The Department Store Museum
On an editorial note, the museum asks the question: why are we not good enough for such a gamut of retail options today? Take a look inside and formulate your own opinion.
In general, since the museum is electronic and not housed in a building, I cannot take large items from these stores. I would accept paper material (employee handbooks, advertising, newsletters) and scans of photographs, etc. should you have something to donate. Please search for Bruce Allen Kopytek and contact me via Messenger.
Please understand that The Department Store Museum is a work in progress and a labor of love. It is almost continuously updated as new information becomes available.
NEWS
APOLOGY!
(Autumn 2022)
I am sorry to say that I neglected comments for the past months. While I was working intensely to complete my latest book Hudson's: Detroit's World-Famous Department Store (see below), I stopped receiving e-mails when comments came in. By rights, I should have reviewed and posted them. but my mind was focused n getting the book published before the upcoming holidays, and I attributed it to a lack of traffic since I hadn't updated the site at all. I apologize that it seems as if I have neglected all of those who enjoy The Department Store Museum. I am now in the process of posting the comments. If you have a question, please contact me via FaceBook Messenger (search for Bruce Allen Kopytek and send me a message) I will do my best to answer your questions.
I am very sorry for any confusion I have caused during this period.
A BOOK OF GREAT INTEREST
HUDSON'S: Detroit's World-Famous Department Store
Do you
remember a time when shopping was an adventure? When a bus ride downtown ended
at an enormous red-brick store with glittering window displays? Do you
reminisce about riding smooth, shiny escalators from floor to floor, or having
a Maurice Salad in a gracious, hushed dining room high up in the sky? Maybe you
enjoyed hunting for bargains below street level, or browsing for books in
Detroit’s largest book shop? Maybe you recall the smell of exotic fragrances
wafting through the air on the sumptuous first floor of Hudson’s, Detroit’s World-Famous
Department Store.
If you do cherish memories like these, come join architect and historian Bruce
Allen Kopytek as he leads you on an intoxicating journey of exploration through
this lost Detroit landmark. Along the way, you’ll discover the rags-to-riches
story of Joseph L. Hudson, the culinary delights of Hudson’s restaurants, and
the stories of people that made it all happen – right here in Detroit.
This is the story of
The J. L. Hudson Company.
Deluxe Hardcover - 548 Pages - $60.00 MSRP
Available for pre-order with discount from
More information (sample pages, sample text, chapter list)
at:
Scheduled to arrive mid-November 2022
If you have enjoyed any of my previous books, you will love this one - the most comprehensive and richly-illustrated study of The J. L. Hudson Company, the institution that is beloved and remembered by so many. A very lavish treatment indeed.
"BELLA" (2010-2021)
In the four books I authored up to today, I often mentioned our cat, Bella, who became my close companion while writing. Not having ever had a cat before, I was not predisposed to even let her into my heart, but, as is so often the case, she didn't take long to win me over. She was a lovable, but wayward pet, often setting things straight with me with an unexpected bite or a hiss or two when I stepped out of line. She, however, became a very close companion - sleeping in bed with us (and taking my place when I would get up for a snack or other reasons). She absolutely understood that I was in control of the feline treats in the powder room cupboard, and we ultimately developed a daily, albeit cat-centered daily schedule that was clearly to her liking. Whenever I sought relaxation by reading or watching a movie, if she wasn't seeking out my wife Carole's affection, she came and sat near me - but often, as was her wont - exactly an arms length away.
I am very sad to report that we lost Bella on Saturday, September 4th, 2021 after a long illness that just couldn't be cured. We really miss her, her crazy habits, wild activities, and especially the racket she made every night, after snarfing up her night-time treats, to drag her beloved feather up the stairs as some kind of nocturnal treat for us.
For those that read the comments I made about her in my bio, I thought you might like to know about our loss.
August 25, 2020
In December of 2019, I accepted a position as Chief Architect with Contour Companies
of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Little did I know, that within a few months, I would be asked to design concepts for the redevelopment of Northland, Victor Gruen's iconic 1954 shopping center built for the J. L. Hudson Company (It closed in 2015).
UPDATE: The project broke ground this year and is progressing.
Clicking the image below will take you to a video on YouTube that my staff helped prepare for a recent City Council meeting. Our concept is to strip the 1954 buildings of their later additions, and do, essentially, a historic restoration on the once-famous shopping center. The one-story mall buildings will be converted to loft apartments, and the colossal Hudson Store will be re-purposed into a food/home furnishings/entertainment complex inspired by Atlanta's popular Ponce City Market. Northland's former parking lots will be replaced by a community of 5-story apartment buildings with ground-floor retail and rooftop amenities. A parking garage will be located in the former service and retail areas under the shopping center, whose mall areas and courtyards would be restored to their original appearance to accommodate modern life. A new, decorative retention pond and park will replace one of the parking lots.
"NOW ANd THEN: THE CENTER OF TOMORROW."
Selective demolition and construction has already started. We are particularly happy that our proposal was selected after others that sought to demolish the historic building, and replace it with warehouses, a distribution center, a strip mall, or, of all things, a marijuana growth and distribution facility.
NEW!
Updated Exhibits with New Images & History Essays
(Under Construction)
(Under Construction)
A documentary
aboutJacobson's
 |
| Watch TRUE STORY:Jacobson's on Jackson TV. |
CROWLEY'S:
Detroit's Friendly Store
by Bruce Allen Kopytek
Crowley's: Detroit's Friendly Store.
is now available on amazon.com
and will be in the shops in November.
Click above to go directly to amazon.com
and will be in the shops in November.
Click above to go directly to amazon.com
EATON'S:
THE TRANS-CANADA STORE
A comprehensive history of
national department store.
Toledo's Three Ls:
Lamson's, The Lion Store, and Lasalle's
Remember the days when shopping meant white gloves, suits for men and leisurely lunches in tearooms? Toledo, an industrial powerhouse and Ohio’s third-largest city,once had it all, and Lamson’s, the Lion Store and Lasalle’s were where it all happened. Reminisce with author Bruce Allen Kopytek about a time when these three great department stores dominated Toledo’s retail scene and offered their customers anything they could want. Revisit their downtown competitors like Tiedtke’s, B.R. Baker, Milner’s and Stein’s, which also added their own touch to Toledo’s life. Through written history, photographs and personal recollections a whole lost era comes to light—an era when business was personal and local, shopping was more of a cherished event rather than a chore.
Click above to order!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
See a lecture about Jacobson's,
as presented at the Baldwin
Public Library on 24 Jan. 2012
(click the photo)
photo by Carroll DeWeese
Jacobson's-I Miss It So!
has just been honored by
the State of Michigan as a
"Michigan Notable Book."
Return to the elegance of
for well over one hundred years. Reenter the marvelous stores
and meet the personalities who transformed Jacobson’s
from its humble Reed City origins to a staple of sophistication
throughout the region and in Florida.
The brainchild of a retail genius, this deluxe specialty store
gave customers a peerless social, shopping and dining destination.
Experience anew the refined beauty of its Williamsburg-style
Grosse Pointe store, the chic designer world of its
Birmingham ensemble or the charm and allure of its original
Florida branch in Sarasota revealing, along the way,
secrets that made Jake’s the dazzling store it was
Grosse Pointe store, the chic designer world of its
Birmingham ensemble or the charm and allure of its original
Florida branch in Sarasota revealing, along the way,
secrets that made Jake’s the dazzling store it was
and why it remains so profoundly missed by anyone
who entered through its solid wooden doors.
who entered through its solid wooden doors.
(Over 100 illustrations, most never published
before - a true scholarly study of this
beloved, lost specialty department store)
Alternately, order from Amazon.com
NEW BOOKS!
 |
| Anne Erers Hitz has followed up on her excellent book on The Emporium with this new one - that chronicles the history of San Francisco's other stores. |
 |
| Read about the history of a fine Denver institution, well researched and beautifully illustrated. |
 |
| This new book traces the origins of a favorite Salt Lake City store. |
 |
| Lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced, this is a highly-endorsed study of the department stores of Minnesota. |
 |
| Another well-done and comprehensive book by Mark Barnhouse that covers the fine stores that once lined Denver's Sixteenth Street. |
 |
| Another fine book by Michael Lisicky |
 |
| A comprehensive history of Boston's |
 |
| Another book about one of Pittsburgh'sgreat department stores |
 |
| A great new book by a devoted Cincinnati author that covers Shillito's, McAlpins's Pogue's and Mabley & Carew |
 |
| Vicki Ingham's new book about Younkers |
 |
| Kaufmann's of Pittsburgh chronicled by Letitia Savage |
 |
| Another book by Michael Lisicky who delves into the history of "New Jersey's Greatest Store" - Bamberger's |
 |
| And a book about Bamberger's founder Louis Bamberger |
 |
| Click to see a fine new book about not just John A. Brown but threee of Oklahoma City's favorite stores |
LATEST BOOK, CELEBRATING
FLORIDA'S GREAT
MAAS BROTHERS
 |
| A |
 |
| A New Book by Historian Michael |
Anne Evers Hitz' new book about
San Francisco's beloved
Emporium, the "Big E."
Michael Lisicky has produced
an authoritative history of
Pennsylvania's Pomeroy's
Read about St. Louis' last
department store, Famous-Barr
A well-illustrated volume
dedicated to Richmond'sfondly-remembered
Thalhimers
 |
| Read the history of Woodward |
LONG AWAITED:
L.S. AYRES & CO.
worked with the Indiana
Historical Museum to
produce a book about
this beloved store
A FINE BOOK
Christopher Sawyer's
treatment of the story
of Denholms is re-
markable because of the
author's passion for the
history of this long-lost
Worcester retail landmark.
A RECOMMENDATION
OF THE HIGHEST ORDER
Easily one of the most beautiful and informative
books ever written about department stores.
A brilliant revelation, emphatically endorsed!
 |
| Another outstanding book by Michael Lisicky - comprehensive, entertaining. well-illustrated and very much up to the standard set by this premier author |
The Department Store Museum
department store
Click the photo
From its inception in 2010,
included an exhibit of
have been small, the display has been improved and updated.
