When, after 57 years of business, Mr. Cramer locked the door one last time, there were no pictures of the many chairs, sofas, pillows and footstools that had passed through his doors.  No films of getting chairs out the doors of their homes, into the Cramer’s van, and then lifted up on the sawhorses to receive a completely new look.  The tacks that fell on the floor (and were picked up with the magnetic hammer, or swept up with the industrial broom) are
long gone.

The only evidence of what had happened in the store was in Mr. Cramer’s mind, and in the folder of thank you notes he’d kept for over 50 years.  An article by Olivia Barker, entitled “Whatever happened to thank you notes?”  appeared in USA Today on Dec. 27, 2005.  It describes the absence of Thank You notes in today’s world.  The thank you notes provided here illustrate the wealth of words used to express appreciation, and the brevity of notes that were kept as evidence of work well done.

This site is an opportunity to look at the ways in which the excellence of craftsmanship was appreciated by customers and designers on the North Shore of Chicago.  An official thank you from Christopher Kennedy, President of the Merchandise Mart, illustrates that Mr. Cramer is one of a generation that viewed furniture in a unique way.

Reading these notes, which people took time to write and send along with their payment is a travel back through appreciation of all kinds.  Look at the evolving prices, letterheads, and types of work done in the last 57 years.

Contact Dr. Sharon Cramer at cramersf@buffalostate.edu