Lehi Business
Through the years Bridal Center lot hosted Scandinavians, bakery, drug store, barbershop
Lehi Historical Society
Editor’s Note: The following article was taken from A Guide to Lehi City’s Historical Sites and Places published by the Lehi Historical Preservation Commission in 1997.
The entire southwest corner of Main and Center long ago was the property of Andrew A. and Mary Ann Pherson Peterson. The couple arrived in Lehi from Sweden in the fall of 1862 and shortly afterward settled on their Main Street property. They originally lived in an old five-room adobe house, which was on the site. But in 1889, they built a new home, which is today the pink home at 45 W. Main next to the Bridal Shop.
The home was the gathering spot of local Scandinavian members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Peterson served as president of the Scandinavian Saints of Lehi for more than 30 years. He was a six-term city councilman, 12-year member of the local school board and served several years as general watermaster, four years as a Lehi policeman and was a director of the People’s Co-op.
In 1943, long after Peterson was dead, the Alex Jameson family moved to Lehi and purchased the old Main Street home. At this time Jameson established a bakery in town at two different locations.
In early 1946, Jameson commissioned local contractor Alma Peterson to build a new bakery building east of his home. The 20 ft. x 60 ft. block building with brick front boasted a large oven, storage area and glassed display room. The Grand Opening of the new Lehi Bakery was held on July 2, 1946.
The Jamesons moved to Monticello in mid-1950, and Julian Drug opened in the former bakery on Sept. 6, 1950. The Julian family also rented the vacated Jameson home next door.
Local boy, Paul Julian, joined the Navy during World War Il and spent most of his service as a pharmacist’s mate in Rhode Island.
When he returned home, he used his G.I. Bill to obtain his degree at the Idaho State School of Pharmacy at Pocatello. He worked briefly at a pharmacy in Sprague, Wash., before returning to Lehi. In early February 1954, Julian announced he had purchased the Merrihew/Dalley Building (98 W. Main), where the State Bank of Lehi had been located from 1919 to 1953. After Julian’s Drug moved, the building at 35 W. Main remained vacant for a time.
In October of 1958, Glen and Connie Nielsen bought both the former bakery/drug store building and the old Peterson/Jameson home. After extensive remodeling, Glen, who for the previous three years had been barbering at the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City and the Regal Barber Shop, opened Glen’s Barber Shop at 35 W. Main on Feb. 14, 1959.
Barber Boyd Wilkin worked in Glen’s Shop for a time. But when Glen became involved in a wig business in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1969, his barbershop was leased by Garry Sampson, who had been barbering in Midvale for several years. While Sampson barbered in the front of the shop, the back half was occupied by Connie Nielsen’s Genie Scarf distributorship.
Eventually, Sampson sought employment elsewhere, after which Connie opened her own seamstress shop in the building on Nov. 28, 1970. This N’ That, as the businesswoman named her place, occupied the entire building. In addition to custom sewing, the specialty shop carried wedding items.
Connie’s business later evolved into the Bridal Center, which specializes in the sale of wedding dresses.
To learn more on 35 and 45 W. Main, go to lehihistory.com, click the Online Library button, then, in the search field, type a keyword, like Andrew Peterson, Jameson, Julian’s Drug or Bridal Center and click enter. These searches will give additional information as found at the Lehi Historical Society at 99 W. Main STE 100. The online library is made possible by a Lehi City PARC grant and support from HADCO Construction.
