Hecht's weathervane

The "Mayflower" weathervane atop Hecht's store, 107 N. Main St., was seen in September 1978.

It disappeared in 2003 after a storm.

In a Sept. 27, 1992 Southeast Missourian story, it was noted the Mayflower weathervane was the icon of the flagship store. The Hecht firm included four other stores in downtown Cape Girardeau: Hecht's Main Street Store, 35 N. Main, in its 27th year; Hecht's Too, 46 N. Main; Hecht's Woman, 113 N. Main; and Hecht's Shoes, 109 N. Main. In addition, there were Hecht's stores in malls at Carbondale, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky.

Jan. 19, 2004 Southeast Missourian:

Missing Mayflower: Poised above Hecht's in downtown Cape Girardeau since the day the clothing store opened, a weather vane in the shape of the historic Mayflower twisted and turned for 76 years, as careless as the winds that charted her course.

Then, in November, those winds apparently knocked her from her perch.

Now the owners of the closing downtown clothing store want it back.

Dan Elkins, the manager of the Hecht's clothing store at 107 N. Main, said he noticed that the solid-brass weather vane was gone one morning when he came in after a particularly rough wind storm.

"I don't know what happened," he said Friday. "It wasn't necessarily stolen, but it disappeared. I don't know if somebody picked it up, or where it went, but we'd like it back."

Hecht's had already made the announcement that owners Marty and Tootie Hecht were ready to retire and the store will close soon.

Elkins said they don't want to take the weather vane for sentimental reasons, but believe that it should be put back where it had been for so long.

"We're disappointed," Elkins said. "Marty's disappointed. It's part of the building his father had built. It needs to be up there. That shouldn't change."

Previous blog with history of Hecht's store:

Hecht's Store 1927

Hecht's building and weathervane is next door to Minnen's.