I
you may send a photo or scan to bakgraphics@comcast.net
and they will be included.
From its inception in 2010,
included an exhibit of
have been small, the display has been improved and updated.
I
you may send a photo or scan to bakgraphics@comcast.net
and they will be included.
Owing to the generosity of a reader,
new display of department store security badges.
new display of department store security badges.
Click the photo
to go to the new
directory (beta)
-or-
Click on a store name below to go to that store's exhibit. If the name is not linked to an exhibit, it is in preparation, and not available for viewing at the moment. Please check back again.
Alaska
Alabama
Birmingham
Loveman's
Pizitz
Mobile
Gayfer’s
Montgomery
Belk-Hudson
Montgomery Fair
Arizona
Phoenix
Tucson
California
Fresno
Gottschalk's
Long Beach
Gottschalk's
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Oakland
Sacramento
Hale's Weinstock's
San Diego
Maarston's Walker-Scott
The White House
Colorado
Denver
Connecticut
New Haven
The Edw. Malley Co.
Delaware
Wilmington
Kennard's
District of Columbia
Kennard's
District of Columbia
Washington
Florida
Jacksonville
Miami
Orlando
Ivey’s
Tampa
St.Petersburg
Georgia
Atlanta
Augusta
Liberty House
Ilinois
Ilinois
Chicago
Elgin
Joseph Speiss Company
Oak Park
William Y. Gilmore's & Sons
Peoria
Joseph Speiss Company
Oak Park
William Y. Gilmore's & Sons
Peoria
Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (Block & Kuhl)
Rockford
Weise's Carson Pirie Scott & Co.
Rockford
Weise's Carson Pirie Scott & Co.
Indiana
Indianapolis
L. S. Ayres & Co. Block's Wasson's
Fort Wayne
Wolf & Dessauer
MuncieBall Brothers
South Bend
Robertson's
Terre Haute
Meis
The Root Store Co.
Iowa
Louisville
Kaufman-Straus Stewart Dry Goods Bacon's
Louisiana
New Orleans
Massachusetts
Boston
Springfield
Maine
Portland
Porteous
Maryland
Portland
Porteous
Maryland
Baltimore
Michigan
Detroit
Flint
Smith-Bridgman
Grand Rapids
Smith-Bridgman
Grand Rapids
Lansing
Knapp's Arbaugh's
Traverse City
Milliken's
Minnesota
Knapp's Arbaugh's
Traverse City
Milliken's
Minnesota
Minneapolis
Dayton's Donaldson's Powers Young-Quinlan
St. Cloud
Herberger's Fandel's
St. Paul
Dayton’s Donaldson’s Emporium Field-Schlick Young-Quinlan
Mississippi
Jackson
Kennington's McRae's
Missouri
Jackson
Kennington's McRae's
Missouri
Montana
Hart-Albin Co.
Hennessy's
Nebraska
Hart-Albin Co.
Hennessy's
Nebraska
New Jersey
Morristown
M. Epstein & Co.
Newark
M. Epstein & Co.
Newark
New York
Fowler's
Buffalo
Iszard's
New York City
North Carolina
Ivey's Bon Marché Belk
Charlotte
J.B. Ivey & Co. Belk Brothers
Ellis Stone Thalhimer's
Belk-Hudson
Ivey's Bon Marché Belk
Charlotte
J.B. Ivey & Co. Belk Brothers
Ellis Stone Thalhimer's
Belk-Hudson
Oklahoma
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Gable's
Erie
Boston Store Halle’s
Glosser Brothers Penn-Traffic
Glosser Brothers Penn-Traffic
Watt & Shand Hager & Bro.
The Globe Scranton Dry Goods
South Carolina
Belk
Columbia
Belk of Columbia
Davison's
Tapp's
White's
Greenville
Belk-Simpson
Ivey's
Meyers-Arnold
Belk
South Dakota
Fantle's
Tennessee
Loveman’s Miller’s
Texas
White & Kirk
Scarbrough's
Dallas
The Popular The White House
Cox's
Houston
Utah
Virginia
Heironymous
Leggett Nachman's Rice's
Washington
West Virginia
Stone & Thomas
Stone & Thomas
Wisconsin
CANADA
The Bay
The Bay Woodward's
Eaton’s The Right House Robinson’s
Eaton’s
The Bay
The Bay
The Bay Woodward’s
The Bay Eaton’s Woodward’s
Hey, you added Joske's! That's cool...a few questions...
ReplyDelete1) At least two department stores had a "Pappagallo" shop. What would that be, then?
2) Could you add Foley's? It's my local department store that unfortunately bit the dust in 2006 thanks to Macy's.
Thanks for noticing!
ReplyDelete"The Shop for Pappagallo" was a separate shop for a particular brand of Italian shoes; it was mostly found in higher-end stores.
You could read a little more about the now-defunct brand at
http://happyhomemaker.blogspot.com/2005/06/im-bit-behind.html
I will try to publish an ad if I can find one in an old newspaper.
I will add Foley's in due course; I have some information and pictures but need to do more research to do it full justice.
So, "stay tuned" and see what I come up with!
BAK
I have added an image of "The Shop for Pappagallo" to the Marshall Field & Company exhibit.
ReplyDeleteBAK
Thanks for the link!!!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog!
You inspire me!!
Keep visiting me...and I shall visit you:-)
Cool website! I love that you put the directory for so many of my long gone favorite department Marshall Fields, Bullocks, Broadway, Kaufmanns, Robinson's plus some of our up-north neighbours, sure they are still around as Macy's and "Bay" but they aren't quite what they used to be, thanks man!
ReplyDeleteVery nice/informative site! Just a couple suggestions for additions: HP Wasson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Wasson_and_Company in Indianapolis; The Fair in Chicago, one of the big State Street stsores, in its later years owned by Montgomery Ward. Also, in Springfield, IL: very surprisingly, I've never heard of Heer's (perhaps that was a store in another Springfield?), but there was the John Bressmer Company, in latter decades of its existence a division of LS Ayres (Indianapolis).
ReplyDeleteDo you have any info on Herrs gor springfield mo
DeleteI have an old hat box from Heers" From the 1950's. I believe it is Springfield Mo. Looking for more info on this. A lady in Monett Mo. Was the original owner.
DeleteDo you have any info on Herrs gor springfield mo
DeleteAnother mystery department I want to know about is a "Budget Store". What did these departments (sometimes even a separate store) have in them? Were they like mini-discount stores?
ReplyDeleteOh, Pseudo3D, you have to be much younger than me!
ReplyDeleteMany traditional department stores had what was called a "Bargain Basement," "Budget Store," "Downstairs Store," or "Thrift Basement." This was a separate store, with lower prices, simpler decor, and was almost always located in the basement of the main, downtown store (Maison Blanche, for instance, had an annex for the budget operation).
The basement most often carried men's, women's and children's clothing, accessories, shoes, and home textiles, though this varied somewhat as well.
Filene's Basement in Boston began as that store's budget operation, but because of its unusual pricing policy, gained enough notoriety to be spun-off as a separate company, and its name survived the phase-out of its parent store.
As a child, I spent a lot of time in Hudson's and Crowley's Budget Stores. My family found the regular prices in these two emporiums too high, so the Budget Store was a good place for my mom to hunt for bargains. Hudson's had a two-level basement downtown, with stairs and escalators connecting them; Crowley's was, of course smaller and occupied one level. Hudson's branch stores had Budget Stores in their basements; but when some stores built branches without basements (e.g. Crowley's at Livonia and Macomb Malls) they could often be located on another floor.
Hudson's even built free-standing Budget Store branches, and renamed them "Rainbow Budget Stores" in the 1970s. Some stores built a suburban Budget Store first, then expanded the store into a full-line unit at a later date. Horne's in Pittsburgh called them "Gateway Shops" and other stores changed the names of their Budget Stores as well. Macy's in New York did not have a Budget Store, using its basement for the "Fascinating Housewares" department, but in the 1970s, crammed the housewares up on the fifth floor and began an ultimately unsuccessful budget operation; in a few years the housewares were back in the basement and the famous "Cellar" was born.
In the long run, though, these Budget Stores were eliminated, and the space used for other purposes.
Writing about the Budget Stores has brought back some pleasant, though anachronistic memories for me, and I would not be truthful if I said I did not miss them a little in spite of their lower-echelon associations.
Note that in the store directories, I have only mentioned the Budget Store if I was aware of restaurants or other departments in the basement of the store, but most stores had them.
I sincerely hope I satisfied your curiosity!
The first Macy's Cellar was at the San Francisco Macy's in 1971. Also, the Ogilvy's in Ottawa was NOT the same company as the Montreal store of the same name. During what time period are most of the downtown department directories that you have inputed?
ReplyDeleteMarshall Field & Company had the "Budget Floors".
ReplyDeleteFoley's had a "Budget Store" in each of their branch stores until the mid-eighties. It was usually located upstairs and almost like a mini store within a store. It had men's, women's, children's and home departments with "value" merchandise. The Fashion floor - downstairs in the branch stores - had the designer and better apparel and furnishings.
ReplyDeleteBak, Like most cities, San Francisco once had many independent stores, among them Roos Atkins, The White House, City of Paris, Joseph Magnin, Grodins and Ransenhoff. Although many were not department stores, each was unique.
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate demise of independents has resulted in homogenization from coast to coast and beyond.
There are, of course, exceptions. My favorites: Victoria and Richard and Henri Bendel.
D.P.
BAK, I recently heard that department stores hired (and perhaps still hire) models to pose as shoppers. Having attractive women roaming the about would certainly add a certain cache. Do you know if this was (is) the case?
ReplyDeleteD.P.
Yes, my grandmother was one of those, as well as loss prevention, witness to shoplifting
DeleteOne California store omitted from the directory that you should add is Gottschalks from Fresno.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great website! Thank you! I have one suggestion for a department store if you have the time: Smith's out of Windsor, Ontario. My grandmother was a buyer for the children's department. Nonetheless, you have one great blog, sir!
ReplyDeleteI am working on an extensive history of the Roshek Brothers Department store that enjoyed almost an 80-year run in Dubuque, Iowa. The building has just undergone and extensive redevelopment, and we're doing museum-quality historical displays that tell the entire story. Would you be in interesting in adding the history to your site? How do we proceed? Feel free to contact me good4cat563@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteHey, just thought you'd like to add Bretton's to your list of Canadian department stores!
