From Hula Hoops to High Fashion: G. Fox in the 1950s

The Farmington Libraries and the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) are teaming up to bring you “From Hula Hoops to High Fashion: G. Fox in the 1950s” on Tuesday, July 17, 2012, at 7pm.

Elizabeth Abbe, director of public outreach at the Connecticut Historical Society, will lead you down memory lane with a look at Connecticut’s favorite department store. She will take you back, floor by floor, to the days when G. Fox was the largest privately-owned department store in the U.S.

For most Connecticut residents, the words “G. Fox” hold powerful associations. They remember a tall department store on Main Street filled with every imaginable garment, home furnishing, or domestic necessity. They recall the broad front windows decorated for Christmas or shopping trips for back-to-school clothes. They remember cream cheese on date-nut bread with mother in the Connecticut Room. Elizabeth herself, who grew up in Wethersfield, says she remembers how special it was to take the bus “uptown” to spend the day shopping with her mother at Fox’s.

Elizabeth will also give you some insight into the woman who made every shopping experience a joy—Beatrice Fox Auerbach. In addition to a substantial collection of clothing, furniture, and photographs tied to the story of G. Fox, the Connecticut Historical Society houses some of Mrs. Auerbach’s personal records including correspondence between the G. Fox President and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

So revisit G. Fox, where the customer was always right! Bring your memories along with your favorite purchases from G. Fox. We’ll have some tables for display of G. Fox treasures and time for you to share a favorite G. Fox story.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place at the main library at 6 Monteith Drive. Advance registration is required for this program. Please call 860-673-6791 for details or register through the library’s web site at http://www.farmingtonlibraries.org. The Farmington Library is part of the Farmington Village Green and Library Association.  If you have special needs to attend library programs, contact the library in advance.

For additional event notices, please follow the Farmington Libraries on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farmingtonlibraries, or Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/FarmlibCT.