“The history of Lazarus is the history of Columbus”

For over 150 years, F&R Lazarus & Co. was the dominant retailer in central Ohio. As it grew from a small men’s clothier in 1851 to one of the most important mercantile establishments in the country, Columbus grew, too, from a frontier community to the 15th largest city in the nation.

In Look To Lazarus: The Big Store (The History Press, 2011), we review the evolution of the ready-made clothing industry from the Napoleonic Wars to the present. We also chronicle the development of the department store–those classic Grand Emporiums–which Fred Lazarus Jr. believed should operate like a big circus with 100 to 200 special events taking place in them every day!

The 192-page book is filled with historical facts, colorful stories, 85 pictures, and 6 of the most popular recipes taken from the Lazarus restaurants and its celebrated cooking school, La Belle Pomme. We devote an entire chapter to Christmas at Lazarus with the story behind the creation of the popular window displays and the Santa Claus parade.

Even Robert Lazarus Jr. said he learned some things he never knew about his family’s store.

If you loved Lazarus, this is the book for you!