Home › Heritage Trail sites › Play Tog Shop

Play Tog Shop

DSC_6973

GOTL visitors recognized the Play Tog Shop for its painting of Mickey Mouse on the side. The shop sold a lot of licensed Mickey Mouse merchandise and Walt Disney never bothered L’Hommedieu.

 

The Play Tog Shop as it appeared in its final days, 2004. Carl Feather collection.

Loril H’Lommedieu operated a fishing boat in Ashtabula prior to getting into the retail business at Geneva-on-the-Lake. Carl Feather collection.

Owned by Loril L’Hommedieu (1908-2004), The Play Tog Shop was a mirror image of another shop of the same name in Fort Lauderdale, also owned by Loril and his wife, Pauline (Tvaska).

The concept was to stock items that vacationers would need, with a special emphasis on clothing (tog) for “play” and novelty items. He took over the Wrights Department Store to create his business in the late 1930s.

He also worked as a fisherman and built and operated Billow Beach in Saybrook Township.

 

Also see Wrights Department Store page.

Our guests remember:

Pirl Beach

I spent the summer of 1942 in Pirl Beach (at age 16) and worked part time for the manager pulling weeds and such. Also swam every day. My Pittsburgh relatives had reserved a cottage there for many years. My aunt and cousins stayed. My uncle commuted weekly in his Buick. The Pirl Beach manager used a Model T Ford truck for his chores.

Ken Ford

Memories of Ford's

Most of my summer childhood memories are at Ford’s! My parents met there right at the picnic table. We vacationed there every summer along with my grandparents and great aunt and uncle until they passed away. We made amazing friends there that we still vacation with on Putnam Drive!! I could never thank the Payne’s enough for my childhood memories. Playing Indians in the huge back yard, solving make-believe mysteries, playing release and listening to everyone playing penny poker when my sister and I should have been sleeping. I now bring my son to Geneva every summer. He is the 5th generation at Geneva!

Sara Turner Campos

Chestnut Grove

My extended family and I vacationed at Chestnut Grove from 1948-1964. Being from McKeesport, it was a dream come true to go there every summer. I currently live in Michigan but go back occasionally. Not too long ago, I found a post card of some of the cottages where the swings and horseshoe pit were and a local artist is making me a 24×36 painting of it. I can't wait to see it! So many wonderful memories and so few things left as reminders. It is nice to know that others still remember and care.

Michelle Turner ( a Chestnut Grove Kid)

Idle-A-While

We vacationed every summer at Idle-A-While in the late '50s and early '60s, partially because my aunt was the receptionist there. I often got to ring the bell summoning guests to breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room, which was staffed by co-eds from various universities. Evenings were spent playing bingo, fascination and other games on the strip or bridge and poker back at Idle-A-While. Great memories.
John Bloom

Read more memories or submit a memory.

Share a memory