'Cleveland Then and Now' Is A Nostalgic Before And After

Higbee’s Department Store was once a mecca for holiday shopping and a symbolic center for downtown Cleveland. Founded in 1860, the Public Square location, with 11 floors of designer clothes, gifts and accessories, is memorialized in A Christmas Story with its elaborate storefront holiday displays. Now, Jack Cleveland Casino sits in its place. “We don’t have any of the retail we had then,” says Laura DeMarco, author of Cleveland Then and Now. “That’s the one thing that hasn’t come back.” DeMarco captures this and other evolutions in her book launching Dec. 1. It includes more than 60 locations with 150 photos showcasing Cleveland’s changes over the last 150 years.