SW Park Avenue near SW Alder Street, 1964. Byron Hoyt’s Sheet Music Service was located at 531 SW Park Avenue.
SW Park Avenue, 1964
Vintage Portland
SW Park Avenue near SW Alder Street, 1964. Byron Hoyt’s Sheet Music Service was located at 531 SW Park Avenue.
Vintage Portland 
Well, ’59 and ’60 Chevrolets in the same photo
In their basement shop, Byron Hoyt’s had a huge stock of sheet music for all instruments. It’s where I got my beginner’s music when I started violin and (later) clarinet lessons. Around 1961 when the Cleveland Orchestra came to town, Mr. Hoyt donated tickets so we student musicians in the Portland Youth Philharmonic could go and hear them.
The ground floor of the Cornelius Hotel.
Wonder what the business next door was. Looks like some kind of luggage business?
captoble
The luggage in this photo is likely from Mulburgs Luggage at 617 SW Park which was seen in the January 4, 2023 VP photo.
My guess is BelAir right, Impala left.
Bill, you know them better than I do. But my dad sold them in Eugene (Lew Williams Chevrolet) early in his career. I inherited a set of 1960 tail fin/rear lights cuff links from him. Salesman swag.
I worked there! From 1958 to 1961.
My mom, who was a music teacher, went to Byron Hoyt’s all the time to buy sheet music. This photo sure brings back the memories. Another store that sold lots of sheet music was J.K. Gill. Looks like the rear end of an Impala on the right in front of Byron Hoyt’s. Beautiful car!
“Sheet Music Service has had only five owners in 93 years. Maud McCawley began the business in 1917, and it has moved and acquired new names over the years — Burke-Hoyt, Byron Hoyt, Barker-Lins, and, since 1986, Sheet Music Service. For many years, the store faced the North Park Blocks and drew downtown customers on their lunch breaks. But when the city decided to develop the block, it didn’t renew the store’s lease, so Sagun moved across the river.” David Stabler, Special for Orgonian Live, May 18, 2010. Link to story:
https://www.oregonlive.com/performance/2010/05/portlands_sheet_music_service.html
Luggage that is seen in the luggage stores window:
(Samsonite?) Round Train Case Suitcase Hat Boxes, Assorted Travel Bags, Hard luggage (including makeup bag), Dorm Trunks, Footlockers.
Chevrolet (GM) wins today’s car contest (Left: 1959 Impala;, Right: 1960 Bel-Air).
The building is still there! It’s the Woodlark building very much changed. The iron crosses on the trim give it away.
Oregonian August 3, 1952 Excerpts
Byron Hoyt announced Saturday the opening of Byron Hoyt’s Sheet Music service in new sales rooms at 531 W Park ave. The new concern is a result of Hoyt’s purchase of Sheet Music Service Inc. operated for 25 years at 618 SW Park ave. by Miss Maude McCawley, and his retirement Burke-Hoyt Music company, whose band and orchestra music stock he bought.
The new quarters offer 3,000 square feet of floor space with open shelf displays of music. Hoyt a graduate of Grant High School, was one of the original members of the Portland Junior Symphony orchestra. Except for Air Force service in World War II and schooling at the University of Oregon music school, he has been in the music business since 1930.
At one time Byron Hoyt’s had a stores in San Francisco CA. & Eugene OR.
In June of 1968 Byron Hoyt sold the business which at that time was located at 34 NW 8th to a group of employees.
Byron Hoyt died in August 1981 at 69 years old.
captoble
I need to revise my earlier comment. the address for Byron Hoyt’s & Mulburgs luggage are are separated by SW Alder street.
Yeah,
Those crosses are a neat feature. Worth something nowdays too.
right around the corner from me; wasn’t this shop famous at one time or am I thinking of another sheet music store?
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captoble
In the era of this photo Portland Luggage Company had stores at SW 10th & Washington and SW Park & Alder, but they never give a street address in their ads. Susan correctly identifies this as the Woodlark building, and I did find an address for Portland Luggage Co. at 801 SW Alder which is the corner of the Woodlark building at SW Park & Alder.
1959 on the left and 1960 on the right.