accessories • Girls' Lingerie • Girls' wear 3-6x • Girls' wear 7-14 • Young Teens • Infants' 1-24 mos. • Toddlers' wear 2-4 • Children's Shoes • Tresses and Curls  Juvenile Furniture

Fourth Floor
Linens • Bath Shop • Domestics  Blankets • Draperies • Curtains • Floor Coverings • Rugs • Lamps • China • Glassware • Crystal • Table Linens • Gift Bar Shop • Tastesetter Gallery • Pictures and Mirrors • Books • Records  White Sewing Center

Fifth Floor
Furniture Galleries • Sleep Shop • Baldwin  Paint Center

Sixth Floor
Housewares • Gourmet Housewares • Appliances • Radio, TV & Stereo • International Art Gallery • Camargo Room Restaurant  Men's Grill  Soup Bar  Personnel  Credit Office • Women's World • Pogue's Travel Bureau  Portrait Studio

Seventh Floor
Beauty Salon









Kenwood Plaza
April 13, 1959/expanded 1966
60,000/193,000 sq. ft.
Camargo Restaurant


Tri-County (1960)
160,000 sq. ft.
Camargo Restaurant
Ice Cream Parlor

Northgate
May 20, 1972
153,000 sq. ft.
Balcony Restaurant

Florence Mall (1976)
Florence, KY
112,000 sq. ft.




The H. & S. Pogue Company came to be when brothers Henry (1829 -1903) and Samuel (1832-1912) Pogue took over their uncle John Crawford's dry goods store at 100 West Fifth street in Cincinnati. The founders' journey to the establishment of Pogue's, which became Cincinnati's "carriage trade" retailer, was a tale of adversity and near-starvation that would challenge the not insubstantial mettle of this Scottish-Irish family from Ulster.


Henry Pogue (1829-1903)
Samuel Pogue (1832-1912)














Isabella Pogue's husband Thomas died in 1838, leaving her with their farm in 
Drumcarplin, County Cavan, Ireland, and nine children. When the terrible famine hit the Emerald Isle in the 1840s, Mrs. Pogue and her offspring were faced with starvation, and, at the invitation of her brother John Crawford, decided to seek out a better life on the other side of the Atlantic.

After a seven-week voyage by sailing ship, Mrs. Pogue and seven of her children arrived in New Orleans and made their way to Cincinnati via riverboat, arriving in the Queen City in 1849 during a blinding snowstorm. One daughter married the sailing ship's captain and returned to the British Isles; Henry Pogue stayed in Ireland to complete a retail store apprenticeship.

Samuel Pogue found work at his Uncle's dry goods store, and when Henry Pogue arrived two years later, he worked with his brother for a short time until he and another Crawford employee, Edward G. Jones, struck out on their own with a successful store at 170 West Fifth Street. After weathering the panic of 1857, John Crawford retired and his nephews Henry and Samuel took over the business in May of 1863 and renamed it the H. & S. Pogue Company. The family, frugal, cosncientious, and deeply devout members of the Presbyterian faith, came to know their employees and their merchandise well, which endeared them to the public and made the store a favorite among Cincinnatians.


The original H. & S. Pogue
store at 100 West Fifth St.






















In 1878, they sought out larger premises for the store, and found it at 112-114 W. Fourth Street, where Pogue's remained throughout its life. After the death of the founders, family members took the store to greater prominence, and built an 8 story edifice on the corner of Fourth and Race streets. The 1930 construction of the Carew Tower complex allowed the store to expand northward and connect to the landmark building's arcade.


Pogue's 1878 location on Fourth Street






















Pogues began to expand into the suburbs in the late 1950s, and by 1976 had opened four branches in surrounding communities on both sides of the Ohio River.


Greater Pogue's (1932)

In 1961, Pogue's was merged into Associated Dry Goods, and with the closure of Rollman & Sons and transfer of old-line Mabley & Carew to Allied Stores, the other side of the Arcade was available to Pogues, and the store added a so-called "Fifth Street Building" that expanded its size by one-third. Other attractions of the expansion, appropriately timde to coincide with Pogue's centenary celebrations, were the sixth floor Camargo Room restaurant and the Ice Cram Bridge spanning the arcade and connecting the original fourth street building with the fifth street side of the store. Pogue's also restored the clock which adorned the Fifth and Vine corner of the former Mabley & Carew store.

The 1963 expansion and renovation was designed by the firm of Raymond Loewy, an early exponent of industrial design in the 1930s. Later, Loewy became famous for the designs of multiple department store interiors and branches. For Pogue's, Loewy's firm gave the store a lovely modern interpretation of French-Provincial design that added to the cachet the store carried as a matter-of-fact.


Interior of the Northgate store with atrium

Pogue's was something of a glittering jewel set in downtown Cincinnati, which in the 1970s was one of America's best center-city shopping areas. Pogue's even offered overnight shopping packages in conjunction with the beautiful Netherland hotel to which it was connected in the Carew Tower building. However, with consolidation and cost cutting in the department store industry, the city began losing one after another of its "big four" retailers. In 1988, after Associated Dry Goods was acquired by May department stores, it consolidated the historic and once proudly independent Pogue's with L. S. Ayres & Co. of Indianapolis, and Pogue's name, practically venerated in Cincinnati, disappeared from the city's shopping scene. Citing insubstantial profits, Ayres closed the lovely downtown store in 1988. Within a year, May decided that it preferred not to do business in Cincinnati at all, and closed all of Pogue's remaining branches, most of which became J.C. Penney stores.