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton%27s
Wow! Saw your blog mentioned on the VFG website, so great that you have compiled all of this.. a great resource! Now following your blog.
ReplyDelete-Leah
http://couturearabesque.blogspot.com/
Bak:
ReplyDeleteI have a blog called Department Store Retailing News http://departmentstoreretailing.blogspot.com/
and also manage two groups with about 5,000 members from the department store industry on LinkedIn and I love your blog. Have recommended it to everyone in my group and have linked to it on my blog.
I worked at Gimbels for 4 years then for Macy's for 30 years as we merged and merged and merged and consolidated one nameplate after another. Remember Stern's, Altman's, Bamberger's, Hahne's, A&S, Gertz, and Bonwit Teller in the NYC metro area. Plus at least 60 of the other nameplates from store visits and consolidations.
Very, very nice site...thanks for creating such a treasure chest of memories of a special time in American retailing history.
Bill Buczak
What a fabulous site you have created! I commend you on such wonderful photos and history. Sadly, we have lost the sophistication of shopping in such elegant department stores.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see my favorite Bullock's Wilshire in Los Angeles. An art deco masterpiece. And the I. Magnin just down the block on Wilshire. Both so completely elegant and sophisticated.
Any chance of seeing these properties in the future?
Thank you again for all of your work. I love this subject!
Love the site - 'cos I love Department Store history!
ReplyDeleteI noticed one department store missing from your Boston entries: the R.H. White Department Store, which occupied a block-long building on lower Washington Street in downtown Boston next to Jordan Marsh. The store survived in downtown Boaton until 1957, but the brach stores in Worcester, MA (Lincoln Plaza) and Leominster, MA (Searstown Plaza) survived until the late 1980s
Levy's at El Con mall in Tucson was originally Foley's. I heard that the original decorator for the building had a dispute of some kind with the Foley's organization. He/she designed very large elaborately carved wooden handles for the doors. Right side up they said "Foley's" in very artistic lettering. Upside down they said something very rude. I know this is not an urban legend because I made a point of checking it out years ago. Unfortunately, in those days taking a picture required more effort than it does now and I never got around to doing it. (I live about 75 miles away from Tucson, not in the city.) I have recently been trying to find some sort of verification or ideally a picture of this on the web but it must have been a better kept secret than I ever imagined. Can anyone verify this or know of a picture or the disposition of the original door handles?
ReplyDeletethx mch,
rc
Your story is indeed an urban legend - - - but the facts are incorrect. Levy's in El Con opened in 1960, and was replaced by a bigger store in 1969. The original store was sold to Steinfeld's, another Tucson department store. The Levy's store was most emphatically NOT Foley's originally.
ReplyDeleteThe 1969 store had a cast stone frieze around the parapets and canopies that spelled out "LEVY'S" in a streamlined native style. When looked at upside-down, some claimed a rude word was visible. (I have to question who looks at building parapets upside-down?) There is, though a latter-day article in the Arizona Star online about the phenomenon.
As an architect with over 30 years of experience in dealing with buildings and people, my guess is that the whole thing was an unintended consequence of custom-designing a font to be cast in concrete. In one of my jobs for a large retail chain, (2200 stores) I wsa asked to propose new seats in the cafeterias, because the naugahyde ones were being vandalized all over the country. I worked with a manufacturer to produce chairs with a perforated metal seat which took care of the abuse, but I was severely reprimanded and the chairs were withdrawn after some child (not Einstein's, I assume) got their finger caught, the mother practically had a heart-attack and the whole thing wasn't settled until the "jaws of life" were brought into the store to cut the chair off of the kid's finger. Not as entertaining as a store logo reading in an un-intentioned way, but a similar situation . . . as they say, "s*** happens!"
I wish that I knew of department stores before the 1980s downscaling: when I was a kid in the early 1990s, there were still escalators, but they were basically glorified clothing shops, with only a few other departments. Though I swear the "Space Jam" basketball I have came from a JCPenney circa 1996.
ReplyDeleteThe many comments that have come in are, in a way, a tribute to these great stores. I just got back from my local Macy's, which was once a Hudson's, but before that, a Crowley's store. It was empty, and aside from passing through, it held very little interest to me on this visit. I remembered how, in the past, Hudson's stores were always bustling with prople and they always seemed to have something new to show; if not, it was interesting to visit the book, sporting goods, or pantry departments, among others. Department stores are just unremarkable at this time.
ReplyDeleteBAK
I love your page, it's so well done and obviously something you take great pride in. I live in Northern California and am espeically interested in the Emporium, Macy's Calfornia, I.Magnin, Valley Fair etc...
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind that I put a few of your images and logos on my flickr page but have credited you and directing people to your website.
I have a quite few store photos in my flickr set if you would like to use them and if I could ever be of any help with information or if there is something I may have at home in my collection (bags, boxes, large photos not scanned, various things) I'd be glad to let you use pics of them.
you can find me at:
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcage2000/
Profile: http://www.flickr.com/people/mindcage2000/
Hi BAK!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Elizabeth and I am a senior architecture student. I have chosen to design a department store building to go next to Burnham's Filene's department store building on Washington St. in Downtown Crossing. I came across your website and it has been an valuable source in helping me to understand the history of Washington Street and other department stores of Boston. I am very grateful for all of your hard work!
I do have one question for you. Do you have the architectural drawings of the Burnham building or know where I can find them? I need to find the floor plans and elevations of the building to guide my design and make my drawings more accurate. I have contacted the Boston Public Library but they are slow to get back to me...
Thank you again for putting all of your research online. I have been going to the site almost everyday since I decided to design the department store for my project. I look forward to hearing from you!
Do you have an email address that I may write to?
Elizabeth
Dear Elizabeth:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Please comment again, and send your email address. I will not publish the comment. I don't have architectural drawings, and my source for the Globe has disappeared. But I may be able to direct you a bit.
Bruce
Please lets not forget the very fine Best & Company on 5th ave in NYC. It closed and was replaced with a large skyscraper (Olympic Tower). Probably the last time it was seen was in the classic movie "The Godfather" (Michael and Kay are Christmas shopping in the city and are seen coming out of Best). They had the best (pardon the pun) children's department and of course legendary service. They had a few branch stores in the NYC suburbs. One became a well known beauty salon Nu-Best.
ReplyDeleteThe decline of the department store as we knew it (before the Macy's take-over of everything) started in the 1980's.
ReplyDeletePart A is the birth of the BIG box stores....for everything.. furniture, electronics, books, even toys. Why go to your favorite department store to maybe find what you wanted and perhaps pay more, when you can go to the big box and purchase from a wide selection and at a better price.
Part B: department stores began to eliminate certain departments from their stores. Gone was the pet dept, the book dept, the elctronics dept, and the furniture dept was scaled back.Of course they used all that extra space to expand their clothing selection (larger men's store, more kitchen gadgets, and more cosmetics).
Part C: The birth of luxury and specialty stores in a mall near you...eventually a street near you. Here we see luxury goods being sold to the masses. The birth of the designer stores and the specialty stores. Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Tiffany (on every corner these days), Brooks Brothers (everywhere). NYC now has five Brooks Brothers stores in Manhattan alone. I could be wrong it might be six.
Part D: The Factory Store (aka outlets). Once in remote locations, now everywhere. Does anyone really believe this is the real stuff?
And so, the department stores were hurting. They could not survive and the end result is Macy's is everywhere. Otherwise, there would have been no department stores at all. The big question is: Will Macy's survive?
BAK
ReplyDeletePlease try to find "The Department Store" by Ferris. Probably out of print...but it was the best book on the history of almost all major department stores in US and other countries. I have not seen this book in years.
I read somewhere on this wonderful "Museum site" something about purchasing shopping bags for 15 cents. I had forgotten that. Most stores did have a little machine near the escalators for this purpose...Macy's, Gimbel's, A&S, Gertz and others all had this. Not so at Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, B. Altman and Saks. They had free bags as they were considered the "better stores". This brings back an old memory. I briefly worked at an A&S store in my youth. I worked in the luggage dept. One evening, an elderly man came in to look at large suitcases. He was carrying a large box as he had just purchased a stereo system from the electronics dept. He then purchased the largest suitcase we had, put the stereo box inside the suitcase and walked out of the store. Little did he know: I was working the next afternoon when he came into the store to return the suitcase. His reason was "it didn't fit"! LOL. Think about this - electronics dept (gone from dept stores today), suitcases (without wheels, does this exist today), and stereo system (today we all have an IPOD). Oh the sweet memories.
ReplyDeleteSweet memories, Indeed! Thank you for sharing them. In the Detroit area, Hudson's was our "better" store, but you still had to pay .15 for one of their white bags with 2-tone green polka-dots. Jacobson's was the finest local store, and they provided bags, silver gift boxes with hand-tied ribbons, and exquisite customer service without extra charge.
ReplyDeleteI rally appreciate your sharing these memories - they make up an integral part of "The Museum!"
Bruce
Oh you are welcome. The memories brought up by this "museum" are all wonderful. The shopping bags, the sales help (these were sales people not cashiers), the quality of goods, and the gift boxes (solid and re-usable). I use many of the old boxes for storage of everything from stationery to Christmas ornaments. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see photos of boxes, shopping bags, store logos, buildings, and interiors?
ReplyDeleteHopefully this site will expand and develop over time. I look forward to it all! Great job...thanks again.
There are many memories here about department stores of the past, and also complaints about Macy's and consolidation. Truly sad that so much of the past is gone. But may I ask? What has happened to your favorite restaurant? Your favorite hotel? Your favorite hardware store? Your favorite bookstore? And of course, your favorite BANK? Welcome to the world of McDonald's, Hampton Inn, Home Depot,Barnes & Noble, Bank of America and of course Macy's. Does anyone remember Howard Johnson's?
