This intriguing piece of art recently came to my attention. “Music and beer for two” sounds like fun, but the fact that the standing figure has three tankards in their hand is the first of many mysteries about this print.

To be fair, the full version of the above illustration is shown below and offers more information:

Flipping the card over, we find that it is a vintage advertising card for a long-departed downtown Lowell candy store, W. E. Pearson’s Confectionery, at 37 Merrimack Street.

Here’s what Mr. Pearson wrote in the above advertisement:

I have made for the Holiday Trade a large assortment of PURE Candies, Candy Toys, Animals, Baskets, Canes, Broken Candy, Mixtures, Nut and Fruit Candies, Caramels, Chocolates, Bon-Bons, Tree Ornaments, and all kinds of pure, wholesome Sweets. Fill up the little stockings and Make Christmas Merry.

Here’s a photo of the store:

I’m not sure what happened to Mr. Pearson or his store, but the variety of sweets he offered would have made it a regular stop on my holiday shopping trips.

Fortunately, we can still purchase candy and much else at another store just around the corner from the former home of Pearson’s Confectionery. That would be Pop Cultured which is now located at 58 Prescott Street in the former Tutto Bene Wine & Cheese Shop (which was operated by the late Richard Rourke). Originally located in Mill No. 5, Pop Cultured is primarily a gaming and novelty shop, but it also sells candies, art supplies, and collectibles. In fact, it was Pop Culture’s proprietor, Renee Mallett who sent me the Music & Beer for Two card.

This all serves as a reminder of the fine tradition of shopping downtown, one that is still alive and well today.

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For more information about Pop Cultured, check out the store’s website. The store is at 58 Prescott Street but on the canal side of the building, so entry is made from the street through the passageway to the canal walkway.