The first mention of The Yankee Trader in The Columbus Dispatch listed the store’s address as 655 West Broad St., and called on “Jobbers”, “Wagon Men” and “Carnival Agents” to see their complete line of “horses, clocks, jewelry, knives, stuffed toys, lighters, watches, radios, etc.”
And if that doesn’t sum up the next 60 years of business for the store, nothing else will.
Yankee Trader began as a wholesale store selling novelty items for the carnival trade. They supplied the vendors at your local fairs and traveling amusement parks with the prizes you’d win at a game of ring toss or darts. The earliest mentions of the shop are in 1948, under various names.
By 1950, they had relocated to 509-513 Park St., and were soon advertising everything from
toys, ceramics, watches, perfumes, and even ponies under the name “Yankee Trader”.
In 1965, Yankee Trader moved to a storefront at 463 North High St., where it operated until 2010. They expanded from only providing stock for carnivals and fairs to a retail operation that sold party favors for weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, birthdays, a variety of trinkets, and more to the general public.
The weeks leading up to Halloween were especially busy, with full costumes, wigs, glasses, and feather boas available. Other novelty items like inflatables, flags, and prank gifts attracted customers of all ages.
The building at 463 North High St., still known by many as the "Yankee Trader Building," was originally constructed for the C.R. Parish Furniture Company. Local architects Mills and Pruitt prepared the plans for the new building, which was completed in 1909. Parish Furniture occupied the space until the 1920s, after which it became home to a succession of several furniture companies before Yankee Trader moved in.
Bob Holler was the founder of The Yankee Trader. In 1965, he married Edith “Edie” Weinstock, who began assisting him with the business soon after. Bob passed away in 1976, and Edie took the helm, running the store until her death in 2000. Edie was active in the community and a driving force in helping to develop the Short North corridor. She received the Columbus Human Rights Torch Award in 1999 for helping the homeless and her support of the LGBTQ+ community.
After her death in 2000, Edie's daughters, Lynnette and Debbie, took over operations at The Yankee Trader. But by 2008, they were exploring selling The Yankee Trader. As online sales impacted brick-and-mortar shops everywhere, The Yankee Trader closed shortly after Halloween 2010.
The building's new owners wanted to adapt it for other uses while preserving its history as part of the North Market Historic District and its location over what is believed to be part of the city's former North Graveyard, according to Franklin County Auditor's Office records.
The historic 5-story building was renovated in 2012 to provide space for offices, a bar, and a restaurant, right across from the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The craft cocktail lounge Denmark on High is located on the second floor and the Bareburger hamburger restaurant is at street level of the building, which was renovated to preserve as much of its character as possible.
And while The Yankee Trader has been gone for almost 16 years now, the building's current ownership gave a nod to its past with their name: Yankee Brothers LLC.
Grace Freeman is a Librarian with Columbus Metropolitan Library.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Yankee Trader began in 1940s as wholesale vendor to carnivals and fairs
