2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the day John Sullivan started the Wooden Peel pizzeria in the building previously occupied by the Gayle Lynn dress shop. Current owner’s Saylor Carrico and Becky Carlson opened up the old arch between her building (108 W Plymouth) and the former Mean Bean (110 W Plymouth) with a celebration. And recently, Saylor loaned us some wonderful Polaroid photos from 1981.

1981 - Wooden Peel - 01

The building has a long history starting in 1900, when it was built by Joseph Leitch as a cigar-rolling factory but was immediately bought by Moe Lowenstine for his menswear store. It was Moe who put the hole in the wall in 1915 and his son Hank who closed it when he packed up the store in 1926.

2016 - downtown

The building next door (110 W Plymouth) had its own history, of course, being constructed in 1901 by Postmistress Lucinda Walter and having been incorporated in Lowenstines on one side and later Whitlock’s/Danner’s/Hafner’s 5-and-Dime on the other side.

2016 - Bremen downtown