WORCESTER, Mass. - The Denholm Building in downtown Worcester is set to be completely redeveloped, but before the city says goodbye, a new exhibit at the Worcester Historical Museum is paying tribute to the department store which once was the heartbeat of the neighborhood.

Historian Christopher Sawyer's fascination with Denholms started at a very young age, when he would make visits to the downtown Worcester store with his grandmother.

"We don't have stores like this anymore," Sawyer said. "What we do have for department stores don't even compare to what shopping was like. It's all happy memories."

The iconic retailer would close for good when Sawyer was only 5 years old. At the age of 13, Sawyer began collecting as much as he could from Denholms.

"When I went in when the building was being converted, I got to see the last glimpse of it," he said. "I was just hooked, and it led to me going into retail for my entire career."

The first item he took was a directory of the store.

"It just makes me happy to look at," Sawyer said.

Denholms has been closed for a half-century now. Sawyer, along with the help of others, has put his collection together for a one-of-a-kind exhibit: "Denholms, the Name was Magic."

Partnering with the Worcester Historical Museum, there are hundreds of pieces on display from clothing, to perfume, and of course, panels from Worcester's famed first escalators.

"It's just, a lot of people's first ride on an escalator was at Denholms," Sawyer said. "Some people said it felt like they were going to the moon as a little kid."

Even things as small as a sugar packet has a story behind it.

"A gentleman had spent the day shopping with his mother, and they ended up having lunch in the restaurant," Sawyer said. "He said it was such a memorable experience, that he kept that sugar packet to remind him of such a lovely day."

Sawyer said roughly 90% of the collection on display is his, with the remaining 10% coming from other enthusiasts. There are some small pieces of history hidden throughout the exhibit, which is set up to look like a store.

"These gloves are on loan - these are from Lillian Asplund, who was the last surviving woman of the Titanic," Sawyer said. "These were her Sunday church gloves, which we have with the original Denholms box that she got them in."

Among the store's biggest seasons was Christmas. So fittingly, they recreated the "Photos with Santa" area for the exhibit, although the original chair has since disappeared.

Sawyer, who once sat on Santa's lap in that chair, said it's a vital piece of the store's legacy.

"You know, generations of kids and families had their photos taken on this chair," he said. "This chair was in existence from the 1940s until 1973. So, we felt it was important to get this piece back."

The exhibit will be set up through March of next year. Sawyer encourages people, whether they love history, retail or are just looking for something to do, to pay a visit.

"It brings back a lot of positive, happy memories of what a bustling downtown was like during the 50s and 60s, and when the store was fully decorated for Christmas," Sawyer said. "Just very, very happy memories for everybody."