Long before the era of suburban shopping malls, everybody shopped in downtown Hartford, which offered a choice of several large department stores and an array of speciality shops. Shoppers from surrounding towns would come to Hartford by trolley at least twice a year to shop at G. Fox & Co., Brown Thomson's and Sage Allen's.

The 1920 Hartford Directory shows Herbert S. Weeks's cigars store located at 867 & 1015 Main Street and at 6 American Row.
Ref. # 1995.36.1094

Dudley's studio was located in the Sage Allen Building on Main Street, and many of his photographs record scenes in this downtown neighborhood. At one time, Sage Allen was largest independent department store in Connecticut.
Ref. # 1995.36.745

Architecturally one of the most distinguished buildings in Hartford, the Cheney Building served for many years as Brown Thomson's department store. As originally designed by the Boston architect H.H. Richardson in 1876, the building incorporated five small shops, offices and apartments.
Ref. # 1995.36.853

"Busier than Brown Thomson's" used to be a saying in the Hartford area. This photo of a crowd awaiting admittance to a sale suggests why.
Ref. # 1995.36.1132

The array of products offered for sale by Liggett's Drug Store is suggested by the posters and advertisements displayed in the shop windows.
Ref. # 1995.36.1108