An illustration of the former Kahn's building in Oakland, home of Rhodes
Rhodes Western Department Stores, Inc. (Rhodes) (Kahn’s 1879/Rhodes 1960)
16th at Broadway
Oakland, CA
TEmplebar 5-4321
DOWNTOWN STORE DIRECTORY
Downstairs
Downstairs at Rhodes
First Floor
Costume Jewelry • Fine Jewelry • Silverware • Accessories • Hosiery • Handbags • Small Leather Goods • Gloves • Neckwear • Cosmetics • First Floor Sportswear • Shoes • Stationery • Candy • Men’s Furnishings • Men’s Sportswear • Men’s Shoes • Men’s Hats • Men’s Corner • The Place
Second Floor
Boys’ Wear • Luggage • Book Shop • Yardage • Art Needlework • Bedding • Linens • Fountain Lunch and Grill • Travel Service • Optical
Third Floor Fashion World
Fashion Sportswear • Fashion Dresses • Young Tempo • Casual Dresses • Daytime Dresses • Knit Shop • Better Sportswear • Better Dresses • Young Sophisticate • Ms. Shop • Boulevard Shop • Formal Shop • Designer Shop • Bridal Shop • Career Coats • Salon Dresses • Salon Coats • Salon Suits • Fur Salon • Young Californian Dresses • Young Californian Sportswear • The Place • Juniorette Shop • Junior Hi • Intimate Apparel • Lingerie • Foundations • Sleepwear • Jr. Lingerie • Millinery • Photo Studio
Young World Infants • Toddlers • Girls 3-6x • Girls 7-14 • Subteens • Children’s Shoes
Fourth Floor
Housewares • Appliances • China • Silverware • Glassware • Accessories for the Home • TV • Stereo Center • Records • Lamps, Pictures & Mirrors • Draperies • Toy World • Trim-a-Home Shop
Fifth Floor
Carpeting • Furniture • Sleep Shop • Beauty Salon
BRANCH STORES
Concord Park & Shop (1957)
1675 Willow Pass Road
Concord
Mountain View (1970)
San Antonio Shopping Center
El Camino at Showers Drive
El Camino at Showers Drive
Dublin (1971)
Golden Hills Shopping Center
7898 Dublin Blvd.
7898 Dublin Blvd.
Did BART have direct subway access to the Oakland Rhodes store, as it did for Capwell's? Mountain View store actually opened in 1963.
ReplyDeleteActually, the shopping center in which Rhodes located opened earlier, but their store did not open until an expansion which was completed in 1970. Rhodes ads prior to that time refer only to the Oakland and Concord stores.
ReplyDeleteI have cited sources that state Rhodes opened at San Antonio Center in 1963. Although they referred to it as the Palo Alto store in some cases. Sears did the same thing in advertising.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know when Rhodes opened at the Southgate and Country Club Centre locations in Sacramento? One of them was pre 1956.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteAs I may have already said, I love the site!
Anyway, I recently did as much "Rhodes" research as my limited facilities will allow. I compiled this list of Rhodes Brothers/Rhodes (of Tacoma) stores...many having locations in shopping centers that I have inducted into my retro retail site...THE MALL HALL OF FAME.
This list includes ONLY those stores that opened with a "Rhodes" nameplate (or were rebranded as Rhodes). Those that originally had a "Liberty House" branding (such as the store at Hayward, California's SOUTHLAND MALL, circa 1972) are not included on this list.
I hope that this list might be of assistance to you...
RHODES BROTHERS / RHODES STORES
Founded by Albert, Charles, Henry & William Rhodes -in Tacoma WA- in 1892. Albert went to Seattle in 1907. Founded unaffiliated "Rhodes of Seattle" chain (1907-1970). "Rhodes Brothers" aquired by Western Department Stores 1960. Name shortened to "Rhodes". Acquired by Honolulu-based AMFAC in 1969. Stores operating as "Liberty House/Rhodes" prior to 1972. Had become "Liberty House" by 1975.
(a newspaper article from early 1972 mentioned 14 "Rhodes" stores).
