Hutson's Fine Furniture Archives

November 26, 2015

Hutson’s 2015 Window

You know it’s Christmas season when crowds show up in front of the Hutson Furniture Store’s window on Thanksgiving night. It was a great mix of people: old folks in wheelchairs, teenagers on dates, young parents whose kids pressed their noses and hands against the glass.

I remember the display as being bigger when I was a kid, but EVERYTHING was bigger back when I was a kid. It was a perfect night to stand out on Main Street. The temps were in the low 60s, the winds were calm, and the flash flood watch doesn’t kick in until Friday night.

Here’s what the display looked like in 2011.

Hutson’s Window photo gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move around.

Hutson’s Furniture Store Christmas Display 11-26-2015

It’s that time of year again

Everybody is getting all excited about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Overspend Wednesday (I made that one up), so I’m going to join the din.

If you are going to shop Amazon anyway, please go to my blog and click on the big red ‘Click Here’ button at the top left of the page (or, this one). That’ll take you directly to Amazon with a code embedded. If you buy something, I’ll make from four to seven percent of your purchase price without it costing you anything.

Think of it as being your painless Christmas present to me.

November 29, 2013

Missouri Flag House Ornament

Old Town Cape is carrying on a tradition started in 1997 to produce a Christmas ornament featuring a familiar Cape Girardeau landmark. Here is information from the Old Town Cape website describing this year’s ornament.

The 2013 Oliver-Leming House Christmas ornament is available for sale at the Old Town Cape office and other various locations downtown, so get yours before they are gone! It is a limited edition, numbered piece produced by Hestia and is the seventeenth in a series.

The 100th year anniversary of the Missouri flag was celebrated earlier this year, so we chose to commemorate that by displaying it on this year’s ornament. The Missouri flag was designed in 1913 by Marie Watkins Oliver, wife of Sen. R. B. Oliver, at their home at 749 North Street. The home, now called the Oliver-Leming House, is owned by Drs. Bert and Mary Ann Kellerman.

You can purchase the ornament with a stand for $30 or without a stand for $25. They are available at Bob’s Shoe Service, C.P. McGinty Jewelers, Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau, Hutson’s Fine Furniture, Jayson Jewelers, Knaup Floral, Pastimes Antiques, Philanthropy, Shivelbine’s Music, Renaissance, Zickfield’s Jewelers and Old Town Cape.

For more information, please contact us at 573-334-8085 or visit us at 418 Broadway.

Some earlier ornaments are available

There are some of the older ornaments available. I did ornament stories in 2010 and 2011, so if you see something you like, you could contact the nice folks at Old Town Cape to see if it is still available.

(Speaking of Hutson’s display, here are photos I made of the store in 2011)

Tis the season for shameless pitches

My kids will yell at me if I don’t include two shameless pitches:

Travel progress report

Well, I’m not back home in West Palm Beach yet. I tossed and turned last night and have been dragging all day. Part of the reason is that we’re in the flatlands now and for the rest of the trip. I REALLY hate boring Interstates. The Groundhog Day effect kicks in and you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere.

I shot a couple of lackluster sunset pix, but it would be a waste of electrons to post them. I’m turning in early tonight so I can make the final 433-mile push home Saturday. Traffic was heavier today, and there was a curious mix of tourists wearing shorts in the southbound rest stops .

August 25, 2012

Lang Jewelers to Close

KFVS had a story that Roger and Judith Ann Lang will retire this fall and close Lang Jewelry and Fine Gifts store. The jewelry store has been in the family and in the same location at 126 North Main Street since 1916.

The story said that the store will be closed to the public from September 8-16 to host private shopping events. They will close their doors forever this fall once all of the inventory and fixtures are sold.

Zickfeld’s is last standing

Someone may contradict me, but I think Lang Jewelers and Zickfield’s were the last two of the original stores left from the 1960s. Hutson’s Fine Furniture goes back that far, but anything south of Independence doesn’t “feel” like main Main Street to me.

December 24, 2011December 25, 2016

Christmases Past

This is the time of year when newspapers run lots of year-end stories.

They’re popular with readers.
They can be produced early before everyone disappears.
They’re easy.
Everybody is too busy to read the paper, so you don’t want to burn up serious stories.

So, in that spirit, I’m going to recycle some stories from past Christmases. Follow the links for the Real Deal. Click on any photo to make it larger.

This was from a photo book Wife Lila and I did on our first Christmas as a married couple.

David’s first bicycle

Getting a bike for Christmas was a Big Deal. Here’s a video of Brother David getting his and helping Dad put it together. I love the way he keeps reaching over with his bathrobe sleeve to wipe off fingerprints from the chrome.

Christmas Confusion

People were running all around to try to figure out where these photos were taken.

Could it have been Good Hope?

Nope, it turned out to have been in Jackson.

St. Mary’s 1967 Christmas Novena

Missourian caption Dec. 24, 1967: “The Rev. Bosco Westrich of St. Mary’s Cathedral presides over Friday night’s observance of the Christmas Novena at the church. At the left, an altar boy departs. The Novena is a nine-part series of Christmas services which will conclude on Christmas Eve. The banners on either side of the altar were made by school children of the parish.”

Witness Protection Program Santa

This is the first and only Santa I’ve ever seen wearing a full-face mask. (He’s almost as scary as this Easter Bunny in my past.)

Hutson’s Christmas Display

Hutson’s Fine Furniture has been hosting a Christmas display window for as long as I can remember. It’s not quite as large as I remembered it, but it’s still magic for youngsters.

Hutson’s is 2011 Old Town Cape Ornament

Coincidentally, Hutson’s window display was chosen as Old Town Cape’s featured ornament this year. Here’s a list of past ornaments.

Common Pleas Courthouse Live Nativity scene

Close to 2,000 people a day stopped by the live Nativity scene on the steps leading to the Common Pleas Courthouse in 1965. The exhibit proved so popular that the run was extended past the expected Christmas Eve closing date.

North County Park

Cars line up bumper to bumper to enjoy the Christmas displays at North County Park.

Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum

The folks at the Altenburg Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum have been putting together a wonderful Christmas display for the past six years. Here are photos from this year’s exhibit (plus a shameless plug for my Tower Rock book and East Perry County Calendar. Follow this link to see the 2010 exhibit.

Water Park holiday lights

The Family Aquatic Center at Osage Center was all lit up for the holidays. Quite impressive.

Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you’re celebrating at this time of year. We’ll probably take it easy for a couple of days. I’ve got a Top Stories of 2011 Review in the works.