Baltimore Department Stores Of Christmas Past Brought Holiday Joy To Shoppers, Now Long Gone And Closed
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Many Christmases ago, the corner of Howard and Lexington in Baltimore was a holiday shopping heaven.
Michael Lisicky has been studying department stores for years.
"Howard and Lexington Street, that was the heartbeat of the city," he said.
Lisicky said Baltimore stores were special back in the 50s and 60s, partly because of how they'd shine during Christmas.
"The number of decorations, the amount of just holiday that's thrust upon you, there was that whole Christmas buzz," he said.
It was a time when stores like Hutzler's, Hecht's and Stewart's were so much more than stores.
"Department stores were responsible for traditions," Lisicky said. "They were responsible. They were expected to maintain the holidays."
They did exactly that with window decorations and Christmas parades. It's what makes their memory live on.
"People are craving good experiences and the best way they can do that is through memories," Lisicky said.
These stores are now closed. Lisicky said when you look inside you see ghosts.
"You see ghosts," he said. "What's missing is life."
The lifelessness brings Lisicky to his own Christmas wish in memory of what once was at Howard and Lexington.
"Some of those buildings are still there, let's bring them back to life and maybe give some hope of reconnecting downtown," he said.