Blog

Back in the 50s Sarasota hit the big time. We had 'arrived' with the opening of our first big chain department store. It stood where the current Hollywood 20 theater is located on the Northwest quadrant of Washington Blvd and Main St. and the parking lot was to the west of the store where the parking garage now stands. On the west side of the building there was a metal cabana that ran along most of the length of the building where bicycles and patio furniture were displayed.

The store had an elevator but also an escalator and our toddler son found an interesting button on the lower part of the hand rail and what are you gonna do with a button but push it.....and of course, he stopped the escalator. One of a parent's embarrassing moments. Funny, but he doesn't remember it.

At Christmas time a good portion of the second floor was transformed into the most spectacular Winter Wonderland. It was delightful for adults as well as children and you could hear lots of ‘oohs' and ‘aahs' as you strolled through it.

When Hurricane Donna hit in September of 1960 it twisted the metal cabana into metal spaghetti. It was a very visual picture of Mother Nature's power.

When Southgate Mall opened it took a lot of the thunder away from downtown as our community spread further south and east and Maas Brothers had to share the business with another Maas Brothers that eventually opened in Southgate and gradually the downtown store saw fewer and fewer customers. It eventually became Burdines and finally closed. That was a sad day for us downtowners but Southgate was the happening place and still is a vital part of our community.