The History of Department Stores
Under the clock: Let's talk
Almost every city had one department store with a big corner clock where people met, perhaps to talk over the events of the day. Do you have opinions about department stores, shopping, about the "olden days" -- or about stores now? How has your city changed since the days when there were one, two, maybe three department stores downtown? Did you used to "meet under the clock?" Gone? Name changed? If your missing store isn't in the list to the right, let me know and I'll add it. Also, I (JW) and expert Michael Lisicky (ML) will try to answer your questions ABOUT DEPARTMENT STORES. Click and type in a question or comment I'm trying to confirm a memory about FILENES main Store in Boston. I remember songbirds in cages in the cosmetic section around Easter when spring was just beginning. There were about 6 cosmetics counters and the caged birds would be in the center of each and the would sing wildly all day. Kevin Carroll Charlestown, MA -- Kevin, I hope Boston readers might contribute more specific memories, but I can tell you that caged songbirds were plentiful as part of Easter promotions in department stores around the mid-20th century. So I can fully believe that you are remembering this correctly. -- JW ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What was the name of the department store in St. Petersburg, FL, that had a tank with girls dressed as mermaids who would talk to you? -- You are thinking of the large drug store aimed at the tourist trade called Webb's City, which was filled with attractions created by "Doc" Webb. One was a replica of a sunken pirate ship. Visitors peered through portholes at young women in mermaid costumes. St. Petersburg was also the home of Weeki Wachee, another tourist attraction which featured mermaid shows. -- JW ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My grandmother was an employee for Dayton's in Minneapolis. I am going through her old jewelry and I found what appears to be an employee appreciation gift. It's a gold colored necklace with 3 blue stones, and the Dayton's emblem on it. Is there someone to contact to find the worth, if any, or maybe your knowledge of a collector? -- I would not think it would be highly valuable, but it might be more helpful for you to contact Mary Firestone who authored the Arcadia Press book on Dayton's (2007) as she should know more about local interest. -- JW ----------------------------------------------------- I saw a comment on the Bush & Bull Corp. from a descendant of Merari Sherrer. Didn't know about a Watertown store, but Bush & Bull indeed was founded in Easton. Also didn't know Sherrer was from Easton originally; he was not listed as an officer in the Easton directory but was prominently involved in the Williamsport store. In the Depression all the stores were closed except for Bethlehem, which was kept open under the direction of F. Royce Bush. That store eventually came under the management of Orr's, which was a competing Easton store that also had a branch in Phillipsburg. Orr's lasted into the 1990s. (The third store in Easton, William Laubach & Sons, was sold to Allied and became a Pomeroy's.) -- Thanks for this addition. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I'm in ownership of a vintage gift towel ensemble never opened and in mint condition along with a business card from the store. Its Art Lin, fifth avenue new york. I have been looking everywhere and cant find anything on it. Do you know when they were in business and the history of the store? --I have never heard of a store of that name. ------------------------------------------------------- We love to hear from people who have questions, memories, or comments about department stores. Over the past 150 years or so there were probably about 5,000 department stores in the U.S. We try our best to answer questions about stores of this type, but really cannot tackle the hundred of thousands (millions?) of small stores of other kinds that once existed. Thanks for understanding. ------------------------------------------------------- Looking for drugstore in NYC that was owned by my grandparents, Joe Kirsch in the 30's and 40's and by Lillian Kirsch in the 50' and 60's. -- Have you tried looking in old city directories? -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I am looking for info on a shoe store in Elizabeth , NJ. I believe it was owned by the Most brothers, Charles and Louis, but they may just have worked there. Anyone know if hey were employees at Levy's or if there was another mom and pop shoe store in Elizabeth? -- Usually the family is the best source of information about mom & pop businesses. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Hi, I am holding a hanger from a Higgins, Frank & Hill Chicago's Finest Store for men. Date on a hanger shows as 1910. Do you know anything about this store history? It is no more in business and no references could be found for it. If you don't mind letting me know about it here is my e-mail: garmashe@yahoo.com. Thanks, Eugene --Higgins, Frank & Hill was a business that resulted from the 1959 merger of two men's stores in 1959: Higgins & Frank, which did business at 310 S. Michigan Blvd.; and Hill Clothes. According to a 1959 advertisement they claimed to be "Chicago's two finest stores for men, now merged as one company." -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Looking for a store in Detroit, probably dry goods, known as Millers, operating late 19th, early 20th centuries. --The closest I can come is with L. Miller's Dry Goods in Houghton, Michigan, which burned in 1903. I can't find a store by this name in Detroit, but that doesn't mean it didn't exist since there were so many, many small dry goods stores across the US at that time. Unlike major department stores, they did little advertising and left almost no trace. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Looking for information on Mr Strauss and store he owned by his name in Eugene, Oregon in 1950s and 1960s. --There was a furniture store operated by Max Strauss around this time, in Junction City which is near Eugene. It was located at 264 W. 6th. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- What famous fabric stores were in downtown San Francisco in the 50's and 60's with fabrics stacked clear to the ceiling? -- That's outside my area of research, but if you could find old SF directories they might be helpful. ------------------------------------------------------- Hello, In reference to a restaurant near Bloomingdale's in New York: We used to have lunch at a nice cafe near there named Yellowfinger's in the early 70's. Cheers, DonB -- Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------- For anyone searching for department store recipes, I recommend a new book by Angela Webster McRae called Dainty Dining: Vintage Recipes, Memories and Memorabilia from America’s Department Store Tea Rooms. In it are recipes, tested personally by Angela, from 20 of the country’s historic department stores, all gone except for two, Macy’s and Younkers (although the Des Moines flagship closed in 2005). Among others, readers will find favorites such as Cream of Cauliflower and Cheese Soup from Lazarus (Columbus OH), “Mr. Bingles” desserts from Maison Blanche (New Orleans), Mrs. Herring’s Chicken Pot Pie from Marshall Field in Chicago, and Rich’s Magnolia Room Frozen Fruit Salad (Atlanta). In addition to providing brief histories and vintage images of each department store, Angela has photographed her culinary productions quite attractively. Dainty Dining is not yet available on Amazon but it can be purchased from Scott’s Bookstore in Newnan, Georgia (770-253-2960) or via Angela’s blog Tea with Friends. ------------------------------------------------------- Interesting reading: an essay, "The Forgetting Machine," by Jerry Herron about Detroit in its days of former glory -- which includes the landmark Hudson's department store. The essay is occasioned by a couple of recent "ruin porn" photography projects (exhibited and published in books) which make him reflect on the meaning and purposes of nostalgia. I am quoted in the piece but there are far better reasons to read it than that. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Another source for John Wanamaker archives is the Philadelphia History Museum. Until recently this institution was known as the Atwater-Kent Museum. http://www.philadelphiahistory.org/ ------------------------------------------------------- I'm researching guitars from the 1909-1910 John Wanamaker catalog. Already checked the PA Hist Soc with no luck. any leads? Tom email: info at vintagebluesguitars dot com ------------------------------------------------------- Filene's seems like another good candidate for a writer about department stores, even though it referred to itself as "The World's Largest Specialty Store" for many years.....principally a marketing tool, but supported by the absence of furniture and other hard goods. The research is tricky, but for years I believed that The Filene store in Wellesley MA was one of, if not the first, branch of a major dept. store in the country. It opened as a temporary fall shop catering primarily to Wellesley College students and became a year-round store about 1924-5. I managed the store in 1961 and had a picture of that first store over my desk - provided by the landlord (the original and then still the same.)The Filene brothers - Lincoln and Edward - as you know - were innovators and trailblazers in many areas. I worked for Filene's for 24 years, interspersed by 4 years at Gimbel's Philly, and for more years with Federated. It was a fascinating period. If you understand a bit about the business you know why there so many Macy's today, so few of the old favorites, and why they have decided it's necessary to stay open all night at times. (I argued against Sunday openings in Massachusetts in the early 80's - to no avail. Jordan Marsh carried the vote.)-- Very interesting -- thank you. There was also a small branch in Northampton, for Smith College students. -- JW Yes, you can reasonably argue that the Filene's in Wellesley was the country's first "suburban" branch store. But as you stated, Filene's was the world's largest 'specialty store', not department store. The store's carried large amounts of ready-to-wear merchandise, cosmetics, gifts, beddings, luggage and linens. Not until its 1988 purchase by the May Company did a number of its stores become complete department stores. (The downtown Boston flagship always maintained its specialty store status.) Wellesley was not Filene's first satellite store when it opened for business in 1924. Filene's first reached out to Providence, RI where it opened a store in September 1922 above the city's Woolworth's store. Its slogan was "A corner of Filene's brought to Providence". Next came outposts in York Harbor, ME and Hyannis, MA. "The store that Wellesley girls prefer" was followed by other college branches in Northampton and South Hadley, MA. The Wellesley expanded its store many times over the years but it always remained a small location. When May Company acquired Filene's in May 1988, they were forced to reevaluate their acquisition. The Wellesley store did not fit May's prototype and was rendered obsolete. It closed its doors on January 1993. You can read and see more about Filene's Upstairs store in my upcoming book, "Filene's: Boston's Great Specialty Store". It is part of the Images of America series which is published by Arcadia Publishing. The book contains over 200 rare photographs which mostly document the Upstairs store. The Filene brothers were innovative merchants and their store's practices were revolutionary. The Filene's book will be released in late May, just in time for the downtown building's 100th anniversary (or what is left of the downtown building). The book contains a great foreword by Lincoln Filene Ladd. (pronounced fill-LEEN) He is the 85 year old grandson of founder Lincoln Filene. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- When did the downtown Dayton, Ohio, Sears store open? -- The Sears in downtown Dayton opened for business in 1947. On October 2, 1993, it ceased operations as a full service department store. Sears converted the building into a Sears Outlet store that lasted until June 1995. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Can anyone provide information about the Paris Co.? I know their main store was in downtown Salt Lake City, but did they have branches? Were they owned by The Bon Marche or C.C. Anderson Co.? Are they related to The Paris in Great Falls? Thanks! BLD -- The Paris Co. was one of Salt Lake City's big 3 department stores during downtown's heyday. Its competition included Auerbach Co. and market leader and "Mormon Church-invested" Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI). Paris Co. was founded in 1876 and expanded to include branches at Valley Fair Mall and Cottonwood Mall. In the late 1970s, downtown Salt Lake began to reinvent itself. ZCMI built a brand new store behind its historic facade and plans moved forward for a new downtown shopping center, the Crossroads Mall. This proved to be too much of a challenge for Auerbach's, who cited construction inconvenience as the reason for its January 1979 closure. The Paris Co. in Salt Lake called it quits about a year later. The Paris Co. seemed to have had no connection with the Paris store in Great Falls. Founded in 1894, Paris Co. in Great Falls was acquired by Boise's C.C. Anderson in 1937. C.C. Anderson Co. consisted of 21 "Golden Rule" stores throughout Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Oregon. 1937 also saw the year that C.C. Anderson was acquired by Allied Stores. C.C. Anderson assumed the Bon Marche name in the 1960s and the Great Falls store was closed in 1999. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Hello there, I am a german student and I have to do a research paper on Chopin´s "A Pair Of Silk Stockings". Please tell me about the department stores in the bigger cities of the US - the story was written or published in 1897 and it is about a woman who tries to escape her sad boring life trough/via(?)a shopping spree. Thank you! Susanne from Berlin -- This is a huge question that is quite impossible to answer in a few sentences. It would take a book! Beyond my own Service and Style, I recommend the following classics which deal with American department stores generally rather than focusing on an individual one (of which there are many good examples, including the three by Michael Lisicky). They are William Leach's Land of Desire, Elaine Abelson's When Ladies Go-a-thieving (focused on shoplifting), and Susan Porter Benson's Counter Cultures (focused on sales clerks). You should be able to get these books through interlibrary loan at your school. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- To answer the question about John Wanamaker artifacts. When Wanamakers was sold to Al Taubman, and the center city building sold to a 3rd party, the John Wanamaker Memorial Museum (located in JW's actual office on the 8th floor), and the Wanamaker archives were donated to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, where they reside today. I would contact them (www.hsp.org) about any donations. Today, the Christmas Light Show may have a new narrator, but, Macy's needs to be commended for not only maintaining the show, but rebuilding the show to fit modern safety standards, not to mention creating a new magic Christmas tree. Hopefully the folks attending the Christmas Light Show, Dickens Village, or Wanamaker Organ concerts are also shopping at the store as a way of saying thanks to Macy's for continuing these traditions. Merry Christmas All! ------------------------------------------------------- I have some real old 8x10 pictures of the inside and outside of the Forbes & Wallace Dept. store in Springfield Ma. dating from about the 1920s till about the middle 1950s ..They are for sale to anyone interested...richth12@verizon.net ------------------------------------------------------- Yes. The original Gimbels building in Vincennes, IN burned to the ground on