Mitchell Baker Smith department store, 1965

The Mitchell Baker Smith Co., 230 West Main Street in downtown Lexington, October 1965. At the time of this picture, the department store, which billed itself as “Lexington’s leading department store,” was celebrating its 100th anniversary with a ribbon cutting and employees dressed in old clothing styles. Less than five years later, the store closed. The building was torn down, and the site is now a parking garage for the Lexington Financial Center, locally known as Fifth Third or the “Big Blue Building.” Herald-Leader Archive Photo