By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

Did your mother ever give you the job of pasting trading stamps into books? Mine did. My childhood is full of rainy afternoons spent licking (or wetting with a sponge after I got smart) drawers full of S&H Green stamps. That entitled me to browse the S&H Idea Book to see what we could spend our stamps on. It was almost as cool as looking through the JCPenney Christmas Catalogue… almost. My recent discovery of trading stamps in the Sophienburg Collection prompted a little more in depth look at trading stamps in New Braunfels.

Before there were frequent flyer miles, hole punched discount cards or computerized loyalty discounts, there were trading stamps. Trading stamps were developed as a retail loyalty program. Merchants would purchase the stamps in varying point denominations and give them out based on the amount of the purchase. Stamps were then pasted into savings books and redeemed for other merchandise. Sperry & Hutchinson created S&H Green Stamps in 1896. They were one of the first loyalty programs of its type. Issued in denominations of one, ten and fifty points, the gummed paper stamps were mostly distributed to supermarkets, department stores and gasoline stations.

The first Herald advertisement with S&H Green Stamps in New Braunfels appears in 1915, by the Pfeuffer-Holm Co. furniture store. The ad announces the adoption of the “Sperry System of Profit-Sharing” to reward their cash paying customers, much in the same way that the bank pays interest on the money one saves. Then in 1922, Green Stamps appear in ads by Ludewig Furniture (now Johnson Furniture) and also by Oscar Haas & Co. clothing (yes, our County Clerk and historian was a man of many talents). They even gave S&H Green Stamps with the sales of ladies’ corsets and brassiers.

Trading stamps grew in popularity over the years, especially with the spread of chain gasoline stations and supermarket chains. Most retailers found it easier and more profitable to award all purchases than just the cash sales. The height of collecting trading stamps came during the 1950s and 1960s. Here in New Braunfels, the only Herald ads promoting green stamps in the late 50’s was Plaza Drug. Numerous others followed and proudly posted their Green S&H shield in their windows like Mom ‘n Tot Shoppe. Some had large free standing metal signs out front of their businesses to get your attention. Tip Top Cleaners even posted an S&H logo in their 1965 Yellow Page ad.

There were other trading stamp competitors. One such competitor was Texas Gold Stamps. Developed by HEB in 1955, Gold Stamps were run as a subsidiary and available to all merchants. Gold Stamps did not appear in local advertising until 1958 promoted by Ritter Service Station locations in New Braunfels. Within a short period of time there were a lot of merchants touting Texas Gold Stamps, including HEB, City Pharmacy, Jarisch Gulf, Landa Texaco & Sinclair Service Station.

In the 60’s, grocery stores were noted for Green Stamps bonus days. In 1964, Baenziger Model Market opened (now part of NBISD Ed Center). My mom shopped at Baenziger’s to take advantage of the Double Stamp Wednesdays. (Yay, more to paste. More to dream of getting!) Then in 1966, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company opened an A&P Grocery Store in Landa Plaza Shopping Center (now Das Rec area). They brought with them their own brand of trading stamps – McDonald’s Plaid Stamps. Other lesser known trading stamps appeared as well. Sometime in 1964-65, Superior Market & Grocery, on the corner of North Union and Garza (now a small office building) began offering S&S Red Stamps. I have neither seen these or found any information on them, but Superior’s grocery ads touted that S&S Red Stamps “Spend like Cash with your hometown Merchant”. The redemption center was listed as Dedeke’s Housewares and gifts at 215 S. Seguin. I would think that it was fashioned after the S&H Green Stamp program, but with local merchant products. Red Stamps lasted until about 1967, when the store loyalty program changed to Gold Bond Stamps. Weyel’s Foodliner gave out Top Value Stamps.

By 1965, trading stamps were saved by 35 million of the 50 million families in America, redeeming $500 million dollars in stamps each year. However, trading stamps began to decline after that. In 1967, a joint ad from Comal, Plaza and City Drug stores stated that “effective immediately” trading stamps would no longer be given, but they would give 10% cash discount on all purchases. Wuest’s Grocery never gave trading stamps. Instead, they promoted their lower discount prices every day. More stores began to realize the savings in ditching stamps. With the economic downturn and gas crisis of the 70’s, trading stamps held less value and shoppers realized that they could get their premium items almost as cheaply by buying outright. The stamps became too much trouble. S&H continued on until about 2013, then became S&H Points. As of December 2020, their website states that points are no longer valid and cannot be redeemed.

So what did we end up getting on our big S&H Green Stamp shopping trips to the redemption center in downtown Seguin? I remember my dad getting lawn chairs. My mom got a new bathroom scale and my sister and I got a vanity chair with a hot pink (not quite psychedelic) “fuzzy” seat cover when we redid our room in high school. What did you get?

