COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The era of Columbus’s flagship department store, Lazarus, endured for more than 150 years and memories of its holiday offerings have become iconic for former employees, shoppers and visitors.
Many people who grew up with the retailer remain nostalgic about its Christmas window displays and SantaLand, where children entered a North Pole fantasy world and could visit with the real Santa Claus. Now, the items used to decorate the store are scattered and, in some cases, discarded. But a new trend of locating or recreating Lazarus’s lost memorabilia for new generations to enjoy is emerging.
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In a recent Facebook post, Ronald Rau, a former employee of the retailer, shared his contribution to a new display at the Fran Ryan Center. The collection includes a Santa figure and a “Russian” Snow Queen, donated by Rau. Additionally, there is a tree sculpture, from the Columbus Historic Society and Fran Ryan’s collection, that looks nearly identical to “Mr. Tree,” a talking tree that was part of SantaLand. Rau told NBC4 that the tree at the center was one of four trees that were part of the shop’s holiday window dressing.
“I donated the snow queen and Santa that were part of the Christmas windows,” Rau wrote in the post’s caption. “They are on display with one of the window trees at the Fran Ryan Center, 865 E. Capitol St. The center opened this year and also has a great Golden Hobby Shop in it. If you want a little taste of Lazarus Christmas, stop on in. I always wanted them to go somewhere where people from Columbus could see them.”…