This set of old-timey store front photos shows Olive M. Duling Furs, an “Exclusive Furrier” of Santa Ana, California. The first photo shows the store’s entrance from the street. You can see “218” address listed above the door.
The interior shot is taken from just inside the doorway. My favorite feature is the the fox at the back of the store.
In newspaper archive searches I found mentions of the “Olive M. Duling Exclusive Furrier” as early as 1924. This advertisement from 1929 announced the store’s move to 218 North Broadway in Santa Ana from 413 North Broadway.
There are advertisements, like the one below, of the same store at the same address as late as the early 1960s.
The photographer’s embossment in the lower right corner of the first photo says:
LEONARD’S STUDIO
THIRD & BROADWAY
SANTA ANA, CAL.
There was a match for this information as early as 1914, although the photos appear to be much later than that (I am guessing from the 1950s). This location appeared to be across the street from Dulings. It later appeared to be some sort of music or piano studio with the same name. Did they also do photography?
The present day location of 218 North Broadway seems to be nestled somewhere in between an office of Chapman University’s College of Educational Studies at 216 N. Broadway and Subway at 220 N. Broadway.
There is still more to learn, but I hope you have enjoyed this short history of the Olive M. Duling Exclusive Furrier. Check out some other old-timey and vintage store photos!
A mystery photo identified (perhaps incorrectly) as Isaac Benson Chapman (1888-1952) of Columbus, Ohio some time in the very early 1900s.