Public Service Company of Illinois sold appliances from 1926-1958 at 7418 Madison St., now part of Louie’s Grill. Their ad in a January 1926 Forest Park Review encouraged folks to make their home electric “Little by Little.” This payment plan enabled customers to take the sewing machine, cleaners, irons, toasters and grills home and pay by installments. This “buy now, pay later” approach was popular in the 1920s and American consumer debt doubled between 1920 and 1930 as the American middle class grew and enjoyed the conveniences of electricity.
Jill Wagner