Lina Derritt opened the Hub-Bub Record Shop with her husband Robert in 1945 at 1208 East 105th Street. The store moved to 1160 East 105th in 1947, then to 1282 East 105th in 1954, and finally to 12431 Superior by 1959. Derritt, who migrated from Nashville to Cleveland with her mother in 1917, was reportedly the first independent Black female real estate broker in Cleveland, opening her Derritt Realty Co. office inside the record store in 1947. She was instrumental in opening up the Wade Park allotment to African American homebuyers in the early 1950s. Derritt (or perhaps an employee) told Billboard magazine in 1950, “We have no new selling tricks. A ready smile, a willingness to please and suggestions are the best tricks.” Nonetheless, the shop became known as a place where someone famous might show up at any time. Indeed, the Derritts hosted many famous recording artists and celebrities such as champion boxer Sugar Ray Robinson at the record store and in their Westchester Avenue home.
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- “Nat’l Club Woman: Lina Derritt, Realtist, Dies.” Call & Post. February 18, 1967.
- “No ‘Weaker Sex’ in Business World: Lina Derritt’s New Location is Milestone in Successful Career.” Call & Post. February 20, 1954.
- “Realtist Sues for Divorce; Mate in Jail.” Call & Post. August 15, 1953.
- “Sugar Ray Robinson at Hub-Bub Record Shop.” Call & Post. June 21, 1947.
- “Trade Talk.” Billboard. November 11, 1950.