After over a hundred years of unbroken success in serving the people of its home town, only memories are left of this gracious and well-loved store, or the family that guided it so well. There was, though, a time when the greatest compliment one could make in the Queen City regarding a piece of merchandise was to use the store's own slogan: "It Came from Pogue's"





Pogue's locations through 1976
Some Miscellany
Personal Shopper: Jane Alden
Employee publication: Pogue's News

116 comments:

  1. Hiya,

    The Curator (Mall Hall of Fame) here. There has been some controversy as to whether -or not- the east anchor at BEECHMONT MALL [1969] (Cincinnati) was originally an H & S Pogue or a Mabley & Carew.

    Would you have any info about this?

    Cheers,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a Mabley and Carew. Pogue's was never at Beechmont Mall.

      Delete
  2. I have checked with several longtime Anderson Twp. residents and they say they don't remember there ever being a Pogues anywhere on Beechmont. Mabley & Carew was the original east side tenant in the Beechmont Mall.

    Pogues had locations downtown, Northgate Mall and Kenwood Plaza and became L.S. Ayres. The Northgate and Kenwood stores eventually became J.C. Penney's. The downtown store was demolished and Tower Place Mall built.

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  3. Hi,
    Can anyone help me find pictures and the history of Pogue's Department store?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I stumbled on a lot of products in a family home. I need more history on the items. I would be glad to share the photos.

      Delete
  4. Dear Christmas Lady:

    I realize that I have not added the information I have about Pogue's into the Museum yet. I plan to publish a store directory and a picture of 2 of the branch stores I have been able to find.

    Having relatives in the Cincinnati area, I had the opportunity to visit Pogue's in the late 1970s. I can verify that it was a distinctive, beautiful store with a very dignified yet up-to-date atmosphere. I am not sure why Pogues had a "Camargo" restaurant and "Camargo" shops for fashions, since this name refers to an area ion the South of France. Whatever the reason, it was just a small things that helped Pogue's seem unique.

    An anecdote: In college, my mechanical engineering ("Pipes Class") professor worked on an HVAC system for the store in the 1950s or 1960s. When the system was completed, the steam rising from cooling tower on the roof made the store executives laugh that they should change the name from the "H. & S. Pogue Company" to the "H.M.S. Pogue Company"

    Pogue's had an original store, designed by the noted Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford, at Fourth and Race Streets, but expanded into the adjoining Carew Tower building after Mabley & Carew left that iconic Cincinnati complex for the site of Rollman's department store which had gone out of business. Pogue's therefore had a "Fourth Street" and "Fifth Street" side to their downtown store.

    I will put up the Pogue's information if I can find the time, soon.

    BAK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Camargo is one of the most exclusive private clubs in Cincinnati. This was likely the connection the store wanted to make using the name Camargo.

      Delete
  5. The other anchor at Beechmont Mall was Shillitos.
    I have a Federated Department Store 1982 Fact Book Listing it. It is now a Macy's at Anderson Town Center

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  6. The Carmargo Room was likely in reference to The Camargo Country Club located north of downtown in the wealthy community of Indian Hill, where I am certain many of Poques best customers resided.
    Thank you for the great site!

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  7. The Camargo Room restaurant was on the sixth floor, behind the housewares department. There was also a Soup Bar and a Mens Grille on six. The menu had The Legend of the Camargo printed on it, but I don't recall what it said. If anyone has a copy of that menu it would shed some light on the use of the name. There was also a Camargo Cafeteria in the Kenwood store when the second level was added over the parking garage. It latter became a table service restaurant, but closed a year or two before the store was merged into L.S Ayres. The Northgate store also had an Ice Cream Balcony, modeled after the downtown Ice Cream Bridge, which overlooked the Northgate Mall. Tri-county also had an Ice Cream Parlor, and then a very small restaurant. Pogue's was a fine store in its day.

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  8. I wanted to know if you can give me any information on my hats,I have a mabley and carew hat,a modern miss,and one that says union ww 802102 made in the USA, all hats are in a pogue hat box.

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  9. I have a bracelet and clip earring set [costume jewelry] and on the box it has H & S Pogue Company on it. It is in great condition and I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it. I can email a picture of it to you if you are.

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  10. I remember Pogue's very well. My mother worked in Linens there for around 15 years. We went to the Camargo room a couple times and also the Ice Cream Bridge. I remember the Christmas decorations in the Arcade and the two deer they had which talked to you. In any case, it was personally a very sad day for me when the store closed.

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  11. I worked at Pogue's in the 1980's and was told the Camargo Room, and our Camargo private label of better women's wear, was in reference to Camargo Road, an exclusive Cincinnati address. A lovely store, and a joy to work in.

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  12. Chuck do you (or anyone else) remember the names of the two reindeer Pogue's had in their Christmas display? Our family really enjoyed going "overtown" during the holidays to look at all the decorations and shop for gifts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Pogie"and "Patter".
      Pogie was pronounced similarly to Pogue ie "poagie"

      Delete
  13. I have a sport coat (no size but appears to be young or small man) with H.S. Pogue label and buttons showing Cincinnati Fountain Square! I hate to just give it to a thrift shop. Any ideas?
    I loved Pogue's end of month sales. What a beautiful store it was.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would take the sport coat & but it to good use at Costume Gallery. I also have many clothing items from Cincinnati Department Stores. I also collect Cincinnati Department Store Hat Boxes. I could help identify items.

    I'm also looking for pictures of the Christmas display that was in the arcade.

    Joy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found a knee length (stroler) fir and leather coat at goodwill . How can I find out what year it is?

      Delete
  15. Pogie and Padder were the names of the reindeer and they are actual on a local TV commercial right now

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  16. I am the great grand daughter of Henry Pogue & it is great to read everyone's positive comments......I miss that store! My grandfather was an inspiration to the business I founded.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You mean he founded... :-)

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    2. My Grandmother (Viola Lukey aka Viola Baker) worked in the game section on the 1st floor. I believe my aunt worked in the cosmetic section (Ruth).

