DOWNTOWN
SMITH POSTCARD COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
George and Viola Loy came to Vero in 1928 when George
opened I.M. Men’s Wear. He changed the name to Loy’s Men’s Wear
and it was a staple of Vero Beach retailing for many years. Their
daughter, Alma Lee, followed in her father’s footsteps by opening
location in the Maher Building for 40 years until 1997. To this day,
Alma Lee Loy continues to be deeply involved in her community
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another iconic retail store that would remain at its 20th Street
City of Vero Beach 1919-2019 VeroBeach100.org
and even has a bridge named in
her honor.
The Maher Building also housed
many other well-known downtown
businesses. The original wood building
was home to Maher’s Department
Store, but it burned down in
the great fire of 1919 along with
several other businesses. It was soon
rebuilt and is still in use today.
MAKING A COMEBACK
As the years progressed so did
downtown. On Saturday mornings
literally everyone came there to shop
or get together with friends while
the children played in Pocahontas
Park. Seminole Indians came to town
and sold their wares. It was a closeknit
community, even as the population
grew into the thousands.
Then in 1960, the first shopping
center came to town way out on
the Miracle Mile Extension, the road
that went from U.S. 1 to the Merrill P. Barber Bridge, named after
another major figure in Vero’s past. A staple of downtown retail,
Wodtke’s Department Store, opened a second location in the new
shopping center. Bill Wodtke’s friends warned him that the center
would fail because it was so far from downtown, but he was also
visionary, knowing shopping patterns would eventually change.
And he was right. As the new Miracle Mile shopping district >>
A 1950 postcard boasts of Vero Beach’s fast-growing downtown.
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