FLINT, MI – Christmastime can be a magical season for young children. A former retail store in downtown Flint helped spread the cheer each year when it transformed into a winter wonderland for kids in December.

Smith-Bridgman’s was an eight-story department store on Saginaw Street between Kearsley and First streets. Kids could meet Santa Claus and pick out that season’s must-have gift.

The front of the building featured giant decorations that spanned five floors and featured reindeer, bells, trees and garland. It had “Merry Christmas” scrawled across the top and welcomed shoppers to “Smith Bridgman’s Christmas City.”

Smith-Bridgman’s was in business from 1862 until 1980. The building was demolished in 1984.

Scroll through the photos above to check out Smith-Bridgman’s through the years in this week’s installment of The Flint Journal’s #ThrowbackThursday series.

Is there a subject you think should be featured in #FlintTBT?

The idea is to tell the story of historic landmarks, events and individuals from the Flint area and feature photos from our archives. We will use the hashtag #FlintTBT when sharing the stories and photos on social media.

Send us your suggestions or your own photos in an email or post them in the comments section at the bottom of this story.

Stories will appear on Thursdays.

We’d love to share your photos. Email the photo, the names of the people in the photo and the year it was taken here. We’ll use the reader submitted photos in a photo gallery in the future. You can also text them to 810-241-8803.

Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.