Lindstrom’s first opened their doors for business in September of 1925. One hundred years later, they are still going strong. It is a local business that has had to adapt to the “big box” businesses and the changes in electronics over the years. George Lindstrom, then his son- Dean Lindstrom, and today his grandson- Dick Lindstrom have shown the ability to adapt and to change thru the years.
Some might say that the 1950’s thru the 1970’s were a “golden age” in downtown Galesburg. Galesburg was a destination for Galesburg residents and for people from the area towns. Whether it was “window shopping” on a Saturday night or it was going shopping on a Tuesday afternoon- downtown Galesburg was hopping.
For teenagers in Galesburg, THE place to go was Lindstrom’s. Starting in the 1950’s and going to the 1970’s, Lindstrom’s was the place to get the hits of the latest Rock and Roll stars. I had a chance to talk with Dick Lindstrom and ask the basic questions- How did they get into the record business and how did you become THE place for records in western Illinois?
How did Lindstrom’s get into the record business?
In the 1950’s, Lindstrom’s sold many appliances including record players. Dick explained to me that the industry had come up with the concept of going from selling records played a 33 RPM to single songs on 45 RPM records. At that time there were not adjustable players that allowed you to play both. So Lindstrom’s recognized they needed to sell record players that could play the new singles at the 45 RPM speed.
According to Dick, when they went to a distributor selling the new players, he told them- “I bought these players for $20, I will sell them to you for $15, and I will expect you to sell them for $10.” Obviously this doesn’t sound like the kind of advice that allows a business to operate for 100 years.
The logic was that if they were going to sell the new 45’s, people had to have the record players. At the time they were selling the singles for about $1 apiece. So if you got someone to buy 5 records, you broke even. Then after the fifth record, everything was profit. According to Dick, it was not unusual for a teen to be buying 2-3 records each week- so it added up.
How did you know what records to sell?
As soon as I asked Dick Lindstrom that question, he got up and said he would show me. A minute later he came back with the “WLS Silver Dollar Survey.” He explained that WLS sent this out to Lindstrom’s every week. And Lindstrom’s then made sure they got all the appropriate records to sell. If you wanted something on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey, you could drive from Macomb and you knew Lindstrom’s would have it.
Eventually Lindstrom’s and WLS developed a relationship that benefited both Lindstrom’s and WLS. Lindstroms’s put up the WLS Silver Dollar Survey for customers to see and promoted WLS’s Silver Dollar Survey on Lindstrom’s WGIL show. In turn WLS mentioned Lindstrom’s on their shows as a place in western Illinois where you could get any of the records on their top list.
Making Lindstrom’s a Destination
Lindstrom’s made their store a destination for teenagers who were excited about Rock and Roll. It was a time when Frankie Avalon, then Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and The Beach Boys were producing music teens wanted to listen to.
Lindstrom’s set up four booths where people could come down, select a record, and go into a booth and listen to the latest hits. Teens could come down during lunch with GHS downtown, only a couple blocks away. So lunch could be spent listening to the latest hits. Lindstrom’s was a nice stop after school too. And Linsdstrom’s was fun for a couple friends to go to on Saturdays.
Lindstrom’s found the listeners were not always careful with the records and scratched some of the records. So they redesigned the booths so listeners gave a clerk the record, the player was in the clerk’s area for them to play, and the player was wired to the booth.
Throughout the 1950’s, 1960’s, and into the 1970’s, Galesburg teenagers went to Lindstrom’s at lunch, after school, evenings, and Saturday mornings to listen to the most popular 45 singles.
According to Dick, while Elvis was popular, their best sellers were the Beatles and The Beach Boys.
WGIL Radio Show
Lindstrom’s bought radio time to follow the Cub broadcast on WGIL. When the game got to the 9th inning, Jack Larson and Dean Lindstrom would grab the records they wanted to play. They left the store on 224 East Main (today it is Sabrina’s Bride Shop) and go up to WGIL, which was on the 4th floor of the Hill Arcade.
Eventually Lindstrom’s moved to Sunday morning show. When Elvis became big, Dean and Jack were approached by the Galesburg Ministerial Association, asking if it was wise to be playing Elvis on Sunday mornings. After consideration, they continued.
By the 1980’s, the show switched to music from the ‘30’s and ‘40’s.
Memories, Memories, Memories
If you grew up in the Galesburg area in the 1950’s, 1960’s, or 1970’s, I am betting you have some great memories of Lindstrom’s.
Do you remember going with a friend to listen to records?
Do you remember that special record you HAD to have?
Do you remember that record you wore out because you played it so much?
How many records did you have?
I am hoping you would be willing to share your memories of Lindstrom’s and 45 RPM records.
If you would like to share, send to me at emass70@yahoo.com.
I hope to put together a post later with all of the memories that you share. Your replies can by just a few sentences, a paragraph, or more. (Try to limit to less than 400 words.)
Thanks!!!!
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