For generations, Scranton’s two big department stores, The Globe and Scranton Dry Goods Co., affectionately known as “the Dry,” dominated retail in the Electric City. Join author and Scranton-area native Daniel Packer Jr. and step through the iconic revolving doors of these two retail palaces and into a bygone era of shopping in grand style. He will share dozens of historic photographs and give a brief history of both stores and their impact on the community.
Facing each other on Wyoming Avenue, they created special memories for shoppers, with their attractive displays, special events, community service and elaborate Christmas decorations. Many fondly recall The Globe’s Charl-Mont Restaurant and the steamship round of beef carved to order for diners there. Or waving to customers passing by on the escalator from the Dry’s mezzanine Tea Room. Together, the stores brought the best the world had to offer to Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Daniel Packer is a lifelong resident of the area whose interest in history was sparked as a child by the stories told by his great-grandmother. A graduate of the University of Scranton with a degree in history and secondary education, his focus is on retail history and department stores in particular. He works in library services at the University of Scranton and the Weinberg Memorial Library. He will have a few items of memorabilia from his personal collection on display, and will also bring a copy of his recent book, Scranton’s Bygone Department Stores: The Globe and The Dry, published by Arcadia in November 2025.
Refreshments will follow the presentation, which is sponsored by Business Partner Eric Ehrhardt of Davis R. Chant Realtors
