MP to be transported back to 1950s with Vintage Business Tour

Downtown Mt. Pleasant businesses are being transported back to the 1950s for Main Street Mt. Pleasant's first Vintage Business Tour on Thursday, May 23, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Vintage Business Tour is to celebrate May as National Historic Preservation Month and to promote local businesses in Mt. Pleasant. Business owners will transform their storefronts into what it looked like in the 1950s, including dressing in the style of the time.

'We're celebrating the businesses that were here in the 1950s,” said Lisa Oetken, director of Main Street Mt. Pleasant. 'In my opinion, it was kind of a happy decade. The music was good, fashion was great, and it's a lot easier for us to dress as they did in the ‘50s than in the early 1900s.”

Guests are encouraged to participate in a game matching 1950s businesses with who is currently in that location. Those who get all the matches correct will be entered into a giveaway.

Oetken is working with the Henry County Heritage Trust Museum to help businesses replicate what was in their buildings in the 1950s, including seven businesses in Mt. Pleasant today that were thriving almost 70 years ago.

The oldest business, McCoid Law Office at 202 North Jefferson Street opened in 1891. West Side Tap at 119 South Jefferson Street is downtown Mt. Pleasant's oldest retail business, opening their doors in 1921, Oetken said. Swailes Auto Supply, Inc. at 109 South Adams Street has been in business since the 1930s.

Brown's Shoe Fit at 108 South Main Street opened their store in Mt. Pleasant in 1952. The Mt. Pleasant location was the 26th to open, adding to the now 80 locations in 11 states. The original manager of Brown's Shoe Fit was Jerry Smith. Kurt Moon has been the manager since 1986, and helped move them to their current location.

Becker's Jewelers at 123 West Monroe Street opened in 1948. They were originally located in the Brazelton Hotel and run by Milton Becker. Milton moved his business across the street to the corner of South Main Street and Monroe Street. Finally, they moved to their present location on the north side of the square.

Taft-Wiley Inc. at 201 East Monroe Street started their business in Mt. Pleasant in the early 1900s. And finally, Vance Law Office at 101 North Jefferson Street has been serving customers since the 1900s.

Oetken said she has done quite a bit of research in preparation for Vintage Business Tour, and invites residents to share their photos and stories of historical businesses in town on Thursday.

'We're really encouraging people to come down, visit with the owners of these businesses and talk about the history,” Oetken said. 'The younger people can see what was here in the 1950s, and older people who remember, we encourage them to bring their pictures and stories.”