Saturday, December, 17, 2011. Check out the local news link http://vincennesvoice.com/ It is quite a historical tragedy for my hometown. ------------------------------------------------------- Michael reports that it's likely that the building which housed the original Gimbels store has gone up in flames in Vincennes IN. See story. ------------------------------------------------------- See the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal story about the downtown Boston Store which is on the brink. Shoppers needed! ------------------------------------------------------- "Meet Me At The Eagle" was such a joy to read! Two years ago I went in town to see the Wanamaker's Christmas Show, and was crushed to hear that the narration of John Facenda had been replaced with someone else!!! It just wasn't the same. I have two Wanamaker's Christmas sale catalogs -- one from 1978 and another undated. I'd hate to see them just disappear after I'm gone, so is there someplace I could donate them? Donna ------------------------------------------------------- About Abearham... Thank you for that information. I got this duo from a friend who found it in her closet. When I saw them it reminded me of my childhood (I was born in 1977) so I begged her for the mitten and hat clad pair. I did search on line but couldn't find anything, not even on ebay. I wonder if there are any department store museums I could send them to. Again, thank you so much. I remember going to A&S with my grandma and I wish department stores still left you with that warm fuzzy feeling like they did then. Happy Holidays....Joan-Marie ------------------------------------------------------- To answer the question about Abearham and Straus the Mouse, it is important to note that in the mid-1980's the department stores of America went bear crazy at Christmas time. A & S was credited with launching this in 1983 with Abearham and Straus The Mouse. Other notable furry bears included, Felix (Filene's), Kringle (Woodies), Santa Bear (Hudson's and Dayton's) and Rudi (John Wanamaker). Rudi Bear gets a special note here as it became the Christmas Theme at Wanamaker stores in 1986 and 1987, and even the Christmas Light Show was reworked to add Rudi (and the bear remains in the show to this day). As for the value of these cuddly creatures, to me they are priceless, but check e-bay to see what they are fetching. -- Ken ------------------------------------------------------- Hello, I have a "Abearham and Straus the mouse and the secret of the magic christmas mittens!" from 1987 from A&S store with the original A&S price tag and attached storybook in an A&S plastic bag. Bear/mouse/mittens/hats all appear to be in mint condition.(SKU# 764 01693 7)Is there a market for such a thing and is there any information on this item you can share with me? I don't want to toss it if it has and value or importance. Thank you for your help. ------------------------------------------------------- Hi, Although I can't recall which Gimbels, my grandfather was their "butler" in Philadelphia. My grandfather would be close to 100 years old. I grew up hearing stories about the Gimbel family and my mom actually has a picture of my family at their pool in about 1969-1970. My grandfather always had very positive things to say about them. WE shopped at Gimbels until they closed down. ------------------------------------------------------- Why would this concept in retail not work today? Anyone care to comment? Just to expand a bit, on Stix, Baer and Fuller. The store also known by its tag line, The Grand Leader, lagged behind Famous-Barr and focused too heavily on its downtown store right through the mid-1970's when volume at its flagship started to decline sharply. ADG did invest heavily in Stix and financed a number of newer, larger, suburban stores. It was hoped that the St. Louis Centre Mall would rescue downtown St. Louis, and it did briefly, but by the time the now-closed mall opened, Stix was sold to Dillard's. Dillard's did run the downtown store for a few years (albeit a much smaller store), but it then downgraded it to a clearance store, and finally closed it for good in 2001. -- As a former St. Louisan I have some insight into Stix's plight, which was as much about the character of St. Louis as about management of the store. Premium development in the STL metro area is westward from the Mississippi River on which downtown borders. It is endlessly westward bound so that most of Stix's former customers live quite far away from downtown both in miles and travel time. Places of employment have also moved westward so even the daytime shoppers are not there. Areas bordering downtown are not well to do. Once upon a time many people from Illinois crossed the bridge every day to work and shop in St. Louis but their numbers have diminished with business relocation and the opening of St. Louis department store branches in malls in Illinois. I would say that St. Louis Centre was a risky venture from the start. And we cannot leave out St. Louis's historic pattern of racial segregation, which pretty much is the final blow keeping prosperous white shoppers from downtown. Downtown St. Louis simply lacked a critical mass. If the concept you are referring to is that of a downtown mall, I believe that reviving many of our nation's downtowns is beyond the power of shopping malls. There need to be multiple magnets drawing people to city centers for retail to work. -- JW This question or comment warrants its own website and discussion. I can simplify the answer by addressing issues surrounding labor, competition, inefficient buildings, and changes in society. These general issues show why the department store, as we knew it, can not or will not return. They are by n means, they are just a few of them. 1) People often speak of all of the special services that department stores offered, from calling customers at their home to let them know that their favorite merchandise has arrived to special services like Tea Rooms with Breakfast with Santa, and sympathy cards sent to credit holders acknowledging a loss of a family member. It takes employees to pull this off. Labor forces were extensive. Thousands worked in these flagship stores. When it comes to bottom line sales and profit figures, this employment structure could never happen today. Today it's about performing for your shareholders, not your customers. 2) When dept stores peaked in the 1950s, competition was minimal. It wasn't until discounters took control of the market and 1962 will be a 50th anniversary for many. Value + convenience was the death knell to many downtown stores. (Why go to shop a couple rows of televisions when you can spend all day at Best Buy?) 3) Downtown stores became way too large for the business that were generating. Cooling systems, electrical panels, etc. were in desperate need of upgrading. Again, it's about the bottom line. 4) Society. How many of us don't even leave the house to shop? I'm guilty. Shopping needs to be social and entertaining but it costs money to do that. This a general oversimplification of what happened to the dept store. But don't forget, in the end, it's about the shareholder. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Can you give me any information about Stix, Baer & Fuller in St. Louis? -- Stix, Baer & Fuller, known locally as Stix, was established in 1892 at Broadway and Washington in St. Louis by Charles Stix, Julius Baer, and Aaron Fuller. They built a new store a few block up, at Washington and 6th Street, in 1907. In 1914 the store’s sales volume was approximately equal to St. Louis’s other leading department store, Famous-Barr, and both were substantially greater than #3, Scruggs, Vandervoort & Barney. The first suburban Stix store was opened in 1955 in the popular West Roads Shopping Center in Richmond Heights, now the site of Galeria. River Roads opened in the suburb of Jennings in 1961. In 1962 the Stix stores were acquired by Associated Dry Goods Co. In 1965 Stix, though possessing more prestige, did about half the volume of business of competitor Famous-Barr, flagship of the St. Louis-based May Co. The business was acquired by Dillard’s in 1984 and the stores were all given that name. The downtown store, which had been doing poorly for quite some time, was closed in 2001. