Something About Big Mac

Hopefully they don't let you down when you need 'em.

When Lewis first sees his uncle, Jonathan is wearing "Big Mac khaki trousers" that "bulged out in front by his pot belly" (The House with a Clock in it Walls, 5).

One may not realize it initially, but Jonathan is wearing JC Penny brand pants.

Missouri native James Cash Penney opened his first store in 1902, and twenty years later, the company launched its oldest active private brand, Big Mac work clothes.  After the stock market crash of 1929, Penney admitted himself to the Battle Creek Sanitarium for treatment - so there's your JCPenney/Kelloggs crossover.

Most JCPenney stores were initially located in downtown areas, including the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and McCamly Street over in Battle Creek.  Did Marshall have a Penneys, too, or would a young Bellairs have traveled westward for all his clothing – Big Mac or otherwise – needs?

References

• The Genealogy of Big Mac by JC Penney