 |
| You can now read a splendid book about the history of this beloved Colorado institution |
 |
| The Denver Dry Goods Co.'s Main Store on 16th Street at California in Denver |
 |
| Denver's most elegant full-line department store stood at the corner of 16th and California streets. |
 |
| The Denver's newer building on 15th Street stretched down California Street adjacent to the much-expanded older building to the east. |
 |
| "Where Denver Shops with Confidence" |
1585 California Street
Denver, CO (1889)
DOWNTOWN STORE DIRECTORY
Lower Level
Luggage • Books • Records • Sporting Goods • Garden Shop • Hardware
First Floor
Fine Jewelry • Costume Jewelry • Fashion Accessories • Neckwear • Handbags • Small Leather Goods • Hosiery • Notions • Slippers • Gloves • Miss Denver Sportswear • Miss Denver Blouses • Accessory Tops • Beauty World • Stationery • Cameras • Candy • Epicure
Store for Men Men’s Toiletries • Men’s Accessories • Men’s Furnishings • Men’s Dress Shirts • Men’s Sport Furnishings • Men’s Clothing • Men’s Shoes • Men’s Men’s Hats • Bailiwick • Western Shop
Second Floor
Intimate Apparel • Sleepwear • Shoe Salon • Etienne Aigner Shop • The Shop for Pappagallo • Home and Town Shop • Miss Denver Shop • Custom Cove • Misses’ Dresses • Sportswear • Coat Salon • Fur Salon • The Place (Juniors) • Contempra
Third Floor
Trendsetter Dresses • Trendsetter Sportswear • Trendsetter Coats • Active Sportsear • Millinery • The Columbine Room
Children’s World Infants • Toddlers • Girls’ Accessories • Girls’ Apparel • Boy’s Apparel • Pre-Teen Apparel • Prep Threads • Snoopy Shop • Children’s Shoes • Toys
Fourth Floor
Housewares • Small Electrics • Appliances • Electronics • Fashion Fabrics • Art Needlework • Sewing Machines • Linens • Bath Shop • Table Linens • Pillows • Draperies
Fifth Floor
China • Silver • Glassware • Gifts • Lamps • Crystal
The Tea Room
Sixth Floor
Art Gallery • Furniture • Sleep Shop • Floor Coverings
(366,000 s.f.)
BRANCH STORES
 |
Cherry Creek (1953)
93,000 sq. ft.
|
 |
| Lakeside Shopping City 1956 130,000 sq. ft. |
 |
| Boulder Crossroads Mall 1963/1976 |
 |
| Greeley 8th Avenue & 8th Street 1963 |
 |
Cinderella City (1968)
Englewood
120,000 sq. ft.
|
 |
Northglenn (1968)
Adams County
118,000 sq. ft.
|
 |
| Colorado Springs The Citadel 1972 100,000 sq.ft. |
 |
| Southglenn Centennial 1974 123,000 sq. ft. |
 |
Foothills Mall (1974)
Ft. Collins
129,000 sq. ft.
|
 |
| Aurora Aurora Mall 1975 179,000 sq. ft. |
Was a clerical employee in the 16th Street store in the early 1980s. Many of the store employees were old folks who began working there in the 1920s. An excellent store and an excellent employer. The main floor had big blank books by the elevators designed so people could leave their friends messages in a central downtown location. (yes, Virginia, we had friends before Facebook) The tea room served spectacular clam chowder on Fridays. The store was born in an era of grace, civility and tradition. It held it's head high until the end. So sorry these great flagship stores are gone. Shopping will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteWhat great memories of The Denver! That book for making notes about where to meet someone was great. " Mom-- I'm in ladie's coats. 2 p.m."
ReplyDeleteTea Room--lunch so special. Chose my china and crystal and sterling silver lovely china dep't.
Took my children there, too. The main aisle was spectacular with Christmas lights and wreaths!
In the 50's, was there a post office in the basement of the Denver Dry Goods Store or was it in the basement of the D&F?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I moved to Denver in 1973 from a very rural area (population almost 1,000) to attend floral school. What a culture shock! I went to THE DENVER DRY GOODS every Saturday. I loved that store! I could find everything I needed, and then some! I wish I could step back into 1973 and see the store again.
