The co-owner with Alan Peterson of Krackerjacks, a
psychedelic clothing store in Boston, Donald "Jack" Levy grew the boutique he
started in 1966 into a staple of the counterculture in the Boston area and
eventually a franchise. Levy was at the center of a controversy in Cambridge when
the city tried to ban "obscene" buttons. Though several stores removed the buttons,
Levy refused and with community support, fought the city's ban. Levy also opened
several clothing stores in the Boston-area: Garbo, a women’s clothing store; Dazzle
in 1971, a vintage clothing store; Goods in 1976, a natural fiber and novelty store;
and purchased and refurbished the Blue Diner in 1986 (now the South Street Diner).
He currently owns diners in Newton, Framingham, and Watertown Mass.
The Donald
Levy Papers contain ephemera, photographs, and clippings primarily documenting
Krackerjacks as well as Levy's other clothing stores and the opening of Blue Diner.
Of particular interest is a petition circulated by Levy during the city's attempt to
ban "obscene" buttons. Included among the signatures is a 15-year-old Jonathan
Richman, who called the button ban, "an example of lingering
Victorianism."
Clothes and fashion played a central role in the 1960s countercultural revolution in
the United States and at the center of the counterculture’s fashion in the
Boston-area was Krackerjacks. Krackerjacks was founded in Cambridge, Mass. by Donald
"Jack" Levy and Alan Peterson in 1966 and was a boutique synonymous with "mod" and
"hippie" fashion and accessories. In 1967, when Krackerjacks was attacked, among
other shops, for having "obscene" buttons by Cambridge City Council member Thomas
H.D. Mahoney, it became a symbol of the countercultural movement itself. Levy fought
back against the ban, refusing to take the buttons off his shelves despite pressures
from local police. Krackerjacks survived and expanded into a successful franchise.
In addition to Karckerjacks, Levy opened several other boutiques in the Boston-area:
Garbo, a women's clothing store; Dazzle in 1971, a vintage clothing store; and Goods
in 1976, a natural fiber and novelty store. In 1986, Levy expanded into the
restaurant business, purchasing and refurbishing the Blue Diner (now the South
Street Diner and no longer owned by Levy). He currently owns the Deluxe Station
Diner, the Deluxe Depot Diner, and the Deluxe Town Diner in Newton, Framingham, and
Watertown, Mass. respectively.
Scope of collection
The Donald
Levy Papers contain ephemera, photographs, and clippings primarily documenting
Krackerjacks as well as Levy's other clothing stores and the opening of Blue Diner.
Of particular interest is a petition circulated by Levy during the city's attempt to
ban "obscene" buttons. Included among the signatures is a 15-year-old Jonathan
Richman, who called the button ban, "an example of lingering
Victorianism."
