Downtown Salt Lake City thrived as shopping mecca for century

(Deseret News) Before there were shopping malls, there was downtown.

And for more than 100 years, Salt Lake City's downtown was the state's number one shopping destination.

With a vibrant commercial district, Salt Lake's Main Street offered a little bit of everything. Businesses that carved a name in the history of downtown include ZCMI, Auerbach's, P.W. Madsen Furniture, the Dinwoodey furniture company and Dayne's Music, to name a just a few.

"Residents who lived in Salt Lake City prior to the 1960s remember how vibrant the city was, full of life and bustle," according to an article at www.utahstories.com. "Arline Markosian says Salt Lake City was so safe, she and her young sister would often ride a trolley to the Orpheum Theater to watch a film — unaccompanied by her parents — for a nickel."

Most of those store fronts, many featuring creative and colorful displays designed to lure window shoppers in from the streets, have disappeared. Some have moved to other locations.

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