![]() If you didn't see Wade downtown, Henson said, you'd see him playing Santa at the World's Largest Living Christmas Tree in Hilton Park north of downtown, which was a destination for Wilmington families for decades. He wanted to say hello to everyone but he didn't know everybody's name," so he just said "Hi, Buddy" to everyone, earning the nickname J.E.L. "Inevitably, I would run into (former Wilmington Mayor) J.E.L. At a Princess Street restaurant called The Dixie − not the one that exists on Market Street, but a different Dixie − "You'd see all the lawyers and judges," Henson said. Shoppers ate at Saffo's on Front Street, owned by Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo's family, or at Futrell's on Second and Princess streets, in the building where the restaurant manna is now. I would go downtown and go Christmas shopping and I would just have lunch and spend the day." "Another nice thing about going downtown," Henson said, "that's where all the restaurants were. An automotive supply store called Western Auto, which was located at few different locations downtown between the '50s and the '80s, "at Christmas time they would get toys," Henson said, "heavy machinery" toys like trucks or construction equipment. ![]() Other businesses that didn't normally carry toys got them during the Christmas season. An architectural firm, The Lukmire Partnership, Inc., was hired to design the new branch, and plans were submitted to Hanover County for approval. In May 2006, the library conducted a project to solicit ideas from the community about a new branch library. More: For the holidays and all days, how Wilmington charities ramp up work to help the homeless The grand opening for the new branch took place on May 7, 1983. More: A very Wilmington Christmas: Holiday movies, songs and TV shows with Port City ties They didn't have so many toys during the year, but during Christmas time they did." During (most of) the year, that was the bargain basement. "Most of the toys were in Belk's basement," she said. Henson also confirms my admittedly gauzy memory of the toy department at Belk's being downstairs. Families would make special trips downtown just to see it, and "you would get out of the car and push your face up to the glass," Henson said.
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