What happens
Charles Snell, a broke poet, hides in the rug department of Bracy's department store to live free and write in peace. He soon discovers that the store is inhabited by a community of pale, aging figures who live off the building and follow strict rules. Snell befriends Ella, a young woman who has lived in the store since childhood, and the two grow close. The inhabitants, led by the imperious Mrs. Vanderpant, watch him closely, and the tension in the store steadily increases. This is the Escape series, and the story aired on August 25, 1949, starring Ben Wright.
Bracy's department store at night, where a hidden community lives among the merchandise
Characters: Charles Snell, Sadie, Sam, Mrs. Vanderpant, Ella, Roscoe, Mrs. Bilby
Listen for: The eerie transition from Snell's arrival in the store to the rules and threats of its hidden inhabitants
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.