Free Groceries and Drugs at O'Neils in Erie PA

Old Time Erie -ad in Erie Dispatch-Herald, May 7, 1939.

Did you ever read something and do a double take, thinking you misread the text? That's what I did when I saw this ad.
"Free! Basket of Groceries & Drugs" 

The fine print says this offer is limited "to the first 100 people entering our store whether you make a purchase or not." 
O'Neils was a retail discount store at 1024 State Street in Erie, PA. 

Other bargains in this 1939 ad include:
Lifebuoy Soap 5¢
Bed Sheets 39¢
Silk Hose 9¢
Electric Razor 88¢
Men's Shirt 48¢
Curtains 12¢ per pair
Mattresses $3.99
Baby Food 6¢ per can
Card Tables 69¢
Pot Cleaners 3 for 5¢
Shoe Polish 2¢
Dish Towels 3 for 5¢
Blankets 38¢
Women's Sanitary Belts 3¢
Camels 2 packs for 25¢

O'Neils bargain store at 11th and State is long gone. Northwest Savings Bank currently occupies this site.

Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, PA at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com

11th and State Street 1893 Erie PA Wonderland

State Street looking north from 11th Street circa 1893.

Hard to believe that this photo was taken at the intersection of 11th and State Streets in Erie, PA. It's amazing what a difference 120 years makes. The trolley tracks are long gone, along with the horses and the unsightly utility poles on either side of the street. The Boston Store and Baldwin Bldg. are not yet in the picture.

The store on the left, 1022 State Street, was the home of Aaron Smith. H. V. Claus & Co. was at 1020 State along with the Wonderland Theatre and Museum. Cronin & Prendergast was next door at 1018 State and George E. Weber was located at 1014 State. A building in the center of this block has an American flag as an awning. The tall building on the left (near the trolleys) is the Scott block on the southwest corner of 10th and State.

The barrel on the back of horse-drawn cart on the right is a Studebaker sprinkler carriage. There is an ad for the People's Shoe Store on the side of the building at 929 State Street, right above the sprinkler.

Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie