I have two favorite Christmas movies I love to watch each year at this time. One is Die Hard, and yes, it has now been officially classified as a real Christmas movie thank you. The other is, “A Christmas Story”.
As a “not so young anymore” boy from the Midwest myself, I fell in love with that movie the first time I saw it and I’ve watched it just about every year since then.
(Although I find myself relating more to the father now days and less to Ralphie.)
One of my favorite scenes is Ralphie and his brother at the department store waiting for Santa. Here in Omaha, for years the magic of Christmas came alive in what was at one time the largest store in the west – The Brandeis Department Store.
The following story tells the wonderful story of the Brendeis Store and was found on Mr. Leo Biga’s blog here.
The Brandeis Story: Family-Owned Department Store Empire of the Great Plains
©by Leo Adam Biga
Originally published in the Jewish Press
There was a time when every great downtown featured an immense department store. New York had its Macy’s and Gimbels. Chicago had its Marshall Field’s. Further west, smack dab in the middle of the Great Plains, Omaha had Brandeis. As local family dynasties go, few evoke the nostalgia the Brandeis name conjures. That’s because for a century J.L. Brandeis & Sons ruled the department store market in Omaha, serving hundreds of thousands of customers each year.
In its heyday, the symbol of the company’s and the family’s success was the downtown store. Period advertisements billed it as “the greatest store in the West.” Modeled after Marshall Field’s, nothing quite as elaborate as Brandeis could be found from the Windy City to the Rockies.
Did you know we have gift cards available at the counter? We do and you can purchase one in any amount you’d like, there are no specific set amounts on these cards.
Ask the counter worker for a Bronco’s Gift Card and tell them the amount you’d like placed on it. They’ll load the amount on the card right then and you’re all set.
Can you think of a better gift than this for those special loved ones who love Bronco’s as much as you do?
Here’s more information on the gift cards:
At the bottom of the card will be your personal pin number and the number of the card so you can check your balance at any time.
*Load your card with cash any time for any amount.
Hot for the holidays, we’re offering a 10% discount on every new gift card purchased. Hurry while they last.
Bronco’s East: 4540 Leavenworth Street, Omaha, NE.
Bronco’s West: 1123 South 120th Street, Omaha, NE.
Hours: Monday – Sunday 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