      As a small boy I found the store to be a wonderful palace! The ladys at the cosmetic section would talk about how handsome I was... And I remember seeing the break taking decorations around Chistmas.

      When I become an adult - I worked downtown for 19 years and walked through the area often. It broke my heart to see such an amazing icon of Cincinnati disappear. :(

      To the Poque family... Thank you for all your hard work and dedication! Your countless sacrifices to the region have not gone un-noticed. Thank you for bringing us SO much joy for SO many years!

      Delete
  17. As for the Beechmont Mall question this will clarify.

    Pogue's was at Beachmont Mall. LS Ayre's purchased Pogue's and it was then converted to LS Ayre's. Later, most of LS Ayre's locations in the Cincinnati area were purchased by Parisian after they closed. With the exception of a few locations such as Tri-County Mall, since Parisian had a new store 2 miles from Tri-County Mall.

    So if you ask people if they remember LS Ayre's at Beechmont, they will say, OH YES!

    Hope this clears things up.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am William Summerville My father Wi;;iam Summerville worked at Pogues from 1936-1976. He started as a draftsman for Walter Henie(sp). He finished as the building Super. After he retired he consulted on the Florence store

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  19. Can anyone tell me where the candy canes for Pogie and Padder came from??

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  20. Hi, there was no Pogues store at Beechmont Mall. It was a Mabley and Carew until taken over by Parisian. I did Arts and Crafts shows for many, many years at Beechmont and we were usually down at that end of the mall. Shillitos, then Lazarus, now Macy's anchored the other end. Pogie and Patter were the two adorable talking reindeer, and are on a commercial right now in Cincinnati! I would love to see a picture of the fabulous Arcade decorated for Christmas with Pogie and Patter!

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  21. I was an advertising copywriter (for newspaper ads) at Pogue's for about a year in the early 1960s. Loved the work. My good friend was the advertising copywriter (for newspaper ads) for Mabley & Carew at the time. We used to have a friendly rivalry to see who could include the most puns, or wordplay in general, in the ads!
    Family tradition of writing: my Dad, Verne Jay, had been a writer of dramatic shows at WLW from 1947-1956.

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  22. It was great reading this post about Pogue's. I have great memories of my mom taking me and my brother to meet my grandparents for lunch at the Camargo Room at the Kenwood Pogue's. The toy department was just at the entrance to the restaurant and they carried high-end brands like Britannia toy soldiers and Corgi toy cars. Every now and then (Christmas or birthday) my mom or grandparents would splurge and buy us one of these toys. Really great memories of that store.

    On another note, my sister was a buyer for Gidding-Jenny. Hope to see an entry about that store, as it was another Cincinnati retail icon...

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  23. My mother worked in the display department of ogue's in 1938-1940 and was trying to remember the name of the department head. She is 93 years old and would like to remember his name. Any help would be appreciated.

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  24. Of the four Cincinnati department stores I knew, I miss Pogue's the most. It was the finest, though Shillito's was a close second and was a larger, more diverse store. I liked Mabley & Carew very much also. McAlpin's was my least favorite, but still it was a good store too. They all offered excellent service and were all infinitely better than the current assortment--Macy's, Sak's, Nordstrom and Dillard's. There were two older stores which I did not really know because they were already out of business by my time in the 1960s and 1970s--Rollman's and Alms & Doepke. They are worthy of inclusion in this archive I would suggest and I have occasionally seen some information about them online. Rollman's was at 5th & Vine where Mabley & Carew was located in my day and Macy's and Tiffany's is now. Alms & Doepke was on Central Parkway at Main Street accross from the Hamilton County Courthouse. The building was nicely restored and is still there. It now houses Hamilton County's Jobs & Family Services Department.

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  25. Thank you for all of your kind and interesting comments about these great Ohio stores . . . which are truly missed. I have relatives from the Cincinnati area, and when we saw them, they always mentioned their "favorite" from among these stores. Hopefully, I will be able to do justice to them as I acquire more materials.

    Thanks again,

    Bruce

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  26. I was a buyer at Pogue's from 1975-1978. It was a great store with outstanding customer service. Puts current dept stores to shame. Those locally owned stores really understood their customer. Just a shame that they couldn't compete on a larger stage with the bigger fish gobbling up the smaller yet more elegant little fish. Gidding Jenny and Henry Harris were two other notable retailers that succumbed. Ah the good old days.

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  27. Is there any site which might show the historical logos for this store? I have a set of unhemmed, unwashed "Lovely Linen" double damask dinner napkins, one of which has a price sticker from Pogue's for $2.98 per dozen. I'd love to know the circa age of the napkins.

    I bought these eleven napkins at a 2nd hand store in Reno, Nevada for $2.99.

    Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hello, Jackie!

    The logo used on this page is the only one I am familiar with, though the store had several later, less-attractive ones in the late-70s before the store was folded into L.S. Ayres of Indianapolis.

    This was, I think, a very long-lived logo, but I am sure the store had earlier ones.

    Unfortunately, the Cincinnati newspapers are not available to me on line at this time. Perhaps someone from The Queen City could enlighten us. If someone would like to email a logo for use on this site, you can send it to bakgraphics@comcast.net. It would be nice to know when the design was in use as well.

    Bruce

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  29. I worked in the Mens Dept at Pogues and was a buyer from 1979 to 1982. Pogues was a fantastic store and working there was a highlight of my life. It is a shame it is not around anymore; I do not believe people today would appreciate paying a bit more, but getting quality and service.

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  30. Loved their nectar sodas!