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- 'Tis the season for buying and giving books about department stores. See color pictures from Jan's The World of Department Stores. Michael's Gimbels Has It! was just listed as a holiday gift book pick by NPR! ------------------------------------------------------- Yesterday Jan was interviewed about her new book The World of Department Stores by Sean Moncrieff, in Dublin, Ireland. Any day now her interview with Stacey Vanek-Smith should air on Marketplace (public radio). ------------------------------------------------------- Do you have any advice on how to track down a dept store name based on an address? I am trying to find historical photos of a building and I know that it was a dept store at one point. I'm hoping having its name might lead to photographs. --Yes, if you can find digitized city directories or newspapers from that city -- assuming you know which city it was in. If not, you should be able to figure that out simply using Google. You might need to join a site like Ancestry for a short term to access 20th century directories. Keep in mind, though, that you might need to vary the street number a bit while searching since most large buildings had hyphenated numbers and they weren't always consistent in how they published their addresses. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- 2011 seems to be the "Year of the Department Store Book". In addition to Jan's wonderful anthology and my new Gimbels book, there are several great new books for the department store enthusiast and overall history buff. History Press has recently released some great books on Burdines, Lazarus, and Wolf & Dessauer. Arcadia's Images of America series includes brand new image books on Maison Blanche and "Remembering Marshall Field's". Rumor has it that books on L.S. Ayres and Jordan Marsh are in the works. But two of my favorite books this season are 'Jacobson's: I Miss It So!' by Bruce Kopytek and 'Denholms: The Story of Worcester's Premier Department Store' by Christopher Sawyer and Patricia A. Wolf. I always found Jacobson's to be somewhat of an enigma. I didn't know how it was able to stand the test of time as others like Bonwit Teller and I. Magnin fell out of the marketplace. Jacobson's was a quiet but classy retailer. Kopytek tells a compelling story of this unique retailer. The book is well organized, comprehensive, and impeccably researched. Whether you are interested in learning more about Jacobson's or are simply a former fan, this book is for you. I wasn't sure how interested that I'd be in Denholms. I had never been to Denholms and it just seemed like any large store in any small American city. But that's probably why I like it so much. Every one of these stores, large or small, had their story and Sawyer and Wolf did a great job telling it. Denholms was an early victim of the consolidation or demise of the department store industry and I am thankful that this book documents its worthy history. I hope that there are many more books like these on the way. I ask you to join me in making room on your book shelves for any of the books listed above. -- ML To Michael's list I would add a new book on department store recipes, a subject for which there are plenty of queries on this website. I haven't read it yet but I'm intrigued by Dainty Dining. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Howle Watson store for men ------------------------------------------------------- As a child of 50s, 60s TX, NY & SF, my memories of wonderful dept stores is deep -- love your line of research. Life would have been the poorer without Joskes (SA) and Neiman's (Dal). I have an associated quest: movies about stores. (a)A 50s movie chronicled development of Okla's oil boom and parallel growth of a women's dress shop cum dept store, from boardwalks & unpaved streets to wealth & retail grandeur. Then, it all -- downtown & store -- burns. But the indomitable heroine rebuilds, better than before!!(b)A dynastic dept store-owning family goes after each other over control of their retail empire & the related 'vision'. Running theme: the store's clock tower is above the board room and the bell strikes at pivotal moments. Does anyone remember these films? Amazingly, Google is proving no help. Maybe your legion of dept store fans will remember -- ?? -- I strongly suspect the first is Tulsa, with Susan Hayward (1959); Ruby Keeler runs a dress shop. On the second one, the board room and clock tower immediately call to mind the Coen Brothers' Hudsucker Proxy, with Tim Robbins, Paul Newman... a brilliant movie. But the Hudsucker family, alas, were manufacturers not retailers. Maybe someone out there has other suggestions? -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Have you developed a spot for Christmas memories? Pelletier's in Topeka, Kansas left an indelible impression on my young - very visually oriented - mind. I am thinking of writing a description of that grand and beautiful store. My mother would say to me, in a hushed voice as if it were very special, "we're going to Pelletier's!" For me, it was not about getting any object in that store. It was about being there, seeing and feeling the endless possibilities! Christmas there was astonishing. -- Perhaps Pelletier's unusually strong European buying connections made the store a special place in Topeka? Pelletier's dates from 1883 but it was originally founded in Sioux City, Iowa. The 7 story plus basement store anchored Topeka's downtown from the corner of 9th & Kansas Sts. (Crosby's was another Topeka landmark.) It dates from 1912. The Pelletier name did not appear in the store title until 1919. In 1979, Pelletier's left downtown and operated a branch at the Holliday Shopping Center until the late 1980s. Being Christmastime, there is no doubt that you are thinking of the times when you traveled to Pelletier's basement and visited "the only Santa in Topeka". -- ML Michael is right that Pelletier's had buying offices in New York, London and Paris as early as 1920. Thank you for sharing your memories. It is so true that children regarded department stores as marvelous institutions, not simply as places to buy the latest toys. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Anyone remember the Jordan Marsh jingle that went "We're doing our Christmas shopping at Jordan Marsh this year" ? I can't get it out of my head. ------------------------------------------------------- See this very nice review for Bruce Allen Kopytek's JACOBSON'S: I MISS IT SO, about a department store chain that began in Michigan. Bruce kindly provided an image of Jacobson's Dearborn branch, shown in the picture gallery in the right-hand column. ------------------------------------------------------- Michael I loved your Gimbels Book! Where was the Appleton Gimbels store located? What Gimbels locations did the Boston Store buy? Thanks John -- I'm so glad that you enjoyed the Gimbels. I wanted to give all 4 Gimbel cities their chance to tell their story and I feel pleased with the end process. Gimbels opened its store in downtown Appleton in 1971. The 200,000 square foot store was bounded by E. College Ave., Morrison and Washington Streets. It later helped anchor the Avenue Mall. When Gimbels-Midwest disbanded in 1986, its Appleton store was up for grabs. Marshall Field assumed control of the downtown (Grand Avenue) Northridge, Southridge, and Hilldale (Madison) Gimbels stores. One month later, Fields agreed to take control of the Appleton store. Boston Store acquired Gimbels stores in Southgate, East Towne and West Towne shopping centers. It also took possession of Gimbels' prized Mayfair location. Southgate, Gimbels first ever branch, closed in 1993 but the Northridge and Southridge Field's (Gimbels) stores were sold to Sheboygan-based H.C. Prange Co. in October 1988. