Mehr's Music & Novelty Store

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Mehr's Music & Novelty Store was a music, instrument, novelty, costume and magic shop which operated for several decades in Birmingham.

The shop was first opened in 1918 as the Musical Exchange by Charles Mehr, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native who married the former Libbie Williams of Birmingham. It was located at 2027 2nd Avenue North

Libbie, a songwriter, scored a hit with "Alabama Blues", which was recorded by Mamie Smith after she was introduced to it at the Jefferson Theater in December 1921. Mehr's shop sold a range of "blues and popular music," including his wife's compositions as sheet music, and on Okeh Records. His shop also represented the E. E. Forbes & Sons piano company as agents, and sold phonographs or "talking machines."

Mehr renamed the business Mehr's Music Store and opened a second location in the Clark Building at 404 20th Street North on May 16, 1925. The business stocked "records, toys, party favors, sheet music and musical instruments, aloing with a complete line of novelties."

In 1936 the shop was located at 2025 2nd Avenue North and promised "everything to liven-up the New Year's Eve party," including "horns, noise-makers, whistles, carnival hats, blow-outs, jokes and tricks."

From around 1937 until after 1949, Mehr's Music Store was located at 113 19th Street North. In 1955 the store was located at 1726 2nd Avenue North, but around 1962 moved across the street to 1731 2nd Avenue North.

After Charles Mehr died in 1956, the business was taken up by siblings Wade and Geraldine Haley, who had clerked in the shop. Around that time, the name of the store was changed to Mehr's Music Store and Novelty Shop, and later, around 1971, was shortened to Mehr's Novelty Shop. When Ms Haley died, another sister, Grace Payne, with her husband W. C. Payne came to Birmingham to help Mr Haley run the store. Other family members helped out, as well.

The magic counter in back was presided over by a practicing magician who would teach the tricks to customers who had bought them, but only after swearing them to the "magician's code" of secrecy. Among those clerks were Vic Fichtner and Robert Chapman.

Meanwhile, around 1949, Birmingham businessman David Danneman had opened United Paper & Specialty Co. at 2510 2nd Avenue North, selling similar novelty wares as well as engraved trophies. By the mid-1960's Danneman had shortened the company's name to United Specialty, and in 1970 moved it to 2100 7th Avenue South.

In 1975, Danneman bought Mehr's from the Paynes and moved it to the upper level of the new Century Plaza shopping mall, changing its name to Tricks 'N Treats. That same year, Danneman also bought Superior Engraving and began operating both United Specialty and Superior Engraving at 2130 5th Avenue North. By 1980, he had moved Tricks 'N Treats from Century Plaza to the 5th Avenue location as well, with magician Robert Chadwick managing the magic department. Danneman operated all three businesses from that location through 1987.

Around 1988, Bob Blair bought the magic shop business from Danneman, and by the mid-1990's, Trick's 'N Treats was operating primarily as a costume shop in the Merchant's Walk shopping center at 1919 28th Avenue South in Homewood. The final location of the shop, starting in 1996, was on Center Point Parkway, before Mr. Blair's untimely death in 1999 at the age of 57.

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