History:

Snowdrift began its life in 1914 as the Babbitt Brothers Mercantile Store. The store had four sections: a grocery section with a large selection of canned goods; a central clothing section; a section that sold caste iron stoves, wash tubs and other conveniences; and an Indian goods department located in the upper mezzanine.

Though Babbitt Brothers operated the store for decades, by the 1970s it had been sold and was known as the P&H Store. Just next door to the east was Troutner's Men's Clothing Store, with the famous Route 66 icon of a curvy cowgirl and the slogan "For Men Only" that graced billboards all along the mother road. Sadly, Troutner's fell victim to fire and was demolished in the 1990s.

Dan Lutzick, an artist and partner in the La Posada Hotel restoration project, purchased the building in 2002. Dan first looked at the building in 2000 when the price was $2, which reflected both the condition of the building and of downtown Winslow in general. The building had been unoccupied for close to a decade, the rear wall had collapsed, and the pigeons pretty much owned the place. But Winslow was changing, and with La Posada as an anchor, downtown revitalization was beginning to happen.