The oldest businesses in Lakeland, FL

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Nathan’s Men’s Store | Photo by @nicolefeller_

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Lakeland was established in January of 1885 on the 80 acres of land that we now know as downtown LAL – which means Swan City is 134 years old. 🎂

A lot of businesses have opened + closed in the past 134 years. Ever wondered about some of the oldest businesses and how they’ve managed to stick around? Yeah, we did too. So we asked around, did some research, and this is what we found.

From apparel to food, Swan City has multiple family-owned businesses that have been around for nearly half a century (or more).

Here are some notable businesses that have been serving the Lakeland area for 50+ years.

1800s

Florida Southern College, 111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr.

  • Est. 1883
  • Products/services: Private college.
  • Brief History: Home to the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC is the oldest, private comprehensive college in Florida and was even designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012. Browse the archives – Freshmen proverbs to an oral history projecthere.

1900s

Lakeland Electric, 501 E. Lemon St.

  • Est. 1904
  • Products/services: Local Electric Company
  • Brief History: As the third-largest public power utility in Florida, Lakeland Electric started operations in 1904, making the municipal utility over a century-year-old. Lakeland Electric was built on core values of providing affordable, dependable, and sustainable electricity for their customers – something they still continue to this day. Read more about the history here.

1920s

The Ledger, 300 W. Lime St.

  • Est. 1924
  • Products/services: Daily newspaper serving Lakeland + surrounding the Polk County area.

Brief History: Originally published as The Lakeland Evening Ledger (created by Sam Farabee), the paper has had multiple owners and even merged with another local news outlet, the Lakeland Star-Telegram. This award-winning publication has a long history in connection with top state awards given by the Florida Society of News Editors + the South Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Check out the timeline here.

Terrace Hotel, 329 E. Main St.

  • Est. 1924
  • Products/services: Hotel.
  • Brief History: The $750,000 hotel’s design was inspired by Baroque grandeur and originally had an orange exterior. It actually closed for twelve years – then was renovated back to be a luxury hotel in 1999. DYK: Guests originally entered the hotel from Main St., via a tropical garden that showcased Massachusetts Ave. Read the full history here.

Cleveland Heights Golf Course, 2900 Buckingham Ave.

  • Est. 1925
  • Products/services: To provide recreational opportunities for the residents of Cleveland Heights.
  • Brief History: H.A. Stahl developed this elite country club for an exclusive golf community that opened in the Roaring 20’s. It has undergone renovations and ownership changes over the years, but still remains a staple golf course in LAL. Catch up on the history here.

Polk Theatre, 121 S. Florida Ave.

  • Est. 1928
  • Products/services: Vaudeville theatre + movie palace.
  • Brief History: Developed during the golden age by John E. Melton, the theatre began thriving in its early years + on opening day, the matinee sold out within an hour of the box office’s opening. Fact: The air conditioning system used so much power that it caused the lights to dim all across town when it turned on. Read more about the Polk’s history + the three ghosts that potentially haunt it here.

1930s

Publix, 300 Publix Corporate Pkwy

  • Est. 1930
  • Products/services: American supermarket chain.
  • Brief History: Any Lakelander worth their salt knows that Mr. George W. Jenkins originally opened the first Publix Food Store in Winter Haven. But DYK where Mr. Jenkins got the name ‘Publix’ from? Watch this video to learn more about the history.

Allen & Company, 1401 Florida Ave. S.

  • Est. 1932
  • Products/services: Full-service financial services firm.
  • Brief History: Considered FL’s oldest investment firm, Allen & Company started from J. Everett Allen’s windowless office in downtown Lakeland in 1932. Since then, the company has grown to 70 associates in three offices in the Central Florida region. More history here.

Reececliff Family Diner, 940 S. Florida Ave.

  • Est. 1934
  • Products/services: All-American restaurant + diner.
  • Brief History: Offering 75+ years of service in the community, Reececliff stands as the longest-running restaurant in Lakeland. Their secret for success? Homemade pies from the same expert baker for the past 50 years. Read more about this classic restaurant here.

Gaines Jewelers, 112 S. Tennessee Ave.

  • Est. 1935
  • Products/services: Jewelry manufacturer + supplier.
  • Brief History: Founded in 1935 by George Gaines, the fine jewelry landmark was recently purchased in 2017 by Gina Saunders. You can read more on the history here.

1940s

Nathan’s Men’s Store, 221 E. Main St.

  • Est. 1942
  • Products/services: Clothing + apparel.
  • Brief History: For over 70 years, Nathan’s Men’s Store has been serving clients an assortment of clothing options. From World War II army uniform accessories to Ivy League pants, bell-bottoms, 50’s styled suits to leisure suits, and all the way to present-date, Nathan + Mildred Estroff have founded this staple company specifically “for Dad and lad.” Read more about the history here.

Southeastern University, 1000 Longfellow Blvd.

  • Est. 1946
  • Products/services: Private university.
  • Brief History: Originally founded in New Brockton, AL, as Alabama Shield of Faith Institute, the private university made its home in Lakeland in 1946 at the former site of Lodwick School of Aeronautics. Take a look at the timeline here.

Silver Moon Drive-In, 4100 New Tampa Hwy.

  • Est. 1948
  • Products/services: Drive-in movie theatre.
  • Brief History: I. Q. Mize and M. G. Waring opened the first-ever drive-in movie theatre in Lakeland with an admission fee of only 35 cents per person and was deemed in the morning’s paper as “FLORIDA’S NEWEST MOST MODERN OUTDOOR THEATRE.” In 1952, the property was sold to Carl Floyd, who added the iconic flashing neon sign + marquee that visitors can still view from the highway, today. Read the full history here.

1950s

The Ruthvens, 41 Lake Morton Dr.

  • Est. 1957
  • Products/services: Real estate, development + warehouse specialists.
  • Brief History: Founder Joe P. Ruthven came from S.C. to FL, where he met his wife (who was from Lakeland). Joe moved to Lakeland to open and build his tire business. The business was carried out by his family, and opened several other stores throughout the area. In need of his own storage for his business, he began building spec warehouse space. Watch this video to learn more on this local family business.

Honorable mentions

Though these agencies are branches of the local government – we thought we’d add in a few fast facts about them here.

Lakeland Police Department, 219 N. Massachusetts Ave.

  • Est. 1914
  • Products/services: Police department.
  • Brief History: LAL had no police cars until 1920, so officers had to walk, hitchhike, or hire a taxi when responding to crime scenes or disturbances.

Lakeland Public Library, 100 Lake Morton Dr.

  • Est. 1923
  • Products/services: Library.
  • Brief History: The first-ever library in LAL was maintained by the Women’s Club of Lakeland and was open to all residents. Before it was the library, it served as a camp for Spanish-American War soldiers and then became a park.

Lakeland Fire Department, 701 E. Main St.

  • Est. 1926
  • Products/services: Fire department.
  • Brief History: Originally built at the corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Cedar St., the Fire Department expanded to multiple locations over the years and currently has their administrative offices in downtown LAL.

*This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list. If we missed you, let us know by commenting below.

Quiz

You can find the correct answer at the bottom of today’s newsletter.

– LALtoday team (Jessica + Kaylee)

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