It’s not a difficult game to play, but guess which ad I drew when I was visiting the Advertising Department at Thalhimers in the late 1980s. The rest of the ads are real, all of them courtesy of Pat Richardson of “Sky City: Southern Retail Then and Now” except for the framed image, which hangs in our powder room. (In the context of vintage ads, it only feels right to call it a “powder room.”)
Finding Thalhimers Blogs
-
Join 262 other subscribers
Blog Stats
- 201,870 hits
Share this blog
Join our Facebook page
Finding Thalhimers 
It was great seeing those ads. Clothes then were so sophisicated . I remember all of this and the different shops that you could shop in at your store. I miss those days so much.
Great word, Patricia – “sophisticated” describes the ads and the clothes! I wish ads were still so beautiful to look at.
Sent from my iPad
I like “The Villager Shop” ad. My mother used to have so many Villager dresses as did a lot of the girls my brothers dated in the 60’s. I was only between 4-11 years old in the 60’s and never owned one.
Those ads take me back to my childhood! My mother was a wonderful seamstress, which was a good thing, because with 7 children she couldn’t afford to buy us clothes. For Easter each year we would go through the Thalheimers ads and choose our Easter dress and she would duplicate it with her sturdy Atlas sewing machine and fabrics bought at Thalheimers, where she worked in the fabric department.
Elizabeth,
I need to share my mother’s portfolio with you sometime! 1940’s Thalhimer ads and other fun things!
Sally
Sally, that would be so much fun! I’d love to see your mom’s work. Bring ’em by one day so you can meet this new baby!
Ah, the elegance, the savoir faire! And the Villager Shop–I forgot all about that. I did love my liberty print shirtwaist. Gone are the days . . . Charlotte
Simply delightful. I have a copy of Daddy in a Times Dispatch ad from the 1970’s.
Rhonda, I would love it if you posted a photo of that ad on the Finding Thalhimers Facebook page!!
I really do believe the picture of the young woman looking at Villager dresses in the print ads that scroll by is ME! I LOVED Villager dresses, had one like the young woman is wearing and the belt and shoes.I came upon your books when looking at the publishing company which you used. I graduated from EC Glass High School in Lynchburg in 1965 and Meredith College in Raleigh, NC in 1969 and at both was on the Year Book staff and sold ads which is where this might have originated. I also did a little bit of modeling back in those days for Leggett’s, etc. Is there any way to date the picture to which I am referring? I also now live in Manakin Sabot, VA near your publisher, I believe. I hope to hear from you!
Mary Helen, I LOVE that you are one of the Villager admirers in the ad! My mom talks about how proud she was of a Villager outfit she wore in high school…every single item was baby blue, right down to the accessories. I found the ad through an online group that collects images and stories of old Southern stores, so I don’t know the date. Unfortunately, your guess is as good as mine! My publisher does indeed live in Manakin-Sabot, and he continues to be a pleasure to work with. Thanks for your message! Best…Elizabeth
Thanks so much for your response, Elizabeth I had a HUGE ‘de-ja-vu’ feeling when I saw that picture and couldn’t get it out of my mind! How fun!