ReplyDeleteInterestingly many New Yorkers went to Florida for vacation, to visit and of course to live (whether full time or as snow birds). They wanted more than Burdine's and Jordan Marsh and they got it. Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor and Macy's all opened stores in newly created malls and then in existing malls. An over department storing of Floida..........add Saks Fifth Avenue and Florida became one extensive mall. So look what happened.... Goodbye Burdine's. Goodbye Jordan Marsh. Hello the same everywhere! Markets can only handle so much. This is true everywhere and now we have lost a certain individualism.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day, there were many department stores in New York and its surrounding areas.But they all serviced certain economic levels.
ReplyDeleteThe so called budget stores included:
May's (not to be confused with May Co or any other May elsewhere),
EJ Korvette's (bargain prices for bargain goods but great prices on records....remember records),
S Klein (known locally as Klein's on the Square - it was on 14th Street at Union Square)again bargain prices but very good service,
Alexander's (always a good bargain - this store may have begun in the Bronx).
Mid level department stores:
Gimbel's (which had a bargain basement),
Macy's (the so called world's largest store - it also had a bargain basement but probably only because Gimbel's had one),
Abraham & Straus (A&S - fine Brooklyn store), Gertz (a Queens store with a devoted customer base).
Bloomingdale's (originally developed as a bargain bazaar it moved itself into an upper level as its neighborhood changed).
The better stores: Bloomingdale's (full line department store, not quite the specialty store) so it fits into two areas,
B. Altman & Company (with its fine goods and fine service),
Lord & Taylor (more stylish than Altman's but the same fine quality of goods and services), Saks Fifth Avenue (the big name),
Bonwit Teller (evenually became more cutting edge and fashionable than the others),
Bergdorf Goodman (at the very top in its day).
There were many other fine stores in NYC: Peck & Peck, Best & Company, Arnold Constable, Brooks Brothers, Franklin Simon, Depino, Sterns, Martins, and many more.
Also there were many of the original stores in NYC: AT Stewart, Cooper Seigal, John Wanamaker and more.
Of course as a society we have all become more sophisticated and affluent. As many of us may shop in Nordstorm's and Neiman-Marcus today when we look back we think of some of the mid-level stores with fondness, because things were just better back then.
The B Altman on the Miricle Mile was a wonderful store with great goods and great service, but the building was rather odd. It was very long and appeared to be a series of buildings in a row. Meanwhile it was very narrow with entrances both facing Northern Blvd (Miricle Mile) and the back (Stratmore side facing the Village Bath Club). The inside was shabby at best even with the newer addition to the east. There was no escalator in the store (I am not sure there was even an elevator). The upper floor was the credit/executive offices and the Charleston Restaurant. The main floor was (from west to east) women's clothing, accessories, greeting cards/gift items, and a small men's clothing area. The lower level was children's clothing and toys. Later with an expansion to the east The men's store was created, and then a domestics wing. On the lower level was furniture and a full housewares and home store, including a full line book dept. Soon afterward the domestics were moved downstairs to the home store area and the space on the main level became the big women's shop. For some reason there were a series of hallways which connected the different sections of the store...and about three staircases going up and down between floors. Even though the building had a dumpy feel, it was at the same time classic, sedate, and charming.Everyone I knew from the Cow Bay Peninsula (Manhasset, Port Washington, Sands Point) still miss the old store. Today it is a Crate & Barrel store (and that Crate & Barrel is the nicest store in their chain).Interestingly, Altman's although "next" to the Americana Center, was not part of the Americana.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite store was the Lord & Taylor in Manhasset on the Miricle Mile. It was not a large store and it was very shabby with ripped carpeting and peeling paint. Regardless, they had the best clothing and the best service. In the early 1980's they did a total renovation of the building. As in their other stores, they put in Italian marble floors (gray for the Men's Shop and pink for the rest of the store). It really was beautiful. But no matter what, nothing could beat their service.
ReplyDeleteAll the regular customers had a sales associate and never should another help you. I once purchased a ski jacket with a down vest insert (zippered in). I bought it the week before Columbus Day. On the saturday of the Columbus Day weekend I happened to walk into the store and was looking around. All of a sudden my sales associate Lee came up to me and handed me a receipt. I asked "what is this"? Her response: "A credit for the ski jacket you bought last week, its on sale for 25% less today"!Who could ask for anything more? Where could you find such service elsewhere? I miss Lee. Besides the great service she was a character and truly funny!She had the best stories.
Thanks for this fabulous information - I feel as if I've been there, even though I haven't. I'd have to say the loss of Altman's is one of the great tragedies of what happened to our retail world in the last 20-30 years.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that Altman's didn't have large ads in the New York Times advertising the opening and expansion of this store.
I understand what you mean by the store being dumpy yet charming at the same time. My one experience in the Fifth Avenue store, though, made me remember it as a palace.
Bruce
Oh but the NYC Fifth Avenue store WAS a palace. The Altman's in Manhasset opened in the late 40's or early 50's...so by the 70's and 80's the store was shabby. Not sure why the ads in the Times don't mention the expansion (Altman's took over the Franklin Simon building and expanded to the East. But even with the expansion, the store always looked worn out.
ReplyDeleteAcross Shelter Rock Road from Lord & Taylor on the Miricle Mile in Manhasset was originally Arnold Constable (they went out of buisness in early 70's). This became the Bloomingdale's Home Store. Three levels of housewares, furniture, draperies, carpeting,cookware, electrics,domestics and glass, silver and china. It was all so modern and the service was better than at any other Bloomingdale's in the chain. They had an entrance on Northern Blvd but I doubt anyone ever walked in this doorway. Everyone used the parking lot entrance to the back. I remember they always had cooking demonstrations on the main floor every saturday.
ReplyDeleteTo the west on the Miricle Mile (either it was the beginning or not really part of it)but Northern Blvd anyway was the Abraham & Straus store in Manhasset (at Community Drive). It was originally (in the 60's) a large store. In the 70's they doubled the size and it became a huge store. Three levels and two escalator systems. There was a snack bar on the main level and a restaurant on the upper level. All of the home store was on the lower level and with the expansion, the men's store took over the entire new wing of the main floor. Even with the better stores further up the road the "Gold Coast's tony North Shore elite shopped alongside the masses with modest incomes. There was somethng for everyone at Abraham & Straus.
ReplyDeleteAt the East end of the Miricle Mile in Manhasset and on the north side of the road (across from the Americana) was Bonwit Teller (which sat alone next to the fabled Patricia Murphy's Candlelight Restaurant.... do you remember the flower clock in the garden)? Bonwit's building was red brick with a curved slate and brick staircase to its Port Washington Blvd entrance. It was three levels and contained a Men's Shop the size of a closet. The women's selection was spaced out through out the rest of the store but there was never a large selection (rather it was a select collection of the most fashionable clothing of the time). The service was rather snobby here and there was a more eclectic clientele than at Altman's or L&T.People came here for the clothes not the service.
ReplyDeleteGarden City, NY had its Franklin Avenue (once called the "Fifth Avenue of Long Island"). All the great stores are gone now. There was A&S (small), Martin's, Lord&Taylor (still there), Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bloomingdale's. Can you believe that the Bloomingdale's became a Sear's???
ReplyDeleteWhen the Bloomingdale's on Franklin Avenue in garden City opened, it was a large (much larger than the surrounding stores) sophisticated and very modern concept. It was different than all the other stores in the area, and so much better than anything at near-by Roosevelt Field!
ReplyDeleteSadly time went on (70's, 80's) and in the 90's Roosevelt Field (which had been in decline) revamped itself. The A&S was closed and Bloomingdlae's took over the building there and barely spent a penny doing anything more than changing the sign. In fairness, the A&S had only just opened two years earlier! Today it is very nice, but just not the Garden City store.
The Lord & Taylor on Franklin Avenue in Garden City was larger than the Manhasset store, but never had the ambiance of that store. The service was always good, and there seemed to be a more fashionable feel to the place. What was best about the store was that you could park at the Bloomingdale's across the street and walk over or park in the lot behind the store and enter from the back entrance. The restaurant on the second level was always crowded and the Garden City crowd treated it as a temple. Mostly people from Garden City never shopped at the Bloomingdale's but worshipped L&T.
ReplyDeleteThe Men's Shop which occupied the north end of the store always had a larger selection than the Manhasset store and the selection of women's fashions was wider and larger than other branches.
The Saks Fifth Avenue store on Franklin Avenue was very fashionable. Three levels of mostly women's fashions, there was also a very tiny men's dept hiden to the side. Eventually an escalator was installed and there was some expansion. One problem for this store became their desire to move into what had become a very fashionable Roosevelt Field Mall (not far away). Garden City would not permit further expansion of the mall and Saks threatened to leave Franklon Avenue...and so they did. Now the only Saks on Long Island is at Walt Whitman in S. Huntington and of course the very tiny Southampton store.
ReplyDeleteBergdorf-Goodman was at the very top in the retail world (especially in NYC). It was (and is) a beautiful building located on Fifth Avenue at 57th Street. When one entered the store, immediately you had a sense of fashionable, classic, wealth. In its day it was both fashionable and understated. By the 90's they expanded across Fifth Avenue to the former FAO Shwartz toy store building. That building became their overstated Men's Store. Today both stores are very fashionable, contemporary and absurdly expensive.
ReplyDeleteIn the early 1980's Bergdorf decided to expand. They opened a branch store in White Plains next to B. Altman & Company. "On the Plaza" in NYC became "on the Plaza" in White Plains as they built a fountain next to the store. Sadly soon after opening, Altman's closed. Bergdorf could not make it in that location (probably more to the story). Bergdorf closed, Neiman-Marcus took over the building...a mall was attached (The Westchester) and a Nordstorm's took the Altman's space. Those stores are still around. There is a large Bloomingdale's near-by. So its still very nice, but just NOT the same.
Last week I went shopping on Main Street in Westport, Connecticut. Tiffany, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Brooks Brothers, Kate Spade, Talbots, Banana Republic, J Crew, Vineyard Vines. All very nice specialty stores, but not one department store (there is a fairly new Crate & Barrel up on RT 1 if that counts). All the people were in shirts, tees, and flip flops (the weather barely called for that attire). But the world has changed. People are different. They are looking for names over quality. There is no class, no style, just a whole lot of crassness and rudeness. We have come a long way since Lucy Ricardo rode her lawn mower down the Main Street of Westport!