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- More good press for Michael Lisicky's new Gimbels book, this time from a Milwaukee point of view. ------------------------------------------------------- Another new book on department stores to check out: Denholms: The Story of Worcester's Premier Department Store, by Christopher Sawyer and Patricia A. Wolf. ------------------------------------------------------- In the book "Wanamaker's - Meet Me at the Eagle" Michael Lisicky mentions 6 department stores in Philadelphia, but I found no mention of Sterns (Stern Brothers) at Market and 7th downtown, although they had large newspaper ads in the 1950s. What can you tell me about Sterns and why they were not included in the book? Daniel Niemeyer --Stern & Co. was founded in 1894 in Philadelphia, the same year that the Gimbel Brothers entered the Philadelphia market. Though it offered different types of merchandise from time to time, Stern's was known predominantly as a home furnishings store. Stern's quickly spread out throughout the Delaware Valley by acquiring other furnishings stores in cities like Camden, Media, Trenton, Wilmington, and Atlantic City. By 1927, Stern's was part of a 44 store buying syndicate. It was well known for its popular credit terms and its slogan for many years was "By at Stern's, pay as you earn." By the 1970s, Stern's dwindled in size and prominence though it still kept a Market Street presence near 7th Street. When Gimbels ceased business in 1986, the stores were acquired by Allied Store's Stern's division. Soon after Stern's arrived to take control of Gimbels, Stern's of Philadelphia threatened to sue Allied Stores for "unfair competition, deceptive trade practices and infringement of its tradename." The irony is that within two years, both Stern's and Stern & Co. would be gone. Since Stern's was not a department store, it was not included in the Wanamaker's or Gimbels books. It definitely served a working class market that was looking for furniture, accessories, and linens on easy terms. It just wasn't the type of store that I was looking to profile. If I wanted to write about a Philadelphia area furniture store, my choice would be J.B. VanSciver & Co. Classy furniture, classy stores. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- I remember as a child in the late 1950's riding an aerial spaceship in a department store in Newark, n.j. What was the name? Was it kliegs or kresces? -- Just a guess that of the two stores it would be the larger, which I would think was Kresge's (I don't know the other store). It involves considerable trouble and expense to install a spaceship ride on a department store ceiling. -- JW The store that you are thinking of is Kresge's, or Kresge-Newark. The store originated as Fox & Plaut and later became the L.S. Plaut & Co. It was founded in 1870 and was purchased by S.S. Kresge (the K from Kmart) in 1923. The store was operated as a full department store and also had a later affiliation with Asbury Park's Steinbach Company, which operated for a number of years as Steinbach-Kresge. Kresge's was home to one of the country's famous toy department monorails. Other monorails were found at Wanamaker's in Philadelphia and New York, Meier & Frank in Portland, Gimbels in Pittsburgh and Herpolsheimer's in Grand Rapids. It doesn't seem that Kresge's monorail had any other name at Kresge's other than "the monorail". The 10 story building became home to the Chase Department Store in May 1964 and became a downtown Two Guys store in September 1967. Two Guys closed its downtown Newark store in 1981. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- I am trying to find a department store by the name of Dunham Brothers? Have you ever heard of it? I don't even know the location of the store, what state. I tried looking it up on a site with old department stores listed, maybe I missed it. Thanks for any help you might give in advance. Kind regards, Sharon Knape -- I have never heard of a department store of this name and with so little to go on it's fairly impossible to research. There was a longtime shoe store and manufacturer in Brattleboro VT by that name. In fact it still exists, I believe, as a chain of stores under the Dunham name (without Brothers), though a very different business nowadays I would think. -- JW Dunham's can mean Dunham Brothers, the shoes store/company founded in 1885 in Brattleboro, Vermont. Dunham's can mean Trenton's S.P. Dunham Co, which dated from 1854. Dunham's was a Central Jersey landmark and circled Trenton with many branch stores. The stores were known for "a solid reputation as a supplier of well-made reasonably priced clothing and household goods." Dunham's closed its downtown Trenton store in 1983 and the final Dunham's store, in suburban Hamilton, closed in 1996, a victim of a changing society. Dunham's also can mean the small, still operating department store in Wellsboro, PA. This 35,000 square foot store was founded in 1905 and still anchors this small Pennsylvania city. The Dunham family still operates this rare independent store which offers fashions for the family, housewares, toys, and gifts. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Hello Jan and Michael - I've added 2 more interesting cards to my credit/charge card collection. They are from Berkowitz Dept. Store and Wilson-Chase Dept. Store of St. Petersburg, Fl. Can't find much on either of these stores. Hope you might have some info. Thanks Scott (nimmos@bellsouth.net). -- The Willson-Chase Co. (2 LLs) was founded in 1910 in St. Petersburg, very likely by its long-time president Edward B. Wilson (usually 1 L). It was located at 3rd and Central and advertised in the 1920s that it was "One of Florida's Great Stores." I'm not certain when it closed but I believe it was still in business in the mid-1960s. I'm not sure if you are implying that the Berkowitz store was also in St. Petersburg but if so, I can find no trace of it. The only Berkowitz Department Store I know of was located in the Chicago area on Irving Park Road and its owner, and probable founder, was Isadore Berkowitz, who died in 1957. -- JW The Willson-Chase Co. department store closed its doors for good on March 16, 1965. The store was declared bankrupt the previous night. J.J. Willson bought out the controlling interest in 1960 but sales deteriorated over the next years. The closing put 30 employees out of work. (At its peak, Willson-Chase employed 365.) Willson complained that the press coverage on the store's financial troubles killed any remaining business. E.B. Willson founded the store in 1909 along with two women, Beulah and Lena Chase. The store was St. Petersburg's oldest mercantile business. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- As the demographics in many cities changed, some of our land's great Department Stores started to reach out to minority residents to build back business at their downtown stores. Starting in the early 1970's both J L Hudson in Detroit, and Bamberger's in Newark added an African American Santa Claus to their holiday offerings. This "Santa Option" (for lack of a better word) was maintained at Hudson's through their final Christmas Season downtown in 1982, and at Bamberger's until 1977 (when they renovated the 4th floor and removed their auditorium and Santa Village). Did any other department stores of note feature Black Santas? -- This is a fascinating question -- and thanks for the info about these two stores. I have to admit I haven't run across this particular phenomenon however, given the changing inner city demographics of that time and the reliance downtown stores had on populations living in proximity to them, I can only imagine that other stores did the same. Perhaps readers have more examples. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Michael is getting a lot of good press for his new Gimbels book! ------------------------------------------------------- I'm looking for any information on Patterson Shoes in Houston Tx around 1915? -- Michael Lisicky and I have each spent many years researching department stores, but I'm afraid shoe stores are a bit beyond our expertise. I would suggest contacting a research librarian or a historical society in Houston. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I don't see any mention of The Bush and Bull Company- They had department stores in Watertown, NY (Bush, Bull and Roth), Easton, PA, Williamsport, PA, Bethlehem, PA and maybe some other locations- They were in business from approx 1880's thru 1940's. I think the last store in Easton closed in 1950's- My great-grandfather, M. Sherrer, was one of the original "firm" - an Easton banker who, along with Solomon Bush and James Bull, founded the stores. -- Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------- Do you know the name of the Gimbel Brother in charge of the NYC department store in 1947? -- Founder Adam Gimbel and his wife Fridolyn Kahnweiler Gimbel had fourteen children. A few of the children died at a very early age but seven boys went into business with their father and became the actual 'Gimbel Brothers'. By 1947, only one of those brother, Ellis, was still alive but was only affiliated with the Philadelphia division. (Ellis, a beloved figure in Philadelphia, who worked with children in need and founded the country's first Thanksgiving Day Parade, passed away in 1950.) The figure behind the New York store was Bernard F. Gimbel. Bernard was Isaac's son and founder Adam's grandson. He urged his family to take advantage of an opportunity and open the New York store in 1910. Bernard was well in charge in 1947 and is considered by many to be one of America's great merchants. He passed away in 1966. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- New Courier Post interview with Michael Lisicky about his book on Gimbels. ------------------------------------------------------- Have you ever heard of a store named Albert M. Eisenberg fine furniture? Thank you for any help, bettie -- Sorry, I have not. ------------------------------------------------------- I am looking for info about a custom tailor shop owned by Will Price that opened in Pittsburgh in the late 1800's. I do know he also opened a hat store around 1912. Any help would be greatly appreciated. d byrne, donmarfarm@c.com -- As late as 1940, and possibly later (?), the Will Price store was located on 539 Wood in Pittsburgh. The store sold men's suits, shirts, and furnishings and was affiliated with the hatter John Cavanagh Ltd of New York City. The Will Price establishment advertised in 1940 that it was established in 1877 and was "Pittsburgh's Oldest and Finest Men's Store." It also made men's custom suits and shirts. Some men's stores such as Will Price that were established in the 19th century, John Wanamaker for instance, eventually became department stores, but this was not the case with this particular business. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- W.T. Grant store in NYC, I think on Broadway...selling furniture into the late 1960s. ------------------------------------------------------- I miss those old stores. What were once unique and regional Federated/Macys have homogenized the department store to the point of total sameness. And without shame they blasted off the local name and splash MACY'S over every store they acquired. Back in the good old days I loved Macy's, and Gimbels, Wannamaker's, Joseph Horne's, Marshall Field's. Not anymore. To me Macy's belongs in a list of 4-letter words. ------------------------------------------------------- Looking for the name of a retail store on 5th Ave in the 1930s with the name Blackstone in it; they sold sterling silver flatware. --I have not heard of it; going beyond department stores it becomes very tough to find information about the hundreds of thousands of stores that came and went in the 20th century. Just maybe a reader will know the answer! -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I'm looking for a photo of a store called Treasure Island that was located in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, PA. Any ideas on where I could look? Thanks for your help. --You might try the Historic Pittsburgh Image Collections online [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/images/pittsburgh/]. If you find nothing under the store name, try looking for street scenes of the street it was on. Just poking around, I have to say I could find nothing and have not heard of a department store by that name. It is always possible, too, that there simply may be no photos of a smaller store. Good luck! -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I have an old Rich's department store charge plate in the case. Does anyone know the value of this? -- Your best bet is to go on e-Bay and see what similar things are bringing. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- When was the first department store opened? -- Most historians would say the Bon Marche in Paris was the first department store. Though it opened earlier, it began to resemble a department store in the 1860s. In the US some of the earliest true department stores were R. H. Macy & Co., Jordan Marsh, and John Wanamaker. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- As we are not far from the Holiday Shopping season of 2011, no matter where you live, why not consider supporting some of the remaining traditional department stores that we have. From the larger chains like, Belk, Boscov's, and VonMaur, to regional gems like Halls of Kansas City, Kingmills of London Ontario, and Wilson's of Greenfield Mass., you'll no doubt find what you want, and send a message that many of us still support the almost lost art of traditional retail. You can shop on-line with most of these fine stores, or in the case of Wilson's (a store that reminds me of Hess's), just call them. Happy Shopping! Ken Add to your list A.T. Stewart once the largest Dept. store in the world and the first to do mail order (NY) the founder of Garden City L.I. N.Y. Also McCutchens (not sure if this is spelled right) also on 5th Ave NYC. They sold a lot of linens. Just remembered another NY store whose slogan was "Meet me at the fountain" since they had a huge indoor fountain on the main floor by the stair case. -- Virginia Gambardella -- Thanks! There is a lot of debate about whether A. T. Stewart's store was a true department store or more of a dry goods store. I believe it did not even include a women's bathroom, so kind of short on services for which department stores are famous. I wonder if you might be thinking of the early-20th century Siegel "Big Store" on Sixth Avenue, which had a fountain? -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Now that Amazon.com no longer carries new copies of my book SERVICE AND STYLE (except through expensive 3rd parties), I have decided to sell my private cache. Using PayPal.com send $25 for a postpaid copy sent USPS priority mail. Send payment to janwhitaker@verizon.net. In the message box indicate where to send the book and any inscription instructions. -- Yours truly, Jan Whitaker ------------------------------------------------------- Michael Lisicky's just-released GIMBELS HAS IT! is experiencing strong sales and he has already booked a March 12, 2012, speaking engagement at the Mid-Manhattan Library on 40th street near 5th Ave. ------------------------------------------------------- Thanks so much for the help with Albany, NY stores. I've noticed that you have Loveman's on your Missing Stores list. It was a landmark in Birmingham, Alabama and my mother and aunts shopped there religiously; my first job was in Loveman's basement in 1966. It was a fabulous store...and I remember it very well. The clock catty-cornered at the 3rd Avenue North- 19th Street entrance. The Christmas windows were the very best and drew huge crowds. I remember the beautiful elevators, the mezzanine restaurant, the beauty salon, and the candy counter. I LOVED that store..it almost brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. It was THE place to shop and the service was outstanding. -- WGC -- Loveman, Joseph, and Loeb opened its doors in the "Magic City" of Birmingham in 1870. By the late 1890s, Loveman's business grew so rapidly that it opened a mail order department that offered an