Sources: Sophienburg Museum and Archives newspaper collection; https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook

The post Trading stamps in New Braunfels appeared first on Sophies Shop.

By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

With the upcoming bridge closure, much has been written about daily street traffic and river traffic and where they all will go, but it was the announced change in the Comal County Fair Parade route that got people talking. The most vocally opposed viewpoints were adamant that “the parade should be kept the way it has always been.” I suspect that they might not currently live in New Braunfels or be aware of the whole bridge issue, but I know that the fair parade has taken at least two different routes in my lifetime. So, were there others?

The forerunner of the Comal County Fair was a fundraiser for the new Krankenhaus (hospital) and took place in November 1892 as part of the hospital dedication. The event happened on the grounds of the Krankenhaus at the corner of Seguin and Zink (now Sts. Peter & Paul parking lot). The first actual Comal County Fair happened in November 1894 on Harry Landa property near the entrance of Landa Park. After four years at that location, the Comal County Fair moved to property in Comaltown. The fair enjoyed both successes and disappointments over the next few years, but the Fair Association finally disbanded in the years leading up to and during World War I.

In 1923, the Comal County Fair Association reorganized. Coincidently, 1923 is also when the new San Antonio Street bridge over the Comal River was completed, giving greater access to Comaltown. It also meant better access to the fairgrounds which sat at the end of Common Street.

The Comal County Fair grew and added more events and attractions. In 1928, the parade was added. The 1928 parade began at “The High School” located at the corner of Mill and Academy. It stepped off on Academy, turned left on San Antonio and proceeded all the way to the fair- grounds.

In 1929 and 1930, they got really creative. They again started at the High School, stepped off on Academy, turned left on W. San Antonio, around the Plaza (remember there was two-way traffic on the Plaza back then) and right on S. Seguin. From there, the parade went right on Coll, right on Castell, right on W. San Antonio again, around the Plaza a second time and then continued on to the fairgrounds. It must not have been as long of a parade as we are accustomed to now or they would have run into one another.

By 1931, they came to their senses and were back to straight lines. They started at the High School, from Academy to San Antonio Street all the way to the fairgrounds.

The 1934 parade started in the same place and stayed on San Antonio Street, but they disbanded at Market Street, not crossing the bridge.

1946 was a very special year. 1945 was the actual Centennial of the Founding of New Braunfels, but because of World War II, all celebrations were postponed until 1946. 1946 was also the actual one hundredth anniversary of the founding of Comal County. Everything that year was Centennial themed, thus the Centennial Fair. That parade took place in October 1946 with much fanfare, although it ultimately followed the same route from the High School down to Dittlinger’s.

By 1958, the parades formed up at Wuest’s grocery store on the corner of Clemens and W. San Antonio (now parking lot of Arlan’s Grocery) and followed San Antonio down to disband at the bridge. The Pet Parade would go first; they would wait for the morning train to pass and then the rest of the parade would go. In the late 60s and early 70s, the parade formed up at Wuest’s, but would turn onto S. Seguin and disband at Garden Street (Civic Center).

By the 1980s, the parade began at the HEB parking lot at Santa Clara and W. San Antonio Street (now McKenna Center) before heading down to the bridge. There have been times that it continued over the bridge to Eagles Hall. More people, more parade participants, more trains that will not change their schedules for parades and bridge projects may instill more changes in the future. But for now, they are sticking with straight lines. The 126th Comal County Fair Parade will form up on S. Seguin at Hampe (Post Office area) and proceed down Seguin, around the Plaza, continuing northwest to Bridge Street.

In 2020, we will also have a Founders’ Day Parade in March. Let’s hope the route is much simpler than the 1946 Centennial Founders Parade which was held on May 12, 1946. The following is what they put in the 1946 program book; you WILL need a map for this.

Parade will form at the Fair Grounds; West on E. Common Street to S. Union Avenue; South on S. Union Avenue to W. Dittlinger Street (now San Antonio Street); across bridge into E. San Antonio Street; West on E. San Antonio Street around the North side of Plaza into W. San Antonio Street; Out W. San Antonio Street to N. Walnut Avenue; North one block to W. Mill Street; East on W. Mill to N. Seguin Avenue; South on N. Seguin Avenue to Plaza, around West Side of Plaza into W. San Antonio Street; One block West on W. San Antonio Street to S. Castell Avenue; South on S. Castell Avenue to W. Garden Street; One block East on W. Garden Street into S. Seguin Avenue; North on S. Seguin Avenue to Plaza, around East side of Plaza into E. San Antonio Street and back to point of beginning.

Whew! I got confused typing it!

Sources: It’s Fair Time! by Myra Lee Adams Goff; The Herald-Zeitung; Sophienburg Museum & Archives.

The post Which way to the fair? appeared first on Sophies Shop.