ReplyDeleteWhere's the page on Dayton's!
ReplyDeleteI don't currently have enough information for Dayton's, to do it justice, but I hope to in due course. Donaldson's, Powers, and Young-Quinlan, too.
ReplyDeleteBAK
Department stores were in fact magical places back in their day. They have become a "lost art".
ReplyDeleteSadly by the 1980's they began their decline. Once the "grand dames" of their cities and malls, they are no longer an important part of a families lifestyle. No longer will you find store loyalty as in today's world we have brand/name/designer loyalty. People want so called luxury items aplenty. In fact, they have now turned those once luxury items into everyday non items. Certainly the luxury is gone once everyone has a certain item (items).
In the past the great department stores had a little of everything...today designers do the same in mutiple locations and under a multitude of sub-names.
In the 1980's Saks Fifth Avenue usually advertised only in the New York Times and sometimes in the New Yorker. But they decided (for a very brief time) to advertise on local radio and on TV.
ReplyDelete... we are all the things you are...
... gifts just right for you...
... we are all the things you are...
... at SAKS FIFTH AV EN UE !!!
It was a very catchy tune and disappeared very quickly...but it was good.
Back in the 1970's and 1980's, Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC (Saks & Company as it is called) did not have an escalator system. Only elevators carried shoppers to the upper floors. In the late 80's an escalator system was built along what was the back wall of the main store.. additional floor space for the store was include behind that new escalator area.
ReplyDeleteThe best restrooms in NYC are located in Saks. The Men's room on the 6th floor is the best anywhere,and there is now a very nice men's room on the seventh floor.
Saks is still the best decorated NYC store at Christmas time. The main floor is a winter wonderland, and all the upper floors are quite lovely. There is a beautiful view of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from the sixth floor front windows (sadly over the past three years they have tried to hidethe view...shame on them).
Today Saks remains one of the most beautiful stores in the USA. They call themselves a "specialty store".
Its worth a visiit from anywhere, as it still has remnants of the old days.
The original Saks Fifth Avenue was actually Saks 34th Street and was owned by Gimbel's. The original name of the store was Saks & Company.
ReplyDeleteI would like to introduce you to my blog which has postcards depicting the old major department stores across the U.S. Right now I have all the stores in California. I have just added Abraham & Straus and Hahne's from the East. I will continue to add stores as the site tours across the U.S. John Plummer www.plummersearch.com/blog
ReplyDeleteWOW, this is truly an amazing list of department stores, thanks for sharing this list i really was in search of it....
ReplyDeletelist of department stores
I was in Saks Fifth Avenue this past weekend... Carson Kressley was there and they offered some champagne and shrimp, quiche and cream puffs... all free...all in the hopes someone would spend big bucks on clothing now made in China! The world has changed.....I must say the sales people were helpful and very nice....but just not like in the past
ReplyDeleteThere was another department store in Atlanta called Regenstein's. Unfortunately I don't know much about it but it would be interesting to find out.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the dept store Master's on Main Street in Flushing, NY????? Later I think it became Baxter'.... what did they sell?
ReplyDeleteI was in Brooks Brothers today (on Madison Avenue in NYC,,, the flagship store)...very busy, I purchased shoes...and received horrible service. I realize that is what i miss most about the old days.....excellent service by professional sales persons.
ReplyDeleteBrooks now has a total of seven stores in Manhattan, NYC. Is that really necessary?
ReplyDeleteI love looking back to the glory days of the department store era. I am saddened by two recent events in the world of today's department stores. The first is that many stores opened on Thanksgiving Day. Crass, unfair, and immoral. Those poor employees having to work on a MAJOR FAMILY HOLIDAY.It is simply not right. The second is the violence. Pepper spray? Need I say more? We have become a sick society. I look back with fondness and I am frightened by the future.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to have a Lansing area book signing? If yes, please let me know when and where?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer. Something IS in the works for Lansing . . . check my Amazon author page
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005ITYRL6
for details as they emerge.
Bruce
Hello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Pierre, I'm from small town in the province of Québec,Canada and i own a set of dining room furniture that i bought five years ago from our local church's Nun convent.
I was told it is a 1936 set, complete with 40" x 60" table with two extensions & six chairs, a cupboard and dish cabinet.
It has the inscription "The Robert Simpson Furniture Company Limited" on the back.
It's in very good shape and i kept the top of the cabinet & table with a glass to protect the them.
I would like to sell this set as it does not fit my new house anymore.
I'm wondering where i can post pictures of the whole package.
I think people looking for antique complete sets could be interrested into it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Bonjour, Pierre!
ReplyDeleteJe pense que la meilleure façon de vendre les meubles est sur eBay. Mais je vais laisser vos informations ici au cas où quelqu'un le voit et s'intéresse. S'il vous plaît vérifier et voir si quelqu'un met une autre commentaire ici.
Je vous souhaite un Joyeux Noël et une Bonne Nouvelle Année 2012 au Québec!
Bruce
Great site - especially loved the info on Crowley's, Hudson's Downtown and Jacobson's Dearborn (I worked there in the '80's at the "Top of the Fountain" and in the Home Store wrapping gifts at Christmas). Keep those memories alive and have a Happy New Year my fellow Detroit Catholic brother!
ReplyDeleteBrian Squiers http://purechristianity.weebly.com/
why not add a section where we can upload images of our old Department store credit cards ?
ReplyDeleteYou will note that, thanks to the generosity of a collector, I have included a charge card exhibit. If you would like to add to it, please send scanned .jpg files (full size at at least 200 dpi) to me at bakgraphics@comcast.net and I will be happy to include them for all to see.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Burlington, Vermont ought to be included. Abernethy, Clarkson, and Wright operated a small department store at the head of Church Street for 60+ years that personified elegance and customer service. They had a few leased departments, shoes, women;s hats, as well as a Music Store that sold pianos...the historic building now houses other offices and antique businesses. My uncle Thomas Wright, Jr could access his office via the fire escape if necessary. they even had pneumatic tubes for processing cash transactions...
ReplyDeleteI am looking for information on a riding habit made in September 1944. The label lists "GERTZ 561 Fifth Avenue, New York" I assumed this would have been a private tailor but was there a location of the Gertz department store at this location? Anyone have any information?
ReplyDeleteI searched the New York Times regarding this name and address, but came up with nothing. Several firms were located in the building, but no reference to a "Gertz" was found. It may have been an importer or manufacturer. Perhaps someone with personal experience with the firm will see your comment and reply accordingly.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Well, at least it seems you have narrowed down for me that it wasn't part of the department store. This was a habit made for Mrs Paul Mellon in September 1944. I will keep searching. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIn every old department store I've heard of, even Britt's (a department store owned by JJ Newberry, on par on with JCP I think) had "gourmet foods". What exactly did that entail? Jams, jellies, cheese-and-meat packages, or what?
ReplyDeleteHello, Pseudo 3D.
ReplyDeleteIt depends. In some cases, it was just that, but some, like Marshall Field & Company, had a real gourmet grocery featuring pantry foods, deli, bakery, frozen foods, and wine. The J. L. Hudson Co. of my youth had a marvelous pantry department, with a deli. Sibley's of Rochester had a full-blown but relatively high-end grocery in its stores.
Gourmet shops, along with books, decorative accesories, and other unusual offerings made the great department stores places to browse, spend time, and discover, like a fair or museum, in ways that today's stores don't, and remain one of their most endearing features.
Bruce
I am looking for any info on Macy's Herald Sq. Corner Shop. In 1966 I purchased a French Hutch there. I remember it as an Antique Shop on the 9th floor. How long did it exist? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe best I can do is to look and see how early ads for The Corner Shop existed. I know that I have seen postcards of the shop online. Macy*s doesn't have anything like it today, do they?!! I also think that they exported that shop concept to their other divisions as well.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Great information. Please add anything you have on Orhbachs in NYC.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for 'sewn-in' labels from clothing produced and sold by department stores with their labels. Men's suits and Coats, and men's ties often have labels with the department store names. Ladies clothing might -- depending how old it was.
ReplyDeleteIf you could post this note on your website, I'd appreciate it, and people could get in touch with you and then you could send them my address or send me their contact info.
thanks --
A Quilter in NYC
my contact info is
ReplyDeleteRenee Fields
rbettybop@nyc.rr.com
A Quilter in NYC
I just wanted to mention, there was also a Jacobson's in Jacksonville, FL that closed in 2002. (The building was converted to classrooms and offices for what is now Florida State College at Jacksonville).
ReplyDeleteThank you. On this site, I really cut off detailed history at about 1980, so I haven't covered the later Jacobson's. For a photo, and history of Jacobson's in Florida, you may like to see my book, Jacobson's: I Miss It So!
ReplyDeleteHas anybody ever been to the Bloomingdale's in White Plains, when it first opened in 1975? What was the layout of it?
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it Smile I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
ReplyDeleteI stubbled upon your siet and really enjoy it being that my 1st job was in a department store: Harris' in San Bernardino. I excitedly looked thru your list of stores for Harris' but it wasn't there. You may one day want to add it because it was such an icon in the Inland Empire and had an amazing beautiful building like the ones that you have posted. Some information on the store can be found at:http://gingerjar2.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/city-of-san-bernardino-history-update-the-harris-company/
ReplyDeleteHi, I was going through my grandparents stuff and found two HM Block (IN) indentification cards or otherwise known as credit cards. I was wondering who your specialist for credit cards is and if they would like a picture of it?
ReplyDeleteIf so please give me an email to contact them.
Thank you
BAK....
ReplyDeleteI have some items to email you. How to go about it?
Thanks,
Lloyd
Hello, Lloyd.
ReplyDeleteYou may use bakgraphics@comcast.net
Bruce
First, I must say I love your blog- it brings me to the "magic" of retail back in the day! I do need to note you are missing Liberty House Hawaii, which began as H. Hackfeld's Dry Goods back in the 1850's- it was THE place to shop on the Islands for a century plus.... I saw your Liberty House listing in California, however that was not it's home base, nor where it's reputation was built. Thank you for this blog, it warms my heart whenever I visit~ having worked in Department Stores for much of my retail life
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Thomas.