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  31. i worked seasonally at pogues during the 70's. i worked in shipping. the store has a maze of slides throughout the building where packages would be sent to a sub-basement to be wrapped and shipped to the customers home. since most shoppers used the streetcars when the store was built it was common to have the purchase mailed rather than carry it home. there are several basements in the building some of which look more like vast caves. they are used for heating and plumbing lines and some were only a few feet high. the shipping department has a long conveyor belt with stalls on either side where wrappers had an assortment of gift wrap depending on occasion.

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  32. Ross Murphy

    I purchased a set of crystal glassware from Pogues in late 1960 or early 1970 for which I now neeed a replacement for a broken item. Unfortunately I don't remember the make or pattern. Are there any former Pogue associates that may be able to help me out.
    I misss shopping at Pogues also.

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  33. I have a garden piece that is to hang on a wall. I bought it in Springboro several years ago. It is a bas relief of a lion's head in a circle. It was called the Pogue's Lion. I assumed it was taken from a fixture on the outside of a Pogue's store. Can you shed any light on this? I've bought a building in OTR and have one room as a “Cincinnati” room with all local things and would like to include this.

    ReplyDelete
  34. My guess is that the lion's head was one of the decorative panels which were on the exterior of the 4th and Race building of Pogue's (where Tower Place Mall is now). There were a dozen or more along the top of the second floor level above pilasters. The heads were inside a circle which in turn was inside a square.

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  35. 7/31/12 I have so enjoyed reading this wonderful Cincinnati History. I was a friend of Michael Custer whoms mother Helen Custer was a buyer for Pogue during the 1959 to 1980's. I myself became a buyer for Mc Alpin company from 1959 to 1969. My most favorite of my 53 working years. My great grandmother was the owner of the property where Shillito's built.
    Her name was the same as mine Caroline Hassen.
    We were a fashion setting city. Those were wonderful years. Thank you for your efforts. chb.

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  36. Just a note that Pogue's fan might enjoy Facebook page "H&S Pogue Company of Cincinnati"

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  37. Thanks, Anonymous 31 July. You must be correct. The head is inside a circle. While it doesn't have an outer square, this is close enough for me to feel comfortable that this is it's provenance. Much appreciated, just sorry the building is gone.

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    Replies
    1. I have one of the original lions, and it is huge. I went down when they were demolishing the building; they were trying to take each lion down in one piece, but they had some which had broken when they came off the building. A policeman I knew was directing traffic, and he arranged for me to buy it. It barely fit in my VW back seat & weighed over 150 pounds! I was happy to get it, as I had worked at Pogue's in the '70s and '80s. It was a great store to work for - only place I ever worked which gave employees their birthday off as a paid holiday!

      Delete
  38. I concur the Camargo rooms at the Pogue stores had to be in reference to Camargo Country Club in Indian Hill, one of the most exclusive clubs in the city. Just like for years there has been a Camargo Cadillac dealership in Montgomery - Cadillac, Camargo, money - get it.

    Pogue was just a class store, dealing in only quality merchandise. My wife and I just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversay this past October 13th. We are still using our original bedroom set, manufactured by Henredon and purchased at Pogue downtown prior to our marriage. It is as solid as the day we bought it.

    You could not always afford Pogue, but you knew if you bought something there you could reply on it being quality. I remember buying my wife a black wool long cloth winter coat there for her first birthday after we were married. It had a snap on mink collar. She never did wear it out, it just became so outdated design wise she gave it away to a charity. I am sure some sole was happy to have it as it wore like iron.

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  39. was anyone on the Pogues Teen Board back in the sixties? I would like to reconnect -
    my name is Chris and my phone # is 513-488-98069

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  40. Cincinnati had alot of different and wild names for department stores. Yes this was a good times of good names of famous department stores which today you have the same dull names...
    Happy Holidays~~!!

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  41. My Grandmother, Eunice Baker, worked as a seamstress for Pogue's during most of the 50's. She said whenever anyone bought clothes from them they were almost always altered.

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  42. Hi there!

    I have been searching the internet for some information on Jenny Gidding Store in Cincinnati. I have inherited a coat and would love to discover more information about the store...when it was established/closed and who by. Could you help please? Thank you!

    Teresa

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  43. Gidding-jenny was a carriage-trade clothing store in Cincinnati. I don't have too much other information. The new book on Ayres by Ken Turchi references the store, but only peripherally. There were originally two separate firms, Gidding and The Jenny Company. Today (a comment upon our times) the elegant old building on 4th street houses a TJ Maxx!

    Read more at:

    http://books.google.com/books?id=-x4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=%22Gidding-Jenny%22&source=bl&ots=bHDHXFeSzY&sig=aA6HDcySYi5nlhDukY-sRkPhyoo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jgHvUOvjKpC9qAHoiID4Dw&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22Gidding-Jenny%22&f=false

    Bruce

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  44. Wow - does this bring back memories! I *loved* the downtown Pogue's. It was an elegant store the equal of my favorite New York store Bonwit Teller. As a teen in the late 70's, early 80's, I remember shopping there (first Prom dress!) for special occasions and eating at the soda fountain on the bridge over the arcade. Later, when I had a summer job downtown, I would go there to browse the 4th Street Market, buy a chocolate or two at the Godiva counter, marvel at all of the exotic ingredients and pieces of unusual cookware, and come home with a small bouquet on occasion for my mother (none of the other department stores sold flowers or had a market like this).

    The Camargo name is indeed associated with the Camargo Country Club, located in suburban Indian Hills, where all of the wealthy people lived. What you may not know is that the club, the road it is on, and thus the high end departments in the store, were named after a famous Belgian-French ballerina, Marie Camargo, who was among the great innovators and modernizers of Classical Ballet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Anne_de_Cupis_de_Camargo. There was supposedly a connection between Mme Camargo and someone local to the area (which is probably apocryphal - she died in 1770), but her name is French, elegant and associated with Haute Culture, so it pleased the society people who had begun to build their manses out there and it stuck.