WASHINGTON STATE
*Downtown Tacoma (1892) [opened as Rhodes Brothers]
*Lakewood -Villa Plaza- (1957) [opened as Rhodes Brothers]
*Tacoma -Tacoma Mall- (1974) [opened as Liberty House/Rhodes]
OREGON
*Downtown Portland (opened as Olds, Wortman & King 1851) [rebranded as Rhodes 1960]
*Washington County (Tigard) {Portland metro} -Washington Square- (1974) [opened as Liberty House/Rhodes]
CALIFORNIA
*Sacramento County -Country Club Centre- (1954) [opened as Rhodes Brothers]
*Fresno -Manchester Center- (1959) [opened as Rhodes Brothers]
*Downtown Oakland (opened as Kahn's 1879) [rebranded as Rhodes 1960]
*Concord -Concord Park & Shop- (opened as Kahn's 1957) [rebranded as Rhodes 1960]
*Sacramento County -Southgate Plaza- (1961) [opened as Rhodes]
*Mountain View -San Antonio Center- (1970) [opened as Rhodes]
*Dublin -Golden Hills Center- (1971) [opened as Rhodes (perhaps as Liberty House/Rhodes?)]
ARIZONA
*Phoenix -Sears-Rhodes Center- (1963) [opened as Rhodes]
*Phoenix -Metrocenter- (1973) [opened as Liberty House/Rhodes]
NEW MEXICO
*Albuquerque -Coronado Center- (1965) [opened as Rhodes]
TEXAS
*Balcones Heights {San Antonio metro} -Wonderland Shopping City- (1964) [opened as Rhodes]
*San Antonio -North Star Mall- (opened as Wolff & Marx 1960) [rebranded as Rhodes 1970]
I remember the Oakland store went from Rhodes to Liberty House. Absolutely, my aunt worked at the store. Great store.
DeleteShortly, if not immediately, after the 1960 rebranding of Olds & King and Kahn's, Rhodes Western's corporate offices relocated from Tacoma to Oakland. The Southwestern Division (AZ, NM, and TX) were based in Phoenix. They maintained the Rhodes banner until 1977, when it became Liberty House which lasted only a year as they sold off their stores to either Mervyn's or Joske's. That same year LH also discontinued their Northwestern presence (OR and WA) as those stores were sold off to Frederick & Nelson, resulting in the Maindland LH stores in Northern California and Reno. When you plan to put an exhibit on Liberty House of Hawaii, please include floor directories for both the Downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana stores.
ReplyDeleteOh how I loved the Rhodes Department store in the Country Club Center Mall, Sacramento, California. It was such a fashionable store and what a treat shopping there during the 60's. I will never forget the hip teen clothes in the juniors section and perennial fall teen fashion show teaching us young girls what was the height of the fashion for the season. Nor could one forget the majestic fountain in the front of the store, the wonderful Christmas displays and Santa's Village. It is such a sadly missed bygone era....by the time Liberty House took over the mall started to disintegrate leaving the mall a shell of it's former self. The department stores of today pale in comparison even Nordstroms cannot compare to the shopping experience that Rhodes had to offer....sad bygone era indeed.
ReplyDeleteSome more corrective info I forgot: The Southgate store (Sacramento) opened in 1960 as a one-level store, then added a second level in 1963, same year the Mountain View store opened (not 1970). The Dublin store opened in 1971 as Rhodesway (discount division), and converted to a regular Rhodes the year after. The distribution center for the Mainland Liberty House division was right behind the Dublin store. I lived there from 1975 to 1980 when they operated there.
ReplyDeleteI worked at that distribution center as holiday help in 1973.
DeleteOops, forgot one Texas store that was omitted from the list: El Paso at Cielo Vista Mall, opened in 1974 as Rhodes (Southwest Division), renamed Liberty House in 1977, then sold to Joske's the following year, along with the Metrocenter store in Phoenix, making that the only Joske's store outside of Texas.
ReplyDeleteMy father bought the Rhodes store in Oakland for Amfac back in 1970. He went on to purchase City of Paris in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteLeroy F. (Bud) Koranda? Chairman of the board and CEO of Rhodes Western, Inc.? Wow, I bet you have some stories to tell! I've seen that name dozens of times reviewing newspapers for Rhodes/Liberty House information.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad worked at the Oakland Kahn's as a Delivery Manager in the late 30's and early 40's during WWII. To make some extra money, he also painted the large water tanks that were situated on top of the building on the San Pablo side of the store. We lived on 17th St. and my Mom took me down to the store and pointed up to where Dad was working. I was probably 4 or 5 at the time.