ReplyDeleteI plan to include Liberty House when I have access to more information about it.
I have updated the directory list to reflect my intention, since I must have omitted it accidentally when I published the list.
Bruce
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that I love this site! I'll make sure to stop in frequently.
Thought my museum of shopping bags might interest you as there are many bags from department stores. If you'd like to check it out the address is bagatellemuseum.blogspot.com.
Again, well done--totally delightful museum!
Courtney
I don't believe Saks Fifth Ave was connected to Saks 34th st.which was a furniture operation and once owned by Gimballs..
ReplyDeleteSaks-34th was indeed related to Saks Fifth Avenue - it was a more moderately-priced clothing store, also a part of the Gimbels organization and closed in the 1960s. The store's branches were taken over by Gimbels at that time.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Gilchrist was in downtown crossing (washington street via Summer Street via Winter Street) as the Corner (formerly Gilchrist) had cookie Marcoon yummy
ReplyDeleteSaks Fifth Avenue and Saks 34th were affiliated in a similar way between Bullock's and Bullocks Wilshire, except that is was vice-versa in terms of class. When you have your Liberty House Hawaii exhibit, be sure to include a directory for the Ala Moana store as well as downtown Honolulu.
ReplyDeleteOne store and city absent from the California list is Gottschalks (E. Gottschalk & Co.) from Fresno. I'd like to see an exhibit about them when opportunity calls!
ReplyDeleteCalifornia's "Inland Empire" had a great store, the Harris Company.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Company
Is there anyway you know of to find which stores were in harlem and irving in 1984?
ReplyDeleteI would check the Chicago Tribune from 1984. Most ads list store locations, and then you could compile a list.
ReplyDeleteIf your library doesn't have it on microfilm, many libraries do have access to the Chicago Tribune through ProQuest Historical newspapers.
I wish you well in your search . . .
Bruce
Great site, so well done and interesting. Why no mention though of Arnold Constable? Fifth Avenue and 40th Street, NYC. Also one of the first stores to open branches. A favorite of Eleanor Roosevelt, it had started out as a high fashion mecca but evolved into a more serene old money store.
ReplyDeleteDear Bak ~ to repeat the common tribute "Thank you for a wonderful site". Stumbled upon it while looking for info on the development of the downtown Vancouver, BC, landmark - the Woodwards building. I used to take my children there at Christmas in the 1970's as they had the best 'moving' window displays of anywhere! My childhood was often spent trailing after my grandmother at the Ogilvie's in Montreal, Quebec where all the french attendees were eager to practice their english.
ReplyDeletegood job Bak. When you publish an exhaustive book on old defunct american dept stores, I will be in line for one. The one I remember and would like to get some info on was the John Wanamaker in Philly and the Original Neiman Marcus on Main and Ervay in Dallas. Those were two of the True Greats
ReplyDeleteThank you Bak for creating such a magnificent site! As a lifelong resident of the Chicago area I particular enjoy your very detailed tribute to Marshall Field & Company! Off and on I have been a retail employee for over 25 years. I even had pleasure of working at Marshall Field & Company at Woodfield Mall. The only reason there was to pursue a sales career at Neiman Marcus Oakbrook.
ReplyDeleteFor a very long time I thought I was the only person who cared about venerating the department store's of old.. Frankly I have always despised the Henry Ford idea that "History is bunk."
Now I can get chatty on a subject that I love and converse with those who love it too! :)
Skimming through the comments above I do not see the Boston Store listed as a department store which I thought it was. We had a large elite Boston Store in Madison WI which had a train that ran from the cieling of the top floor which children could ride. That was the highlite of our christmas.
ReplyDeleteHow about Lucky Platt in Poughkipsie, NY. Very sophisticated for a small town store. Maybe because Vassar College was nearby?
ReplyDeleteRe the comment about Saks 34 being a furniture operation. The furniture chain was "Sachs" and unrelated. The had a catchy jingle of their phone number: Melrose five, five three hundred....
ReplyDeleteI love this website! I am looking for information on a Department store called Wow,located in Cleveland ,Ohio.(I think it was in a shopping center called Greenlight Shopping Center)My siblings and I are planning a retirement party for our Mother,and that was one of her first jobs.We are really looking for a photo,but anything would be useful.I believe it was in operation in the late 70's early 80's?
ReplyDeleteI would suggest searching The Plain Dealer for information about the store. It is available online through Genealogybank.com.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Masters Department store in Flushing was at 37th Avenue and Main Street. They sold clothes, television sets, radios, and record players, and records, I know that. I was last in there probably in 1973.
ReplyDeleteHi BAK: I was up in Portland Maine, this weekend, and saw the downtown Porteous, Mitchell, & Braun Co...This would be a great addition to the museum...And also let me sincerely thank you for the outstanding job you have done with this site. Words cannot express how grateful I am for existence! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI may have missed it in the comments but if it has not been mentioned then I would like to add Kingsmill's Department Store on Fund as Street in London Ontario Canada to your list. Not huge but definitely a department store, four floors, great china department, large furniture floor, newly added kitchenwares, usually women's wear, small but well chosen men's shop, etc.
ReplyDeleteFounded in 1865, current store built in 1930. Still owned and operated by fifth generation family of the founder. Not many business of any kind can say that these days.
Seems to continue to be successful despite the downtown business and retail area its in having become semi abandoned. Right across the street is a failed mini mall made out of the old Simpson's department store.
When I was there last they were doing renovations on the main floor that both modernized it and restored and used many if the great wood and glass counters and show cases. With clerks actually behind these counters waiting to serve you it was almost like going through a time warp. Oh, and the brass cage elevator still has a live operator!!
For collectors of places on this site this is a hidden gem.
I am very familiar with Kingsmills and I do agree with you; I visited the store in January, and was surprised and gladdened to see that it was updated and expanded since I was last there in the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteYour description is very accurate, and when lecturing about Jacobson's, when anyone asks me if there is anything like a traditional department store, i tell them to seek out Kingsmills in London, Ontario on Dundas street: www.kingsmills.com
Bruce
Bruce
ReplyDeleteWow that's great. Small world indeed.
I think it deserves a case study as to how its managed to survive and dare I say, thrive. I think it has a pretty good idea who its key customer is and I think its the level and type of service they provide.
I am now in Vancouver where the great (not necessarily beautiful) downtown store from the 70's that was Eaton's that became Sears has just closed its doors. As it crunched down from 9 levels to 1 then none you could wonder the other floors as every fixture and piece of junk that could move was for sale, being ripped out and put into big piles. It is now to go through a two year renovation including a makeover of the exterior walls to open it up and then part is become a Nordstrom and the rest offices and such.
Moving from sad to exciting, kitty corner to it is the Hudson Bay Store going though a huge revitalization project in and out. The exterior terra cotta has been cleaned and restored and just recently traditional style entrance canopies have been installed that look great. Inside all 8 levels are being redone and the store is staying open throughout. Brave staff!! The new men's wear floor now relocated to the top floor ( a bit odd) has just opened. Its very good and even has been opened back to the windows so natural light streams in.
Its early yet and some corners cut or odd choices made but serious money is being
invested so expecting a great store will be with us for some time to come.
Also on the lost list would be Anderson's. It was located in the city of St. Thomas, Ontario just 20 miles south of London and the Kingsmill's store discussed above.
ReplyDeleteSt. Thomas was known as the Railway Capital of Canada with 26 different railways having passed through at one time or other.
All that meant boom town activity and the Anderson family department store was a busy place in the centre of town. I recall one story telling of ladies millinery employing four hat makers at its heyday.
The store closed in the 80's and the building was converted to apartments.
Someone was asking what "gourment foods" meant in terms of scope and product.
ReplyDeleteI'll use the example of Eaton's Winnipeg. On the Lower or Basement level was a full grocery store as extensive as anything anywhere in the city.
However on the third floor was the fine foods department. A featured house label was their Grill Room products, the Grill Room being the name of their wood paneled, white table cloth restaurant. Fine foods included the usual jar and packed items we think of today but also marble counters and displays for fine cheeses, including temperature controlled coolers behind the counter, full meat counter, again marble, with whole sides of meat aging in glass doored coolers and white coated butchers making cuts to order, chocolate counter, pastry and cakes and wonderful breads baked in a great brick oven in the bakery located in either the annex or catalog building. The memory of the crustry acorn French loafs makes my mouth water as I write. It was a wonderful selection of fine foods indeed.
Down the street at the Hudson Bay store there was also grocery store in the basement level and Govenors Table gourmet foods elsewhere. Not as extensive as Eaton's however. As an aside, what The Bay did have over Eaton's was a great tobacco and cigar shop and, at various times depending on the rules of the day, a spirts and wine shop with their own labeled rum, gin and such. Eaton's never had either at anytime in its history because its founder, Timothy Eaton, was a strict tea totaler.
Interesting, the circle has come round in many ways. The Bay's Queen Street store in Toronto has revived its food and deli department on the lower floor and much of what you see happening in grocery stores such as Whole Foods and many imitators, with displays, selection and service harkins back to what many of these great department stores once offered. Times, standards and economics have changed things of course and the likes of the great Food Hall at Harrod's in London is not likely to be seen again but one can but Hope!
Thank you wholeheartedly for your eloquent and informative description! You captured the essence of what these "Gourmet Foods" departments were really like.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, though I have never been to Winnipeg, I do know what the Eaton's store meant to the city. What a terrible loss to all of Canada and to anyone who loved the great stores, for surely Eaton's was very near the top of the pinnacle!
Bruce
Any information on Butler Brothers? It was a nine store chain in California and Seattle. Very lovely stores and friendly clerks. I miss it very much.
ReplyDeleteDear Sir,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any information on department stores donating silver tea sets and serving sets to Los Angeles Unified School District for use in Home Economics courses? Let me know if you've heard tale of this and which stores if possible. All the best,
KD
Do you have any information on vintage books that were bound for Marshall Field and Company?
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - a first trade edition with over 100 Hugh Thomson illustrations. It has a blue leather cover with gold embossed center and trim, Pride and Prejudice printed in gold.
