Recently, I saw a ghost in Downtown Shakopee. No, we’re not talking some character out of Scooby Doo, but a ghost sign.
Perhaps I’ve spent too much time on Reddit lately, or perhaps I’ve been fascinated by my work’s Fargo and St. Paul offices so much (former tractor factories), but ghost signs have fascinated me.
The other night, I noticed a ghost sign I had never seen before. It was painted on the side of what used to be the Shakopee Theatre (now Pearson Florist). I couldn’t believe I had missed it for 39-1/2 years.
Today, I went back to photograph the sign to see if I could identify it. I first thought it was some sort of refreshment sign. Looking closer, it appears to be an advertisement for Ferdman’s Bargain Store, which pre-dated the Shakopee Theatre at that location.
According to David R. Schleper of the Shakopee Heritage Society, Samuel Ferdman moved to Shakopee at some point after June 9, 1927, following the birth of daughter, Lucille. Schleper also mentions that the Shakopee Argus-Tribune reported a fire at Ferdman’s Bargain Store in September 1934, burning out the store, and damaging R.C. Kline’s adjacent store. Ferdman was later seen living in Chicago in the 1940 Census1.
All I can make out from the sign is “Ferdman Bargain” and potentially “Overall” or “Overalls.” Given the time frame of the store, this sign had to be painted somewhere between 1927 and 1934.
Can anybody identify any other words in the advertisement?
1 Schleper, David R. Samuel Ferdman (1893-1966). Shakopee Heritage Society, https://shakopeeheritage.org/1750-1945. Accessed 2025 July 6.