extremely popular catalogue. On March 10, 1934, fire broke out in the basement of the store while 3,000 people shopped its floors. Soon afterwards the entire Loveman's store was engulfed in flames. In November 1935, a brand new Loveman's building opened for business. The new Loveman's was the first air conditioned department store in the South and brought escalators to Birmingham. For many years, the slogan for Loveman's Basement was "Shop at the corner known for thrift". For other shoppers, it was simply "Meet you under the clock at Loveman's." After City Stores acquired the store, the New Orleans Christmas mascot Mr. Bingle, from sister store Maison Blanche, became a staple at Loveman's. Loveman's International Festivals drew crowds to downtown. The store branched out into Western Hills, Bessemer, Montgomery, and Huntsville. But as its parent continued to post massive losses, City Stores closed the stores on April 5, 1980. Loveman's was certainly not the only store in town. Pizitz, Parisian, Yielding's, and many others served the city. If you are a fan of Loveman's and Birmingham retail, I strongly recommend Tim Hollis' book, "Birmingham's Theater and Retail District" as part of the Images of America series. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone remember the name of the eatery across the street from Bloomingdales in NYC in the 1960s? ------------------------------------------------------- I am looking for a name of a wedding shop that was on 6th st in downtown Cincinnati Ohio in 1960? ------------------------------------------------------- Well I'm researching the downtown Appleton Wisconsin known as College Avenue. I'd like some info about the old retail stores but I can't seem to find a thing. Help would be well appreciated. --In the mid-20th century there were three department stores, all on College Ave: D.G. Geenen & Co., Gloudeman's & Gage, and Pettibone-Peabody Co. -- but I really don't know anything at all about them. I would suggest searching on e-Bay to see if you can find any street scene postcards that might give you a glimpse of what stores were there. Also, the Appleton Post Crescent has been digitized and if you subscribed to one of the commercial newspaper archives and gained access to it, I'm sure you could find quite a lot of material. -- JW The only thing that I can add is that Pettibone-Peabody was founded in 1865. It was billed as "the most unusual store in Wisconsin". The four story department store was acquired by H.C. Prange Co. in 1946.-- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Greetings all. I need information about the best department stores in Albany, New York during the 1930s. If anyone can help me I'd be thrilled. WGC --I have to admit that Albany has been a very difficult city to obtain large amounts of department store historical documents. The major stores in the 1930s, as well as most of downtown Albany's retail life, were Myers and Whitney's. W.M. Whitney was best known for its famous Thanksgiving Parade, which led Santa right to Whitney's Toyland. Whitney's, founded in 1865, lasted well into the 1960s and reached out into Albany's suburbs with a store in Stuyvesant Plaza in 1964. John G. Myers opened his store in 1870 and closed in 1970, the last downtown Albany department store to do so. Myers Co. was infamous for its famous store collapse. On August 8, 1905, the center section of the store collapsed shortly after the store opened for the day, killing 30. Another important Albany business was Flah & Co. Flah's, an upscale clothier, was a downtown mainstay. It expanded into the Capitol Region suburbs and was acquired by Rochester-based B. Forman & Co. The Flah name was removed in 1986 and most Albany area stores closed by 1990. Forman's closed up shop in Rochester in August 1994. -- ML I can add very little to Michael's info. There was Boardman Ltd., which is no more than a mere name mentioned in a catchall list of NY state stores in Hendrickson's The Grand Emporiums. Looking through my notes I have found nothing other than about the 1905 Myer's disaster. In other sources I found a few more names: Van Heusen Charles, which was at 466-470 Broadway and McManus and Riley, which may have been more of a clothing store. I also picked up that M.W. Whitney & Co. was founded in 1859 (not a dept store then, prob. dry goods) and that it later had Albany's first electric lights and store telephone. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Levy's was a small regional department store based in downtown Elizabeth, N.J. The multi-floor flagship store was reworked into an office building after the chain went bust in the late 70's, and they had a few branches including the Middlesex Mall. That location became a Stern's, and operates today as a Macy's. Signs on the top of the downtown Elizabeth store can still be seen today when riding any train northbound along the Northeast Corridor. The sign reads, Elizabeth Born, Elizabeth Owned, Elizabeth Managed. Ken ------------------------------------------------------- My parents took us to a shoe store in Elizabeth called Levys, does anyone remember it? Is it still there if not when did it close? -- There is not much information available on Levy Brothers but it was "Elizabeth born, Elizabeth owned, and Elizabeth managed." It helped anchor Elizabeth's shopping district for well over 100 years. Family members, Bernard, Milton, Emmanuel, and John Levy, played large roles in the running of the Broad Street business. Levy Brothers expanded into Clifton in 1952 and the New Brunswick area in May 1954. The store always remained in family hands. In 1975, Levy's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed its doors shortly afterwards. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- I'm looking for the name of department store that was located in or near Renton, Washington. It was part of the Allied Stores Corporation. -- Just guessing that it might have been Bon Marche, which was the leading store in Washington and a subsidiary of Allied. According to Richard Longstreth's The American Department Store Transformed there were 7 branches opened between 1947 and 1957, in Spokane, Everett, Tacoma, Walla Walla, Yakima, Bellingham, and Eugene OR. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I read online that Lansburgh's Department store had to go to court to open up a branch at Tyson's Corner Mall. Would you have any background on this? --In 1966 Lansburgh's and its parent company City Stores sued the developers of the new mall, claiming they had been promised the opportunity to lease a site in it by the developers in 1962, in writing, in return for assistance in securing zoning permission. The mall had already signed up Woodward & Lothrop and Hecht stores and was about to give a lease to Sears. They claimed that Sears would be a more profitable tenant and that their letter did not constitute a contract. The court said the letter was indeed a contract and that it was not overridden by profit considerations. In 1968 Lansburgh's signed a contract with the mall. This became their fourth branch at that point. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- There was a building between Bambergers and Kreske, in Morristown NJ back in the 60s. In that building there was a foot doctor I used to go to. I can't remember the name of building, but it was located on Park Place on the green uptown. -- Your best bet would be to contact the local historical society in Morristown. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Do you have any pictures of the Hall Galleries tea room in the Forbes & Wallace dept store in Springfield, MA? -- I personally do not have any photographs of the Hall Galleries in Springfield, MA but make sure that you are searching for photos from Steiger's and not Forbes & Wallace. The Hall Galleries were located on the fourth and fifth floors of Steiger's, outside of the Colonial Tea Room on 5.