Steck’s Local History Display

The Local History section of the Crawfordsville District Public Library invites the community to visit the second floor to see its newest display and learn about some of Crawfordsville’s retail history.

In 1936, Hershel Steck and Harold “Nick” Nixon, founded and opened Steck’s Menswear at 107 E. Main Street. Steck’s Menswear, in business until 1991, went on to open additional stores in Lafayette and West Lafayette. Eventually, Mr. Nixon bought Mr. Steck out of the partnership but kept the Steck’s name.

Over the years, the Nixon family expanded Steck’s Menswear in both square footage and types of inventory. The first expansion came in the 1960s with Weathervane (ladies’ apparel) and Tack Room (additional menswear) at 105 E. Main Street. Mr. Nixon’s wife, Jane, managed Weathervane for years, making the company a family business.

The 1980s brought The Attic, a gift and card shop located at 111 E. Main Street, as well as an upward expansion as the Nixons opened At the Top of the Stairs Delicatessen above Steck’s at 107 ½ E. Main. Finally, Painted Pony, a childrenswear store located at 109 E. Main Street, completed the four storefront run. The stores were decorated in a similar style and had a roof over the sidewalk that led to the slogan, “under the portico on Main Street.”

Nick Nixon passed away in 1984, leaving Steck’s, Inc. to his two children, Wade Nixon and Salli (Nixon) Colby. As our local historian, Dellie Craig, was preparing the display she received a message from Salli (Nixon) Colby stating, “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I don’t pretend to be objective about Steck’s since it was such a big part of our family’s life, but I think it was important in the community too. Because it was so centrally located, the store became an informal meeting place for people going downtown and often was a place for people during holidays to come and have a chance to see each other and catch up. It was fun!”

The Steck’s display is one of (if not the) largest local history displays to date. It includes original signage and graphics created by John Edward Vanmatre, a local graphic designer who joined the Steck’s team as its Display and Design Director. There are also original ledgers, a suit jacket still in excellent condition, a tie, and many other items of interest. Special thanks go out to Kim Nixon, Dr. Michael Scheidler, and Nancy Kochert for their assistance and for loaning numerous photos and ephemera that helped make this display so interesting.

By 1989, all the stores in Lafayette and West Lafayette were closed. Wade Nixon eventually made the difficult decision to close all of Steck’s doors in 1991. When asked why he made the decision to close, Wade stated, “At one time, people were more interested in quality than they are today. It’s a changing era, for whatever reason.” Local historian, Dellie Craig, sat down with Wade in early 2023 to talk about Steck’s and the history of Main Street. These video interviews are available on the library’s YouTube channel. There are links to the videos in the display as well. Wade passed away in October 2023, but the stories of Steck’s 54-year history live on in your local library. This display can be viewed on the 2nd floor of the Crawfordsville District Public Library through the end of 2024.