    Thank you for the Giddings link - this is another store I miss! I could never have afforded to shop there, but it was where one could buy Haute Couture in CIncinnati - all of the biggest designers had Prèt-á-Porter there - and it was connected to the Pogues next door through an entrance on the 2nd or 3rd floor. When I could screw up the courage, I would go into Giddings through that door and wander through the store looking at all of the designer details I could see from the aisle (I would never have presumed to touch!) to incorporate into my own sewing. Then I could buy the yardgoods next door at Pogue's. :-) They also carried fragrances and cosmetics I had seen in New York and, later, Paris that weren't available anywhere else between NY and Chicago. The outside of the building had a faience facade made in 1907 by the famous local Rookwood Pottery, which is still there, even if it is decorating a TJ Maxx. As an architect, I thought you might appreciate the pictures: http://visualingual.wordpress.com/2008/06/05/gidding-jenny-department-store-downtown/

    Thanks for collecting these old memories! My 14 year old daughter is amazed by the very idea of these old Grand Dames and would love to have a time machine to go back and visit their heyday, since there is nothing like them any more. Me, too. :-)

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  45. Hello Lark!

    Thank you very much for sharing such lovely memories and giving us an insight to the world of Cincinnati retail.

    The Camargo detail is one which I did not know - and it is thoroughly fascinating!

    Bruce

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  46. Hi. My Aunt passed away last fall at the age of 91 and we are slowly going through some of her things....I have a possible cuff link jewelery case with the logo of Pogue's Men's Shop Cincinnati and a crest on the underside of the lid. So I looked the company up on the Internet and found this site. Thank you for keeping the history of this company alive!

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  47. I am interested in knowing if anyone knows the name of the perfume that was featured at Giddings Jenning. I remember walking into the store and being struck by a wonderful smell that was it's signature.

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    1. Youth Dew by Estee Lauder. It was even sprayed outside from nozzles in the overhang which covered the sidewalk.

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  48. we came across old christmas decorations from 1958 in the shipping boxes to the netherland plaza hotel. they aren't in great shape. it's 6 carolers children can you tell me anything about them?

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  49. we have come across 6 old xmas decorations from the netherland plaza hotel not in good shape choir of kids can you tell me something about them

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  50. H&S Pogue - what a wonderful store. It is so nice to read all the comments. My mother worked in blouses at the downtown store back in the 1940's. She loved the store and help open the Tri-County store years later. EOM - End of the Month sales were terrific. You always knew you would get a great buy. My daughter and I ate lunch several times at the Northgate Mall site. That was when Northgate was thriving and a beautiful mall. Thank you so much for memories.

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  51. just saw this sight,,,,I worked in the advertising dept at Pogue's from 1970- 1976....most everything written is true but a few minor details...
    the store had a downtown location, Kenwood, Tri County and Northgate..that is it!....
    Pogie and Patter were created out of necessity...for several years we had a white Santa and a Black Santa and there was much confusion as how to promote each of them(and they were on different floors) so the reindeers solved that problem and they were in the arcade so everyone was happy.
    The Sales promotion director came from Neiman Marcus and his expertise brought new light and interest to the department store business rather before it became SALE, SALE SALE!!! Pogue's knew exactly how to promote it self and to do alot of self promotion rather than specific products.... Christmas, with the carolers, Spring Gardens in the Arcade, A British ForthNight,, Around the World, and Italian Nights and the fashion show when Halston, Betsey Johnson, Oscar de la Renta would all come in,,,,and not to forget
    Estee Lauder came to the store when we launched YOUTH DEW
    perfume
    The Christmas Catalogs were gorgeous "magazines" actually always at lease 120 pages! ( I know because I was in charge and lived and breathed Christmas from May thru October!) We would hire models from New York, Chicago,,,,,,,
    As you can see I can go on and on....it was a VERY EXCITING TIME for retail......not like today ...fun to talk about the good aold days!

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  52. The previous poster is wrong about the number of Pogue's stores. There definitely was a store at Florence Mall as your map of the stores indicates. After the Pogue's (L. S. Ayres) stores in Cincinnati closed, I think it became a J. C. Penney store.

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  53. When I worked there there were only the stores I mentioned you are right Florence did open but it just did not fit with the Pogues customer profile...and it did become JC Penny

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    1. The Florence store was, as you note, never a good fit with the Pogue customer profile, bit it actually became a Hess Brothers store after LS Ayres, then Lazarus and is still open in 2015 as Macy's. The three Ohio branches became JC Penney.

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    2. The Florence store did become a L.S.Ayers then became a hess's. It was a great store to shop but always enjoyed going downtown because it was over the top and such an experience at Christmas going downtown. It was a great store to go to for excellent quality merchandise. Why do millennials just not appreciate good service and actually going out to shop instead of thinking it can only be done on their phones?

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  54. I worked at Pogues for 11 years from 1977 until they closed in May of 1988. I was an Estee Lauder manager and remember my monthly sales meetings with the other other stores. Downtown, Kenwood, Tri County, Northgate and Florence. The Pogues stores were merged with LS Ayres out of Indianapolis in the mid 1980's, then things began to change. May Co. who owned LS Ayres no longer wanted anything to do with the Cincinnati market so they were ordered to close. The liquidation sale very quickly....I so remember the sadness that filled the store as the very last day of working there was filled with people stampeding through the store grabbing everything off the racks that had been all reduced to 75% off. J.C. Penney came to several of the branch stores to occupy the space, Downtown was demolished. JC Penney lasted for a few years when parisian came in and took the space at some of the branch stores. there was never a Pogues in Beechmont. Pogues was a wonderful store to work for and I have many fond memories of those days....a far cry from what retail is today. I especially remember Mr Stecz and Mr Snarsky....store managers. They were the best!

