(Chelsea Update would like to thank Shawn Personke for the information in this story.)
The Chelsea Area Historical Museum welcomes department store historian, author, and native Detroiter Bruce Kopytek on Monday, May 8, at 7 p.m. for a special program, “Department Stores of Days Gone By…The Way Things Were.”
The author of several books on midwestern department stores, including “Hudson’s: Detroit’s World Famous Department Store” and “Jacobson’s: I Miss it So!” Kopytek will transport you back to the days when everything you needed was in one building, ready for you to browse, touch, and see with your own eyes.”
“Stores like J.L. Hudson were part of our cultural history,” Kopytek said in a press release.
“It was a place that employed thousands of people, who saw themselves as long-term members of a family,” he said. “Shoppers felt that connection, too.”
During his presentation, Kopytek will tell the stories of the personalities who transformed Michigan’s department stores from their humble origins to staples of sophistication throughout Michigan and into the rest of the country.
In the case of Hudson’s, it became known for the glamour, the 705-plus dressing rooms, the giant flag hanging along Woodward Ave, and the Maurice Salad. And, Jacobson’s…well, half of your Michigan friends probably bought their wedding dress there.
Dave Strauss, CAHS program chair, is excited about hosting Kopytek.
“Department store shopping was a way of life for Americans, coast to coast,” he said. “With the advent of online shopping, it’s fascinating to look back and remember the way things were.”
“Even on a more local level — Chelsea had Dancer’s — heading into town for shopping was often an event in the 20th mid-century,” Strauss said, “especially in a farm community like ours.”
Kopytek, an architect by trade, is a fan of history, travel, art, and book collecting, as well as these historic Michigan iconic treasures that were home to the most glorious era of shopping.
“My interest in our great department stores began when I was a child and my parents packed us up every summer and took us traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada,” said Kopytek. “My mom loved to shop, even if only in a bargain basement, but I did get to experience some large stores that thoroughly intrigued me.”
Kopytek will be signing copies of his books following the presentation…the perfect keepsake or gift.
“Department Stores of Days Gone By…The Way Things Were” will be held at the Chelsea Depot on Monday, May 8, at 7pm.
Members are free; non-members are $10.
The mission of the Chelsea Area Historical Society is to gather and preserve Chelsea area history, educate the public, and promote the restoration and preservation of historic buildings and sites for future generations. The museum is located in the 1853 Boyd House, at 128 Jackson St., across from the Chelsea Depot.
The museum is open Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m. and on Thursdays evenings, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., during Sound & Sights.
For more information, visit www.chelseahistory.org or call 734-476-2010.
