Look for a grand, cream-colored building with intricate art-deco designs rising above the sidewalk-just across the street, you’ll see the golden “KRESS” name gleaming at the very top.
Alright, let’s dive into the story-picture Daytona Beach in 1932, when this building opened as a S. H. Kress & Co. “five and dime”-the kind of place where you could buy a comb, a comic book, and maybe even a rubber chicken, all for under a dollar. Shopkeepers would sweep the marble floors as sunlight danced through these tall windows, and people strolled in for deals and a bit of cool air on a hot Florida day. Fast forward ninety-one years, and now it’s home to over 40 bustling businesses-everything from art galleries painting a splash of color, to lawyers and insurance agents keeping things sharp. The Smith family has kept the spirit of Main Street alive here for over four decades, preserving both its style and its community heartbeat. In fact, in 1983, this spot was officially crowned a national treasure on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Who knew that a simple “five and dime” would become the busy, business-loving soul of Daytona’s downtown?
