Last month I introduced the Arcade Building and some of its history. I would like to continue on that line by talking about the various organizations and some of the more unique businesses that were located there.
You will quickly recognize many of the organizations that had offices there as many of them still exist in other locations. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles is still in existence and located at 329 4th Street and the Elks are just down the street at 339 East 4th Street.
The local Swedish community established several clubs in Jamestown. The Thule Lodge, a member of the VASA Order of America, was established in 1907. They originally had an office at the Arcade building before purchasing property on Pancake Hill where they met for many years. Since then, they sold their property on Pancake Hill and moved to the Falcon’s Nest in Falconer. The Viking Lodge originally rented a room in the Arcade building in 1934, and it was noted that they immediately applied for a full beverage license. Since those days, the Viking Lodge purchased property on the lake where it still serves Friday night fish frys. In addition to these organizations of Swedish influence, the Leif Ericson Lodge and the Scandia Athletic Club were located in the Arcade Building for a time. Another addition to businesses with connections to the Swedish community was the Vårt Land Swedish language newspaper.
The Royal Theater and the Harmony Singers added a touch of the arts to the collection of occupants. In the 1950s, there were three dance schools located there, Lorraine’s Dance School, Lucille’s Dance School, and the Iris School of Dance. The Lorraine School of Dance now exists as the Tiffany Wakeley Academy of Dance. The Little Theater Workshop was located there for several years. All of these occupants provided many opportunities for young people to develop their dance and theater talents.
For those who preferred to listen to music at home, they could purchase a “Victrola” at F.A. Hager’s Victrola Shop. The Jamestown Camera Club, established in 1889 with fifteen members, maintained a presence there for several years. One wonders if there was a connection between the Camera Club and the Aristotype company?
And then there is the Bartenders Union No. 199! This leads me to believe that there were many bars in Jamestown. They met every other Sunday in the Bartenders’ Hall in the Arcade Bldg.
One of the more unique ethnic clubs was the Albanian Club. It was formed shortly after the St. Elial’s Church was established here in 1905 and was known as Malli I Memedheut (“Longing for the Motherland”). It was always the intention of the Albanian emigrants to return to the Motherland, but World War I and other world events prevented this.
Stores and shopping malls are constantly evolving as we know and a look at some of the businesses found in the Arcade building over the decades illustrates this nicely. One of the most intriguing is the Chinese Laundry owned by Lee Tueng.
Over the years there were several tailor shops located in the Arcade. This is a profession that is almost non-existent these days. However, in years gone by men often had their suits “tailor” made as well as having “off the rack” suits altered by a tailor. While dry cleaners are common today, the Arcade featured a cleaner dedicated specifically to cleaning hats. A shoeshine station completed establishments dedicated to men’s grooming.
Tobacco and cigar shops had a presence there as men in earlier times often smoked either cigars or pipes. Looking around today I have noticed several tobacco related businesses making a comeback. These often feature smoking lounges where men can gather and enjoy a good cigar. Today’s shops would have meshed nicely with the cigar manufacturers located in Jamestown at that time such as the Tinkham Brothers Cigars and Tobacco.
If your entertainment interests were a little less sophisticated, you might wish to stop into the pool hall or go by the donut shop. As you can see from my brief summary of the occupants of the Arcade Building, it offered a wide variety of shops and services over the years. You can truly make some comparison of it to the modern-day mall.
When did the Arcade close down and what happened then? Tune in next month.
