Did you know that Thalhimers had the longest continuous display window in the country? Extending 70 feet along Grace Street in downtown Richmond, Virginia, the windows provided a tantalizing glimpse of what could be found within the store. Particularly exciting window displays ranged from a fantastical nod to artist Salvador Dali (who visited Thalhimers in 1941) to cages full of pink birds conveying that pink was the “in” color.
Dad told us that elves worked in the windows at night to decorate them, and we believed him. The windows always captivated us with their drama, artistry, and magic…especially during the holidays. In celebration of the decades of Thalhimers windows, I worked with Richmond CenterStage, Gwen Cooper (owner of Second Hand Rose in Petersburg and collector of all things Thalhimers), and Todd Wright (formerly a Visual Presentation “elf” at Thalhimers!) to design four windows along 7th Street. The clothing, one of the mannequins, and the bags & boxes are all authentically Thalhimers. The gloves were owned by my great-grandmother, Annette Goldsmith Thalhimer. The funky skirt made out of Finding Thalhimers book jackets was created by artist Sally Vitsky. (And photos courtesy of the talented Mason Mills.) Enjoy!
Finding Thalhimers 
Fabulous memories and fabulous window displays. I saw them when I was downtown iceskating at the new rink near the Carpenter Center. Great job, Elizabeth ! francie
Very clever. brings back lots of memories
Hi Elizabeth,
I found your blog/website through the Angelos and was hoping to contact you to ask some questions about your book among other things. I didn’t see a contact form, so hopefully this gets to you. Please email me if you’d be willing to talk – thanks!
AOT,
Ashley Jones