On the top edge of the inside cover printed in gold it states: Bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, London, England. On the bottom of the inside cover printed in gold it states: For Marshall Field and Company.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you
The most help I can be with items like this is to publish your comment in hopes that someone with knowledge of antiquarian books sees it.
ReplyDeleteAt one time, Marshall Field & Company had a whole section devoted to antiquarian books and old maps and prints.
Bruce
Hi there. When did Henry Harris Cincinnati officially close. I'm selling a Henry Harris blazer on my Etsy shop and would like to add some historical info to my listing. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI found 2 old husdon's jackets they are when they firs started making them any one want to see them they are for sale
ReplyDeleteMy Mom and Dad both worked for JL Hudson's. Dad for over 40 years. It was my first job at Northland. Many, many trips to Downtown Hudson's on the Grand River bus (no matter the season). First stop was always the mezzanine floor to put coats away and use the restroom! Of course the 12th floor was the favorite..the toy floor. Not sure what floor the resturant was on but still remember the Maurice Salad fondly. For years, Dad was in the Thanksgiving Parade (every other year) We'd go down early, have donuts and hot chocolate, see Dad get made up. JL would come through and always greeted my dad by name. He would do the same for my Mom at Northland. So many memories...even out here in California, I cried watching the news when the building came down!!
ReplyDeleteI also worked at Jacobson's in Ann Arbor. They hired me immediately when they saw I had worked for Hudson's.
Question? There was a brass(?) plaque in the mens department, by an escalator, that had all the names of employee's that served in WWII. My Dad's name was on it and that was also another stop to see and feel his name. Do you know what ever happened to that?
I have many things Dad saved...mostly employee like the Hudsonian magazine. I know there are things about those that served also, his name and photo was in a booklet. I need to go through that containor again, see what I have and scan what I can for you!
Let me know,
Karen
Thanks, Karen for sharing those wonderful memories!
ReplyDeleteIt truly was "the people" that made these stores so special. I remember that plaque - It was near the Grand River escalators, I think. I believe it may have been moved to Northland, but I'll have to look into some books to see what I can find; you might try calling the Detroit Historical Museum to see if they know where it is.
You may email me at bakgraphics@comcast.net if you think there is anything in those "Hudsonians" that could be shared with visitors to The Department Store Museum. I would like to have some better images of Hudson's branches up until 1980. Good renderings or photos of these are hard to come by.
Thanks again,
Bruce
There use to be a very nice department store in Matteson Illinois on Route 30 and Governors Highway. It was before TJ Maxx got there. Does any one remember it. I think the name had a Z in the beginning or something. I loved that department store. It was in a plaza with Walgreens and maybe a furniture store. This was a department store that sold clothes, shoes, and other stuff. Let me know. infotb.2012@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteYou may want to add to the list in Allentown Pennsylvania, Zollinger-Harned Department Store. In earlier incarnations it was Harned-Early, and even earlier it was Lawfer's Department Store.
ReplyDelete(commenter "Susan Butler" is a spambot)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Leonard's on this list. It was a department store in Fort Worth with five branches. The chain was converted to Dillard's in 1974 after its old owner Tandy bought it and demolished the flagship.
It was a bit of a lower-end store, though it did have a full-line supermarket (and a private subway!)
BAK:
ReplyDeleteYou have done an amazing job expanding and adding all the wonderful additions to this site. I am so glad you now starting to add the great retailers from our friends up north. Can't wait to see that addition. Eaton's, Simpson's, Holt's and perhaps the Bay (or now back to Hudson Bay)I LOVE this site
I am diligently working on some updates for the Canada stores - along with my book about Eaton's. It is a fascinating history and I have combed the store's preserved archives for information and pictures that have never been seen by the general public. I am very excited about the progress and if anyone has a special remembrance or experience of Eaton's I encourage them to contact me at bakgraphics@comcast.net.
ReplyDeleteBruce
There was a small store in foothill square (Oakland) in the late 60's I thought was a J Magnin. It had an elevator to the 2nd floor. Does anyone remember the name?
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if an early childhood memory of mine can be verified by anyone. My mother took me to eat in NYC at one of the big department stores, I think it was either Saks or Bloomingdales. It was probably around 1975 (I was 5) and the place was magical. It had delicate wrought iron cafe style tables and chairs. The ceiling was very high and may have had a sky light. The floor may have been wight tile. In the center of the room was a towering centerpiece of plants, perhaps a small water fall and maybe even some live birds in cages. Can anyone else remember such a place????
ReplyDeleteI Have a question. Recently a friend who lives in Massachusetts found an original signed pastel in her basement. It was framed and the brown paper over the back had a square card on it that said, "original artwork done especially for Jordan Marsh and Company. I was wondering when in their history did Jordan Marsh sell original works of art? Is there anyplace to find out more about this. Thanks. I can be reached at jumbalayahitch@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteNice website! I am wondering, Bak, if you have any information on a Lambacker (sp?) family that were involved with department stores in the 1930s, I think in the state of NY, possibly Buffalo? Any info would be appreciated, thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello! I have not heard the name, but perhaps you should get a copy of "999 - The Glory Days of Buffalo Shopping" by Michael RIzzo. It contains just about anything one might want to know about Buffalo stores and is interesting in itself.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Great Blog...another store that bit the Michigan dust was Hughes & Hatcher, which latter became Hughes, Hatcher & Suffrin. I can still see its iconic script.
ReplyDeleteYou are right! At Eastland, we always walked through "Hughes & Hatcher" to get from the parking lot to Hudson's. It was exceedingly classy, and when you think about it, where can men (and later, women) buy clothes today like that!
ReplyDeleteYou should add exhibits for department store matchbooks and restaurant menus.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any information about a department store named Izards in Elmira, NY in the mid-60's? It was a typical downtown department with 3-4 floors. My dad ran the Kresge's 5 & 10 next door to it so my mom would take us shopping in Izards while waiting to pick up my dad from work(we had only one car in those days).
ReplyDeleteI don't have much information; I think it was formally called the F.S. Iszard Co. When my brother lived in Horseheads, I actually went to Iszard's mall store one evening - Downtown was not open late then.
ReplyDeleteBruce
I have some old credit cards from The Edw Malley Co in New Haven, Ct. I was wondering if you want to add them to your credit card history?
ReplyDeleteYes, you may email me at bakgraphics@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteWhy have you left out the Carolinas? Talhimer's was in Charleston. Ivey's and Meyer's Arnold were in Greenville, SC, and of course the Belk chain was throughout the Carolinas and Virginia - some known as Belk-Hudson, Hudson-Belk, Belk-Simpson, Simpson-Belk, and other combinations. Today they are all known as Belk. Rich's was also in Greenville, SC. I think Belk is a Charlotte based store, but there is a large home on North Main Street in Greenville, SC known as the "Belk Estate." Ivey's had a very large store on Main - still standing, but is now divided up into restaurants, small shops and condos. I believe Ivey's was bought out by J.b White's and then White's was bought out by Dillards. Greenville, SC also had a store named Parisianne for a while.
ReplyDeleteRegarding A & S in Brooklyn, you have to include the account cashier and credit office on the 8th floor in your directory. I worked there and that's where ALL the brink's csh was delivered. Anita Maker
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon BAK: Any chance of you updating your site to include the following: Rosenbaums (spelling?) which was also a downtown Pittsburgh store, though I do not think it ever had any suburban stores. I believe it closed in the early 1970s.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a Western Pennsylvania chain called Troutmann's, that had city-centre stores in Greensburgh, Butler, Connelsville and a few other SW PA small cities. Not sure whatever happened to them, but, I lived in the eastern Pittsburgh suburbs in the late 70s & early 80s and remember the Troutmann's stores in city-centre Greensburgh as well as the Westmorland Mall outlet.
Thanks - I will try to get Troutman's into the museum if I can find enough information.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Can't believe you've completely missed one of the earliest Department Stores in the US. 'The Great Department Store' in Lewiston, Maine, opened in the 1890's and later became Peck's. This was the biggest department store north of Manhattan for decades.
ReplyDeleteWell this is a hobby, not science, so believe it. Anyway, it IS listed as a branch of Filene's.
ReplyDeleteRothchild's in Minneapolis. My Grandma took me there and to Young-Quinlan.
ReplyDeleteThere was a department store in Boston MA in the late 1950's called Raymond's.
ReplyDeleteKingsmills is going out of business as of 2014.
ReplyDeleteIf interested, I can share quite a bit about the Loveman's in downtown Chattanooga and Eastgate Mall in the 1960's and early 1970's.
ReplyDeleteCan share information about Loveman's downtown Chattanooga and Eastgate Mall in the sixties and early seventies if you like. Also Miller Bros. if you are interested.
ReplyDeleteHello! That would be wonderful, since I could expand the exhibits for these stores. Please e-mail me at bakgraphics@comcast.net. I'd like to hear anything you know about these stores.
ReplyDeleteBruce
any reason why Orbach's is not on the list? or did i miss something; thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello. I stumbled on this wonderful site when looking for information on Britt's Department Store in Millbrae, California. That building then became Mervyns, then Kohls and is now empty. I did not see Britt's or Mervyns on the list, that were great stores and now gone.
ReplyDeleteYou missed one of the last remaining independent department stores in the country: Wilson's in Greenfield, MA : http://wilsonsdepartmentstore.com/
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this site. I'm from Grand Rapids Michigan which had some wonderful department stores. Take a look at what we are looking to do in replicating a department store from 1967 for a Christmas movie "The Santa Hat" www.TheSantaHat.com
ReplyDeleteHolthausen's Department Store, -- the store of A. Holthausen Inc. on Bergenline Avenue in Union City, NJ---, about a square block and one of the classiest stores on the Avenue, had live elevator operators announcing each floor. founded by Arend Holthausen and, after his death, run by Valesko Hugo ( store from 1878-1970's)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to echo John Paul -- where is North Carolina and South Carolina? Belk and Ivey's...
ReplyDeleteFound this site because I came across my mother's Meyer's Department Store Charge Card. Probably from the 50's.
DeleteI know there are many reasons for the demise of the large department store, but in the last act of the regional chains with local identity, it seemed they were focused on quarterly profit and stock performance and then on positioning the company for merger or acquisition rather than on how to adjust to changing circumstances to preserve the business.