ReplyDeleteIn 1978, I moved to Denver from a small farm in PA, to attend art school at the Art Institute of Colorado. I worked in the Denver's silver department, downtown, as a stock person for several years. I never worked in a place like the Denver and it was a great place for a young artist from a rural background to grow up and become a city gal. I didn't know anything about silverware as we never had it on our farm. I still, to this day, know Reed & Barton, Wallace, Towle, Oneida, Dansk, Lutz etc. etc. Thanks to the many great women buyers I worked with like Helen & Mary Kay.
ReplyDeleteMy late wife worked for The Denver from 1979 to 1986, when she was dumped by a vindictive boss. She started at Crossroads Mall working for Ron Jensen, then worked at Southglenn Mall again for him, Northglenn Mall, the warehouse on Kalamath and finally, downtown. After she was fired, everyone lost their jobs a few months later when May D&F came in.
ReplyDeleteTwo years later she became a software engineer at Neodata/EDS and never looked back at retail.
There was a post office in the basement of The Denver. It was on the 15th Street side.
ReplyDeletePeople seem to forget that The Denver also had a small cosmetics store in the late 80 s in the Beau Monde mall on Orchard Rd.
ReplyDeleteReguarding The late wife blog, I am aware of Your wifes situation and Her termination reasons for I was in center HR.
I have a high-backed walnut chair with a red-tasseled upholstered seat that ha the following paper label glued in the center of the bottom of the seat:
ReplyDeleteDenver Dry Goods Co
Patt 2982 1/2 2 0 Fin...ant wal
Uph 575 0 cord..... Trim..........
Seat...... Ins. Back......
Arm........Outs. Back.........
Order No. 1034 dept 50
The chair is handsomely-carved up the back, and on either side is a barley twist turning. The upholstery is in fairly-unused condition, and I have no idea about the age, other than from the type font and antiquated abbreviations used for the order. Could anyone please help me out with my family heirloom's approximate era and today's market value, if any?
I remember the glass elevator in the Denver store at Southglenn Mall. It must have been the early to mid 70's, shortly after they opened, I rode the elevator to the 2nd floor tea room for a "Tea with Santa" type event. To my 7 year old self - it was pretty darn awesome.
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Cherry Creek store from 1985 to1987 and loved it. I grew up in retail working with my Mom who owned a small ladies clothing boutique in rural Iowa. I really loved working in retail until it changed to less focus on customer service and round the clock hours. I worked in the "better dress" department. I enjoyed staying in one department where I knew the inventory and could help regular customers. I also loved working with people who had made retail a career, loved the public and knew their product. Loved the Columbine Room!!
ReplyDeleteThere was also a The Denver at Southwest Plaza in Littleton, CO that opened in 1983. After May D&F bought out The Denver in 1987 the location was sold to JC Penney which remains to this day.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for information of the fur workroom staff at The Denver in the 1950s. A French Canadian fur cutter? Trying to locate my who my birth parents may have been. They both worked for the fur salon. . .
ReplyDeleteI have a beveled mirror carved early side board piece with clawed feet from The Denver Dry Goods. So wonderful to have a piece of history.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my late teens, early twenties, I worked for Robinson's of Florida (ADG, same as The Denver). I remember wanting to move to Denver and in 1981, I visited the city and ended up transferring to The Denver downtown location. I remember walking in the 15th Street entrance and was overwhelmed at what a beautiful store it was. I worked there until May D&F purchased The Denver in 1987 and ended up leaving retail. Now, almost 35 years later, I wait for the light rail train in front of where I once worked. I think back at all the good memories I have of that store and wonder what it's like inside now. I do get a feeling of nostalgia when I'm in T.J. Maxx and Jason's Deli thinking back at what used to be.... Sigh, the good old days!!
ReplyDeletecharlene greene model for Weston clothing store in1949-1950 fall and winter catalogue my mom
ReplyDeleteI have a catalogue fall and winter 1949-1950 like new 970 573 0908
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how active these pages are still. I have some photos of various The Denver stores that I took just before May closed them. Let me know if you are interested in them.
ReplyDeleteFashion Bar, a major presence in Denver for 70 years, should be mentioned.
ReplyDeleteFashion Bar, a major presence in Denver for 70 years, should be mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThere is a brand new History Press book on The Denver.
ReplyDeleteWorked at 3 different stores for The Denver. Started on a construction crew when SW Plaza was being built. Was kept on and went to Lakeside for a couple years and then transferred to Ft. Collins for 3-4 years.. Worked on the dock/operations. Great memories. Just read the recent book on The Denver's history. Brought back a lot of memories.
