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Pieces of the Past: Do You Know This Man?

February 22, 2023

Do you know this man? You probably don’t. If you are from the Warren area, I can confidently say that he had an impact on you in some way. His name was Sebastian.

He was from Allentown. He was a salesman for a hardware outfit and made friends with a guy named Frank. Frank Woolworth impressed Sebastian so much that he quit his job, recruited his best friend to partner with him, and used Woolworth’s business model to open his own five and dime in Detroit. His full name was Sebastian Spering Kresge.

Kresge evolved his stores from five and dime to variety stores and expanded. By the early 20s, he had opened stores in most major markets. The next step would be to open in small towns. Warren came along in the late teens or early 20s. His buddy Frank Woolworth had put a store on the corner of Liberty Street and Pennsylvania avenue and was doing well in Warren.

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Surprisingly Kresge did so well with lunch counters that they became a major portion of the chain’s income. In a way, Warren’s Kresge lunch counter was the precursor to fast food restaurants. Warren’s was always busy with bankers, retailers, and anyone who wanted a quick bite to eat cheap! In the ’60s, Kresge set up an independent sub stand. You could get a basic submarine sandwich for about a dollar. I used to get two and save one for later.

When the Warren Mall opened its KMart many of its long-time employees left. The quick, cheap lunches disappeared and the personality of the store went away too. Many of the KMart top brass that had built the chain into a retail juggernaut jumped ship in the 90s. They took their training and tactics with them to WalMart.

KMart finally closed in Warren for good when Warren Mall itself had become a retail ghost town. Warren’s downtown Woolworth building continues to serve as a commercial space for retail and service businesses. I often stopped for affordable lunches there and met many of my friends there. Mr. Kresge was a man of his era. A man that sold many of my readers’ clothing, appliances, and of course a good lunch.

         

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