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  55. Great reading all these memories of Pogues. Loved going shopping with my grandmother at the downtown Pogues where she worked in the kitchen at the ice cream bridge. I got a job at the Tri-County Pogues in the Ice Cream Parlor and worked my way through college serving up sodas and sundaes from 1968 to 1972. And yes the nectar sodas were to die for!

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  56. My mom has a heart keychain she got as a gift with purchase from a perfume giftset from about 30 years ago and would love if anyone knew which set it was from! She has used that keychain everyday since the day she got it and its still perfect :)

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  57. Pogues did have a store on Beechmont. It was a furniture store and I think Lazyboy is in there now. My father managed it along with the warehouse in Fairfax and the furniture dept in Kenwood.

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  58. Further to the Camargo discussion, I was a buyer at Pogue's during the final years of the early 1980's, and Camargo was also used as our better ladies' private label, as Rookwood was in the men's store. I grew up in the Cincinnati area and don't ever recall a store at Beechwood nor a Fairfax warehouse.

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  59. Thank you for this site! I am interested in downtown Cincy department stores in the 1970s.

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  60. My mother was a garment fitter at Gidding Jenny during the 1970s...I was going through some of my trinklets when I was a girl and found the original artist work from the Gidding Jenny logo...signed by the artist....I remember when she gave it to me...my mother loved her work there and met so many famous people....Carol Burnett, Lucy, many many many of the Reds baseball players wives...she was often rewarded with wonderful things....season tickets to the home Reds games was a particular favorite of my dad.....she would bring home autographs from the celebs she met......such a great place.....

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  61. i am looking for a Pogue label sports jacket (blue)
    mens 42-44 reg.

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  62. I was hired to work at Pogue's in 1981 for the holiday season. The dress code was very strict...of for the days when more people took pride in how they looked and knew you had to dress for success. :)

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  63. The warehouse was in Fairfax at the corner of Murray and Virginia. The building is still there. Ohio Valley Flooring is on the Murray Avenue side.

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  64. I have learned that my great grandfather was a delivery person for Pogue's - horse and buggy days. Ever see old photos of a delivery van/carriage driven by horses ?

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  65. 12 of the Pogue Bears have been repaired by gateway. They will be unvalued 11-29-2013 10am at Monmouth Street Antique Gallery. 822 Monmouth street Newport Ky.

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  66. My mom would take me downtown to shop and Pogue's was my favorite. The arcade of the Carew Tower was so beautiful. I also worked in the Carew Tower for a few years and loved shopping at Pogue's and loved their Christmas displays. I would love to get info on a department store called Rollman's. It later became Mabley & Carew,l believe. When I was little we would visit Rudolph at Rollman's at Christmas time.

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  67. I am late to the party but I just found out about this site and it is so fascinating. I was a buyer/merchandise manager for Pogue's for 12 years in the 70's and 80's and I have such great memories of the store, the people and the respect that came with working for such a class organization. I wish the "anonymous" postings would identify themselves because I am sure we know each other from that time period. Most of my time was spent on the Mens 1st floor and remember during baseball season, the players and celebrities that would come through on their way to the Netherland and to kill time shopping, Seeing the world series celebration form the the second floor overlooking Fountain Square and getting "Bengal-mania" started during their 1st Super Bowl run, was exciting. The people, the atmosphere, the emphasis on cusotmer service are something that I will always cherish and we will never see the likes of again. Thanks for the memories.

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    1. Hello Gil! You're right - Pogue's was an exciting place during the years of the sports championships!

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  68. As a little girl coming from Lawrenceburg, Indiana in the 1960s, shopping in 'the city' was practically an event. My Mom planned at least two clothes shopping trips a year, one before the school year to include a winter coat, and one for spring and summer clothes especially for that Easter outfit complete with hat and gloves. Early those Saturday mornings we would get all dressed up, travel up River Road to the city, and shop all day. Casual clothes were NOT worn; you absolutely dressed up to go to downtown Cincinnati for any reason in those days and that was that. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this before. Shopping in these fine old department stores was certainly an elegant sport! Of course, my smart Mom took advantage of having all of our purchases shipped home (over the state line) primarily to avoid paying any sales tax. What a lovely service as well as a luxury - not having to carry heavier and heavier shopping bags around all day AND getting one over on the tax man! We would lunch at Temple's Deli, savoring the cooking heat and spicy aromas, the buzzy energy of the workers-diners-city people, and matzo ball soup was the most exotic thing I had eaten at that time. Heady stuff for a small town little anglo girl!
    I did get in touch with the earlier poster who asked for input on the Pogue's Teen Board as I was on the Teen Sewing Board. A high school sophomore, I was chosen from my 1970 home economics class (isn't that funny?) for my style and skills as a seamstress. We chose fabrics, patterns, and notions to complete an outfit, then Pogue's Teen Board held a fashion show for us to model our creations. That was my 15 minute modeling career. But what fun it was! I looked in the store directory for the yard goods but couldn't find the fabric department listed.
    I have lived on Boulder's Colorado Front Range since 1975. Thank you so much for the online Department Store Museum! What a treat. My mom would have loved this website but I will be sharing with the remaining elders in the family, just over the state line...

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  69. I never thought of shopping anywhere else than Pogues...the quality and the atmosphere is such lacking in today's department stores. I told my daughter that I was 19 years old and bought a suit at Giddings. (Pogues did not have this one). and I still have it as a decor piece. You won't find anything like this today in a 19 year old's wardrobe.

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  70. During the "70's and '80s the Visual Merchandising Director was Ted George (Georgiou)
    a very creative man and he came you with all those fabulous windows, gardens in the Arcade and the wonderful displays through out the strore.......he past away this past May.....he will be missed!