-- ML Michael is correct. The Charles Hall Galleries, which sold fine china and related items, was located inside Steiger's. The tea room was located on a balcony in the store, at least at one point. There is picture of it on p 165 of my book Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma, originally and remember Brown-Dunkin Department Stores. I have found where Dilliard's bought them and when the name was changed. Do you know when Brown-Dunkin first went into business? --Tulsa's Brown-Dunkin opened for business in 1924. John Brown and John Dunkin purchased the former Hunt Department Store. It was a small store but grew to nine stories within its first four years. It expanded again in 1934 and 1940. William T. Dillard purchased Brown-Dunkin Co. on March 1, 1960. He promised to keep the store's name and not upset its operations. Brown-Dunkin added two suburban stores in Tulsa during the 1960s. On January 31, 1970, the downtown store closed. Its building was sold to make way for a 41-floor bank tower. By that time, Dillard had grown his retail empire to 14 stores. The store was known for unusual promotions, one involved the adoption of a baby in a display window. Another involved a home giveaway that created massive crowds and traffic jams in downtown Tulsa. -- ML ------------------------------------------------------- Someone emailed me a question about events staged at Bamberger's in downtown Newark, so I thought I would answer it here for everyone to share. Although Bamberger's invested heavily in large suburban stores starting in the late 1950's it still ran special events at its downtown Newark store through the mid-1970's. The elegant 10th floor restaurant complex had been leased to a 3rd party, which ran it as the private "Downtowner Club" Mondays to Fridays. Bamberger's continued to us the space on Saturdays for events such as Bridal Fairs. More often the store used its 4th floor auditorium, and surplus space on the 7th floor for year round events, and Christmas themed exhibits. Bam's would also run themed events that took place throughout the large store. The last of these took place in 1975 and focused on the Broadway musical, Raisin. Each department had sets, and displays from the show, and the corner windows at Market and Halsey were decorated as the theatre lobby. After that events downtown were cut back, and floor space downtown reduced each year. This was the location of my first job, and it was exciting to see the operations of such a large company, but sad as well as they clearly were giving up at that location. Ken -- Thanks, Ken! ------------------------------------------------------- I have a vintage oak roll top desk. The only marking on it is a sticker that says "the Broadway department store and phonograph parlors." Cant find record of this logo. any idea of a time period? -- The Broadway was founded in the late 1890s in Los Angeles by Arthur Letts, and soon became one of the city's largest stores. I think, based on how antiquated "phonograph parlors" sounds, that the sticker most likely dates from the early 20th century, certainly before WWI. The term parlor suggests to me that potential customers could sit in comfortable chairs and listen to recordings in a quiet room or area of the store. I know some stores did that around, say, 1908. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- Dear Department Store Fans, Would you believe that both Jan and Michael have new books coming out in October? Check out the pages "Jan's books" and "Michael's books" on this website for more information -- and don't forget to buy several of each next month!!! ------------------------------------------------------- Jan, I noticed Harris on the side bar under missing stores. If anyone is interested, I wrote a book "The Harris Company," which includes numerous photos captioned from interviews and stories provided by the Harris family (the store was also known as Harris' Co. and Harris'). Though the book idea originated from my Master's thesis on the department store, your book "Service and Style," really propelled me to pursue the printed book version. I am looking forward to your new book! A. Rodriguez -- Thank you and good luck with your book. ------------------------------------------------------- To further answer the question about Stern's operations in NYC, the "Equitable Shop", located in the Equitable Insurance Building continued in operation through the late 1980's, long after Stern's closed its 42nd Street flagship in 1969. In its later years it sold women's clothing only. This location, and its small East Hampton location, closed around the same time. The East Hampton location has an interesting history as it started as a summer branch of Stern's, then became a year round branch of Gertz, and then reverted back to the Stern's name, after Allied Stores folded its Gertz division into Stern's. A larger location was built in Hampton Bays that rendered the small East Hampton location obsolete. The Hampton Bays location remains today as a Macy's. Ken -- Thanks for this, Ken! ------------------------------------------------------- Just to expand on an earlier question about the remaining independent department stores, there are still a number in operation in addition to Belk. Von Maur continues to expand and prosper under the guidance of the Von Maur family. They are set to open in the southeast next year, and their website has an enticement to New York residents, since shipping is free and no sales tax applies. Hall's of Kansas City maintains a lock on the upper end of the Kansas City market with their 2 stores, which are full line stores. Boscov's caters more to the middle end of the market, and thanks to Al Boscov returning and guiding the company out of bankruptcy, Boscov's will once again expand. In October of this year a former location at the Monmouth Mall in NJ will re-open. This location was, and will once again be one of their largest stores. --Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------- I lived in a small town in the 40's and 50's and we had a JC Penney's. I remember there being a small metal basket on a wire that went up to an upper floor. Can you tell me what it was used for? --I can't be sure what that particular store used it for then but earlier in the century many stores used a basket and pulley system (or a hydraulic tube system) to send customer's payments to a central collecting point in the store where a clerk would make change and send it back to the salesperson. This is before cash registers were widely used. Stores without mechanical systems hired children, called runners, to swiftly take the customer's payment to a cashier and return with change. Although people are fascinated by the mechanical systems now, customers disliked them in the past and grew very impatient waiting for their change. -- JW ------------------------------------------------------- I understand that Stern Brothers operated a store in the Equitable Building in New York City. When did it open and close and what merchandise did it carry. Did any other department stores operate branches like this? Thanks. JT --Branching began in the late 1920s and almost always the branch stores were smaller and less complete than the headquarters. When Stern's announced it would close its flagship on 42nd Street, which had opened in 1913, the story reported that there was a "tiny, 500 square foot shop ... in the Equitable Life Assurance Company building at 1285 Avenue of the America's..." Was this a gourmet food shop? Possibly, I can't say for sure. Certainly other stores had branches, such as Wanamaker's which opened an antiques salon/decorating shop in the Waldorf in 1932. I would see this kind of thing as a virtual admission that the main location was problematic in some sense. For instance, when Stern's closed, management said that the store, across from Bryant Park, only did significant business during the extended noon hour because it was not located in a residential area. -- JW The only thing that I can add about the Stern's location is that it was located in the subsurface level of the Equitable building. As of 1970, the store was still in operation but I doubt that it lasted too much longer as Stern's became largely a New Jersey operation, except for its then seasonal loc |
|
