Throwback Thursday: That 70s Christmas

The Dec. 12, 1977 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, reported that home centers were fighting for larger pieces of the Christmas merchandise pie.

Two examples gracing the front page came from the West Coast, where All American cleared a section of its nursery for gifts, and Coopers promoted wrapping paper in its aisles.

Fireblace units were slelling like hotcakes at E.S. Adkins in Salisbury, Maryland, according to the report. And at Handy City stores, a gift guide was distributed at the beginning of December (a little late by today's Christmas marketing best practices)

Still, some home centers didn't have the holiday spirit. "It just doesn't pay to run Chrismas promotions," said the president of ERO stores in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "We only handle building materials. We're a true home center."

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