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  71. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  72. I am trying to locate a Barbie Doll that I believe was sold by the Pogue's Fur Department, probably in the 1980's but I can't remember exactly when. Does anyone remember such a doll. I think they were limited and I remember getting the last one the fur department had at that time--at one of the suburban stores.

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  73. Trying to find out information about a box of silverware I inherited. It is in a dark wood box that has a bronze colored knob to open it. Inside it is lined with brown felt. The bottom of the lid says "h&s pogue Co. Cincinnati" with a crest to the left of it. The silverware is wrapped in plastic that says "Gorham sterling" and then bundled in blue cloth with yellow thread around the edges and tied with a yellow ribbon. Is it real silver and what time would it have been made/purchased.

    Thanks
    Jessica

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  74. My husband and I are renovating the elves and other mechanical figures used in the Pogues and Shillitos holiday displays. They will be placed at Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park as park of their 2014 holiday display. Does anyone have any photos of the original displays?
    Thanks,
    Chris & Chris

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  75. Go to the facebook page/group "old photos of Cincinnati" and ask. Very active community and they have pictures of everything

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  76. My Aunt worked at Pogue's for many years after the Todd's Brothers store closed (in the early1960s?). Her area of expertise, for which she was highly regarded was by many of Cincinnati's well-known families was in designer dresses at the downtown store. She dressed many a bride back in the day! Families would hire her to come to weddings to assist on the wedding day. Later, she worked out at the Kenwood store, which is where Nordstrom is now located. Prior to her career with Pogue's, she worked at Todd's, another department store that had been across the street from the downtown Pogue's location. Her stories of those early years and the generations of families she assisted over the years were amazing. An incredible woman with an amazing life for a woman in those days. She adored the Todd and Pogue families - and retired not once, not twice but three times...

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  77. Can anyone give me information about an antique china? cabinet from H S Pogue & Co? I acquired it 20 years ago and have always wondered about the value and history of this piece. It has glass sides and front and has never been refinished. Also large claw feet that I was told were bear feet? and wonderful workmanship. Has the original key to lock the doors. Any info is appreciated.

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  78. I recently purchased a New Old Stock coat with the label Henry Harris Cincinnati.
    It is double breasted and a fuzzy heavy navy fabric. It is just lovely and was originally $250.
    I am not sure the era of Henry Harris and would like any information on this label. Thank you.

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  79. To the person that asked: the perfume in Giddings was Nettie Rosenstein's Odalisque.

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  80. Also need help - A fantastic photo is on the Pogue's FB page. It shows the Ice Cream Bridge and the lower Arcade between the main store and the Arcade shop. Per Dick Graeter, it has been confirmed that Graeter's Ice Cream was served on the bridge (not necessarily the whole time). Several people are trying to determine what year the Ice Cream Bridge actually opened. If anyone knows FOR SURE (we have plenty of guesses), PLEASE reply. Thank you.

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  81. Henry Harris was a very up-market women's clothing store in the Carew Tower Arcade at the Race Street end just north of the original Pogue's store at 4th and Race. I remember it from the late 1960s and 1970s, but I don't know when it went out of business or for how long it had been in business. It was comparable to Gidding Jenny, but not as large a store.

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  82. I grew up in the Cincinnati area and remember Pogue's fondly. Before you even looked at any merchandise, there was that wonderful, soft, aromatic scent that drew you in. Does anybody know what that was?

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  83. I grew up in the Cincinnati area and remember Pogue's fondly. Even before you noticed any of the merchandise, you smelled a wonderful, soft, luxurious aroma that wafted through the store. Does anyone know what that scent was?

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  84. Hello. I am not familiar with Pogue's but these conversations have me intrigued. I have recently helped clean out an old family home and have stumbled across of numerous items from Pogue's. Any idea where I can get more information on the products?

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  85. Serena, if you email me at bakgraphics@comcast.net, I could pass the pictures on to a colleague who worked for many years at Pogues - and here's a secret . . . we are talking about collaborating on a book.

    -Bruce

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  86. GJ also had some great men's clothes. Very fashion forward for Cincy. Competed against Rags To Riches (jerry louck - sp?) on short vine in Clifton.

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  87. Pogue's was such a wonderful store and is very missed. My co-workers and I had many fantastic lunches at the soup-n-salad bar . . . it's truly a shame that the current downtown folks no longer have that to enjoy. On that note - would anyone happen to have the recipes to share for their French Dressing or French Onion Soup - they were both absolutely delicious and I'd love to be able to share them with loved ones who never had the chance to enjoy them. Great memories - THANK YOU for sharing!!

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  88. I worked at Pogue's from 1976 to 1981, first in the Payroll area and then in the Statistical area. They were my first full time jobs. What a great place to work, great people and great memories. It would be great to see a book published about it's history showing pictures from the inside of the stores and products perhaps.

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  89. In downtown Cincinnati I purchased a used copy of Spinoza's Improvement of the Understanding, which was copyrighted in 1901. There are handwritten notes in it, marked "J.F.P. 1909." There is also a handwritten algebra exercise in it, with the name Patterson Pogue. Can you tell me whether this is a relative of Henry and Samuel Pogue? Thanks! Tracy

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  90. My grandmother, Ellen, sold cosmetics for Germaine Monteil at Pogue's for several years. I always thought that sounded so glamorous. I have a newsletter from Germaine Monteil dated Winter 1972 and a photo of my grandmother and her co-workers at the counter.

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  91. i have 3 pogue's boxes of costume jewelry beautiful pieces.i would love to find out dates and value of the pieces.you can email me at alucas43@yahoo.com will send pics. any help would be greatly appreciated.thank you and have a blessed day

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  92. Since I really can't help with the value of merchandise, I have posted your information - maybe someone else can. Also, check out the local radio program, Keep Antiquing! https://www.wmkvfm.org/keepantiquing.php

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  93. In answer to Anonymous13 April, 2016 10:05 --
    The Pogue's French Salad Dressing is on page 111 of "Lost Tea Rooms of Downtown Cincinnati" -- very popular!