ReplyDeletePost merger ,the wide-spread name changes on the newly acquired stores to Kaufmann's or Macy's all across the country again seemed to have the same motivation. There must have been a significant loss of local brand loyalty from that move. But if yo are a board member or CEO and you want to cash out for retirement at a high stock price why have any interest in long term trends.
I remember when the May Company on Public Square in Cleveland closed the upper floors and reduced the range of merchandise at that location to be the same as the offerings at the suburban locations. That meant it was no longer a destination store and that customer traffic would drop dramatically. Sure enough, the store was eventually closed for just that reason. Was justifying the closure of the downtown store the purpose of that move, one has to wonder?
If the May Co and Higbees had endured those downtown locations might again be viable today.
Your observations are spot-on, in my opinion. By reducing their presence, dwindling their selection, and homogenizing their image, these stores literally killed themselves, trying to squeeze the last dollar out of their operations. It would appear that a businsess cannot starve itself into success, but that's what they tried to do, or so it would seem.
ReplyDelete- Bruce.
I have a friend that has, what she believes to, be an old credit token from MR & B Co (M Rich & Brothers Company) out of Atlanta GA. Who can she contact to find out how old it is. I web-searched it and have not been able to find another like it yet.
ReplyDeletei am so happy to have from this marvelous site and i am amazed at the wealth of information it contains. so much to read and so little time. as a So Cal baby boomer i fondly remember all of the now defunct department stores that were in the region and my heart aches for the loss of the grandeur and sometimes awe inspiring experience of shopping in those establishments.
ReplyDeleteas others have already, i thank you for this marvelous site and the wealth of information it contains. so much to read and so little time. as a So Cal baby boomer i remember the now defunct department stores that were once in the region and my heart aches for the grandeur and sometimes awe inspiring experience of shopping in those establishments. to quote from your introduction, why in deed are we not good enough for such a gamut of retail options today? i am glad i am not alone in my frustration in my limited option of Macy's whose merchandise is no better than what can be found at JCP or Kohl's.
ReplyDeleteHi Bak great job.
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of a store by the name of L F Carter?
Thank you for the kind comments. I can't say I have heard of that store - where was it located?
ReplyDelete-Bruce
Hi Bak. Do you know anything about Connie Krause? Her signature with a 1981 date was on some Macy's tile work out in Tyler, TX. (I assume it used to be a Sanger-Harris back in the day.) Is she the designer for all of their tile work in the early 80s? I can't find any information about her.
ReplyDeleteHi! Trying to find info on a store called Models in North NJ in the 50/60s. Can't find any history on it. Can anyone help?
ReplyDeleteTrying to find photos of the holiday train displays that were put in the windows of the different stores back in the 60s
ReplyDeletedoes anyone remember the department store "GETS" they were located in San Francisco off of Sloat St if I recall correctly
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah! worked at UCSF in the 60's and shopped there. Government Employees T----- Store?. Not sure if that is what the initials stood for.
DeleteWould love to see something about England Brothers' in Pittsfield MA and Johnson's in Springfield. Though Johnson's was a 'bookstore' in name they were really a small department store with sections for antiques, new books, greeting cards and stationery, art supplies, office supplies, toy department and a used book store out back above the art store.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a department store on Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn in the late 1980's that also sold a lot of electronic devices and electric fans. It was only in business for a few years and there was a branch location located on Rockaway Parkway. Would anyone happen to remember the name of that store? I just can't remember it for the life of me.
ReplyDeleteForgot in NY
ReplyDeleteCarl Company
Denbys
Interstate Stores
All based in Albany
Wonderful site---thanks! I have a degree in Merchandising Management from Michigan State---a degree no longer offered. It took me to the buying offices of Dayton Hudsons in Minneapolis as a buyer, prior to me obtaining an MBA and returning to Michigan. Retailing is very dear to me and your site reminded me of fond memories ---thanks again!
ReplyDeleteanyone heard of a yearwoods dept. store- somewhere in the south- at least back to the 30's-40's
ReplyDeleteDo any classic American department stores still exist? If so, which are the best and where are they? I'd love to experience what shopping was like in that era.
ReplyDeleteI have to say no. Many people comment that Von Maur or Nordstrom replicate the experience, but I don't think so, at least not in every respect. In Canada, there was a tiny holdout in London, Ontario, named Kingsmills. It closed last year, though. While it was small, you could sense that traditional atmosphere, and since it was small and local, it avoided the sense of over-standardization in a commercial manner that characterizes shopping today.
ReplyDeleteI was always intrigued by Jacobson's owner, Nathan Rosenfeld's comments that good stores satisfied their customers by understanding them, while he loathed the idea of manufacturers creating demand for their goods and using retail stores as vending machines for them. That's what we have today.
-Bruce
postskriptum: Perhaps Harrods, Liberty, or Fortnum & Mason in the UK still carry on their traditions.
Thanks Bruce.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this site. This is a lovely compilation of old department stores. In doing some family research I have found a great, great, great aunt who was a well known buyer of fashions for Jordan Marsh in Boston in the 1890's. I am wondering do you know where employee photos or information may be housed? Is there an archive or repository that holds such information?
Many thanks again for this site.
Donna E Russo
Boston, MA
Thank you for the compliments, Donna. I doubt that they took employee photos back then, and as far as I know, there may not be any archival records left. If anything, they could be in the possession of Macy's, Inc., but I don't know how cooperative they are. One thing you couold do is to search her name in online newspaper archives. ProQuest Historical Newspapers (through a library only) have the Globe, and Genealogybank.com has the Boston Herald.
ReplyDelete- Bruce
Hello and thank you so much for the wonderful memories.I was wondering if you have found any information on Freiman's department store in Ottawa .The Bay replaced /bought it out in 1972 I think. I have fond memories of the wonderful malted-milk bar next to the tunnel entrance to the parkade in the basement and my mum using her charge plate for her purchases....
ReplyDeleteYes, I have much information about Freiman's and will be adding it as soon as I can. I visited there in the 1980s when it had become The Bay. It seemed like a really nice store.
Delete- Bruce
Enjoying "Eaton's The Trans-Canada Store." Regarding the Montreal store -- in 1930 the British dirigible R-100 visited Canada and docked for 12 days near Montreal. A ten-foot model was created and placed in Eaton's display window in Montreal. Any knowledge or photos of this? The New England Air Museum in CT has the model today, but has no information about its life at Eaton's. Model is the biggest thing in their Lighter-Than-Air display. Wondering what merchandise Eaton's might have featured in relation to this hugely popular event in 1930. -- George Diemer
ReplyDeleteHello, George! That is fascinating. The visit is mentioned on Wikipedia, but I had not heard of it. There maybe some information in the Eaton's archives at the Archives of Ontario. It might be a needle-in-the-haystack search, but perhaps an archivist could help you. There is an online finding aid that could prove helpful at
Deletehttp://ao.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/ARCH_DESC_FACT/FACTSDESC/REFD+F+229?SESSIONSEARCH#findaid
Another thought would be to check the Montreal Gazette online issues at Google newspapers. They are badly indexed for searching, but you can easily browse to those dates and read the newspapers as in a library on microfilm. There may even be an Eaton ad that would relate.
Good luck!
-Bruce
postskriptum: I am glad that you enjoy the book. The publisher and distributor have dropped the ball totally on that one, but after all it was a "labour of love." I am glad for whatever enthusiasm I get!
In the Montreal Gazette the R-100 dirigible visit was front page news from July 26, 1930 for more than 3 weeks. Eaton's ran a congratulatory ad on August 1. Henry Morgan & Co. ran one July 30, Layton Bros. on July 31, Gilpin and Jas. A. Ogilvy's on August 1. Lots of product ads for gasoline, fibre board, wine, gin, ale, tobacco, binoculars, and disinfectant tying in to R-100 flight. Thanks for referral to Montreal Gazette. -- George Diemer
Deletesome of you have probably heard that macy's has put part of the state street flagship store up for sale; that would be the 8th floor and above. I am going to Chicago tomorrow, and have copied the info on all the depts. that existed when it was mf&co, to see what is left--and I know already it is not much. in fact, I wondered how they filled 9 floors and the lower level. we are 'reassured' that the walnut room will--of course--continue to operate. yeah, for the time being.
ReplyDeleteBefore I moved to Dayton, Ohio, in the late 1950's, the only department store I knew about was Wilmar's in downtown Hamilton, Ohio. We thought it had everything you could possibly want although I know now how really small it was. Rode my first escalated there (scary), saw my first Santa there (not convincing), stared into my image in one of those infinity mirrors, and totally enjoyed shopping in a magical place (at least from a small kid's perspective. Good memories.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with these people criticizing Macy's. Macy's is still one of the greatest department stores and one of the existing department stores of that era. As for Robinsons-May? I still have the bag from that branch in LA. Robinsons-May isn't as well known as most California based department stores including Bullock's, Bullock's Wilshire, May Co. California(originally A. Hamburger & Sons) and The Broadway.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think many people don't think it has much to do with the historical Macy's - it really is a name Federated Department Stores bought for itself in the '80s or '90s. The real Macy's had wider assortments, distinctive stores, and great traditions. Not so much now, and the fact that it is the same wherever you go is not a mark in its favor. Just opinions . . .
ReplyDeleteHello, BAK! I truly enjoyed looking through your website. My dad started int he retail trade with Mister Fred in Columbus, went to Shillito's, then to Breuner's in Oakland (one you should research in your spare time), was President of W&J Sloane, then went to ADG and Robinson's LA and finally at Stewart's in Baltimore. Our family has a lot of info which we would be happy to share. I can tell you a story about the wind chime at Newport Center!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother worked in the book department at Macy's in White Plains, NY. She retired in 1981 when she was 86 years old! I just mentioned this to a coworker who is, like me, a librarian and she remembers some black & white movie in which a book department in a department store is shown. Does anyone know what movie it is?
ReplyDeleteI found a 1950's coat with the label "Elton's" and two more labels with the words "styled by Visconti" and "Kurlana" anyone know of this store?
ReplyDelete