ReplyDeleteI remember riding the Number 13 bus from / to North Denver with my mother and brother to shop downtown at the Denver (and other places as well) in the late 1940's. As a very young child, my memory of these trips downtown are fragmented, but I do remember on the second (or third?) floor of The Denver, at the transition from one building to the other, there was a fountain and it had goldfish in the pool.
ReplyDeleteJust decorated our Christmas tree and, as always, included the beautiful blown glass ornaments that we bought at The Denver Dry Goods for our first Christmas together in 1964. We traveled from Grand Junction to Denver in our ‘64 VW bug in a snow storm to stay at the Brown Palace and shop at The Denver. It remains a precious memory 53 years later!
ReplyDeleteI started work at the Downtown store mid seventies as a "porter" and wore a blue overshirt with deep pockets where I was to carry a tea strainer and sift cigarette butts out of ashtrays throughout the store. Mr Robert Palmer was my boss. I later worked for Mr Tom Pattison as a clean-up janitor at remodel sites in many of the metro area stores. Later on I assisted Mr Joe Fishencord in his job as company electrician. I took the engineer's test and worked as an engineer DT, Cinderella City, Southwest Plaza and Lakeside for Mr Dick Berry and Mr Rasmussen. Wow. The memories those names bring. The best time was holiday time when there were no big jobs or projects to take on. The DT Store was decorated by Evergreen Specialties over Thanksgiving weekend. Returning to work on Monday was glorious. The in house painting crew led by Gus ______ had candy cane striped the main floor pillars and the chandeliers were draped in classic Christmas finery. In later years the columns were modernized with square mirror faces and a lot of the charm that I enjoyed was gone. The display windows had also been dressed up in holiday beauty. ( random memories: Lower Sixth Floor, the 15th street building once had a western shop and sold tack. Later it became the HR department. One year during a stock show when Mr Doug Poole was the company President, there was a bull in a cage somewhere in the DT store. China Department? Main Floor? Just before the southwest Plaza store opened, a rainstorm overloaded the roof drains and much of the store was flooded. One of my first jobs as a porter was to raise the flags on each flagpole. One at the 16th end and one at the 15th street end, and then at the end of the day, bring them in. When I started working there was a mezzanine level Ladies Room between Main and second floor that had an attendant. In another section of the Mezzanine was a tailor shop for doing alterations and repairs. The engineers were tasked with keeping a mid-pressure boiler in service to provide steam for the presses. In what was the painters' workroom was a capped off artesian well head. Rumor had it that the drinking fountains on every floor beside the employee elevator were still supplied with that artesian source. I don't mind leaving my name: Art Rohlik, now living in Shelton, WA
ReplyDeleteI worked fron 1960 to 1965 at Lakeside, Cherry Creek and was the Asst Buyer in Boys, downtown for Eva Jurrisin and Jim Shannon. Frank Johns was President.
ReplyDeleteI loved every minute although would be totally exhausted after Chtistmas season.
End Of Month sales were fantastic
Great memories of Joe Jouns manager at Lakeside and many others. Met my wife of 57 years now there.
Others I remember well, Lloyd Lewan, Andy Anderson, Mrs Aldrich, Mildred Heigart Mr Christanson Manager at Cherry Creek.
Would do it again.
In 1965 started at Sears, Cherry Creek.
My mom , worked at cherry creek, early to late 60's name was Billie sievers,, did you know her? Kculy2000@yahoo.com
DeleteI worked for the Denver Dry Goods from 1977 till it closed in 1989.
ReplyDeleteI first worked for Mr. Jack Ris, in the mail room running the Inserter machine. It stuffed the bills and ads into the envelopes. Later I worked for Terry Hickman-Ely, as the Telephone man. I repaired, Installed, moved phones, phone lines, and maintained the computer that ran the phone system a Rolm . Vice president Mr. Jim O'Hagen along with Terry helped me greatly with my career at the Denver. It was a wonderful job and I loved everyone that worked there. Another person that was a Great Friend was Paige Darden. I miss them all. Jim M.
I started working in the downtown Men's Department in the fall of 1984, but soon moved up to the "Authorizations" section of the credit department. I stayed until May D&F took over, and then stayed with them in the Collections department until they closed their downtown store in 1993. Wonderful memories of so many people during those years! Love to walk by and look at the old Denver Dry building downtown every time I am able to get back to Colorado
ReplyDelete