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  94. I worked for Pogue's in the 70's. I was hired by William Summerville as an AC Machanic. I helped maintain all the mechanical equipment like the heating and Air Conditioning. The most interesting part was the downtown building had 3 coal fired boiler they use not only heating but for driving steam engines to produce their own DC electric. In 1937 it was rated the most efficient power plant in the country.

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  95. Anonymous-- I remember going to these stores with Mom years ago
    we had such fun. Why did these stores go out of business?
    I don't understand it. Wonderful stores thanks


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  96. What was the name of the small toy store next to Shillitos? When walking out of Shillitos into the mall it was on the left hand side of the and I think it was the first store outside of Shillitos.

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  97. Regarding the Pogue’s history in DSM, the merger with LS Ayres was an Associated Dry Goods initiative that was several years before the May purchase of ADG - I believe in 1986. ADG also merged Stewart Dry Goods of Louisville into LS Ayres, I believe just before the May purchase. It was May that closed the downtown flagship and sold the 3 Ohio branches to JC Penney and the Kentucky branch (the only one still standing as of 2018) to Hess Brothers.

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  98. I remember going to Pogue's with my mother and sisters. We were shopping for winter coats for my sisters. The merchandise was f beautiful in the children's departments. Pogue's rivaled the stores in New York city.

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  99. Concur with the 4/9/18 poster: I began working part-time (while in grad school at University of Cincinnati) at Tri-County in late 1985 or early 1986 (3rd floor linens with Mary Carmody (who had opened that store), Sonya (German woman who lived in Middletown). Alahna Ewald was the blue pencil(supervisor) over in housewares; Libby (red-haired) and Lillian (dark haired) shared lamps and draperies. I think our clerical was Joyce; department manager was Diane Puckett. Anyway, was very clear that LS Ayres had fairly recently taken over (still some Pogue's labeling around; we still used Pogue's bags for internal use) but everything customer-facing was LS Ayres. I got to go to Indianapolis once for an in-service training day for the new (probably Fall '86) domestics programs. They had moved all buyers by 1986 out of Cincinnati except for epicure/wine (which Pogues had done an amazing job of from the downtown store where they had kitchen/epicure/wine on the ground floor along with a cooking school). Tri-County was store 33; Kenwood was 32 (as I recall) and your hiring store gave you the employee number (mine was 33458). We used the old ADG cash registers (clunky old things that printed out tractor-fed saleschecks (rather than register tape).

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  100. Hi! I recently found a box with the Pogue's logo. It contains a single piece of jewelry, it looks like an earring? Please reach out to me if you have any information about Pogue's jewelry, I'd like to know what I have!

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  101. Do you have pictures of the Teen Board from back in the 70's, I have a friend who was one of the models and just wondered if there were photos I could use.

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  102. I'm several years late to this conversation it seems, but I wanted to clarify some misinformation about Pogue's presence in Florence Mall: upon its opening in 1976, its four anchor stores were Sears & Shillito's (then Lazarus, then Macy's) on the Mall's long ends, and Pogue's, AND J.C.Penney's on the short ends. My friends & I virtually Lived at the Mall for its first few years, and spent many hours in Pogue's. I had some friends on their Teen Board & wished I'd had the confidence it must've taken for them to try out. We were so sad when Pogue's became L.S. Ayres, then Hess, then sat empty until it became Lazarus Home Store. When I was a little girl in the late 60s/early 70s, my mom used to take me Downtown shopping; as another poster said, it was definitely a dress-up kind of day!! We'd ride the bus from Ft. Mitchell, KY down to Dixie Terminal and my head was on a swivel trying to take in all the sights as we walked to all the big stores. Being a Home Ec. teacher, my mom loved Pogue's Yard Goods; they ordered her fabric from Italy to make my sister's wedding gown. We looked more than bought at Pogue's but knew it was something special if we got it at Pogue's! After shopping we would sit and have ice cream on the ICBridge and watch the shoppers below. Usually we'd stop in Shillito's and buy some Bridge Mix & other chocolate treats at their candy counter (which smelled Amazing), other times we too would eat at Temple Bar (my dad taught with the owner's brother(?) or nephew, I can't recall) & the food was so different from anything I was used to eating, but so good! A few years later Mom would drive on our adventures Downtown, and my very favorite part was the end of the trip, where we'd breeze through Gidding-Jenny (yes, both GJ & Pogue's had their own wonderful SMELLS!!), then ride the elevator up to the top level of Pogue's parking garage. The floors were lemon, lime, orange, vanilla, strawberry, and I can't remember the others, but going down the very-tight spiral in the center was the BEST!! And Pogie & Patter always were the centerpiece of Pogue's ultra-classy Christmas display, which we would visit AFTER going to see Santa Claus & the magical Christmas displays at Shillito's. How I wish there had been something like this for my own children!! It's one of my most treasured childhood memories & I'm so glad for them. Bruce, I thank you for this website & for all the happy memories your info (& that of your posters!) brought back to me. I look forward to hearing about any book you might be involved with about these fine Cincinnati icons!

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  103. gailwilliams1@verizon.net06 March, 2021 17:59

    A few years ago, someone gave me a box of old Christmas ornaments. Some were made with pinecones (not sure if real) and others were elves. I had never used them because they were not my decorating style. I finally decided to get rid of Christmas stuff I'll never use, including this box, which I was going to give to Good Will. Something told me to revisit this box so I looked up Pogue's, which I never heard of. How interesting! I have the feeling these might be valuable. Does anyone know of a source of info for what I have?

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