ReplyDeleteWas Kahn's a nationwide chain? I have a wooden box which holds two decks of cards that has a label "Greetings of the Season" "Kahn's Department Store" "Plymouth, Wisconsin".
ReplyDeleteNo, the Kahn's referred to herein was located in Oakland only. The Wisconsin one would have been of different, though similarly-named ownership, and sized accordingly with the population of its home town,
ReplyDeleteBruce
The Mountain View store opened as a Rhodes in 1963. I know, as I worked there checking in merchandise for the initial stocking for the grand opening. As is mentioned elsewhere, it was later rebranded a Liberty House. The location's final occupant before demolishing was J.C. Penny.
ReplyDeleteDoreen was the best Visual Stylist that Rhodes had in Phx at the Collonade store........I still remember her putting a pair of Garolin shoes on a mankikin at the escalatore with a stuffed Polar bear in snow ,,,,,,,,how chic,,,,loved the mirrored parson display talble in china as well!
ReplyDeletelove the record department as well-I still have my toy teddy bear on my bed from there as I cried for it for the holidays I was five at the time and now I am in my fifties,,,,such a fabulous store here in PHX!
I remember in 1968 I was appointed as a Rhodes girl from Tech High...each high school had its own Rhodes girl...our pictures were up and it seems we did fashion shows or somehow represented our school...anyone remember anything like this?
ReplyDeleteI was on the Rhodes "Hi Board" in Oakland, CA representing Presentation High School in Berkeley. We had girls representing different high schools in the area. We worked on the floor and on Fashion shows for the store. I was featured as a model in the Oakland Tribune for the store. The newspaper photographed me and a couple of guys from Salesian's High School in a cherry orchard in Walnut Creek. Also, the store provided clothes for our school's Senior fashion show at His Lordships in the Berkeley Marina and the Fashion Editor of the Oakland Tribune moderated the fashion show. I really enjoyed my experience with the Rhodes "Hi Board" - so much fun!
DeleteMy Father started at Rhodes in Mountain View in 1966 as a manager/buyer in the shoe department, which was a Nordstrom concession within the store. I remember it well, because we would visit Dad at the store, roaming the backroom and hearing the ever-present "dings" throughout the store (this was how they paged specific departments).
ReplyDeleteBy 1970, Dad was getting ready to open the Liberty House at Eastridge -- although not yet open, it was being prepared, so I don't know how Rhodes could possibly have opened in 1970.
It was October 1963 when the Mountain View Rhodes opened.
ReplyDeletei got my ears pierced in the san antonio store when i was 13 in '73. my mom saw an ad in the SA Light, and asked me if i wanted to do it. we walked down an aisle to find a woman and a table set up and no one else around for miles. she pierced them with a special gun and i still have the gold ball earrings. a happy memory. my mom pierced hers a couple years later, so it was an adventure to be the first!
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Country Club Rhodes while a teenager in high school (60's). I was picked from several girls from our high school who all wanted to be fashion designers. We were told to sell at least $100 that day and I sold $500. It was a fascinating experience working there that semester! Once it changed to LH it wasn't long before it closed. Such a nice store with beautiful clothes.
ReplyDeleteMy mother worked at Rhodes during the late 40's till they closed in downtown Seattle. I remember going to the movies across the street and up Union a bit until she got off of work. She was a corsetiere.
ReplyDeleteI was about 9 or 10 yrs old then.
All the local teens hung out at the fountain out front at Country Club Sacramento. I worked there as a cashier upstairs 1971-1972 then got hired at the new Mervyns 1973 because the people doing the interviews came from Rhodes. I still know my charge account number. My first charge account.
ReplyDeleteI have one possible memory and a question about Rhodes in Sacramento, but they are from the late '50s or early '60s. Question first: Was the Rhodes neon sign in some kind of cursive script? Memory: I think my sister and I rode an elephant in the parking lot of Rhodes. Anyone else remember something like that?
DeleteI am searching for info regarding a department store downtown Oakland, Smith's. I am researching a great Aunt who owned a dress shop near there in the 1950's or 60's. Please let me know if you would have any such info or direct me to who might. Thanx so much!
ReplyDeleteHELP!!! I am doing some family research on my grandfather. I found some pictures of a Rhodes store that was built (the picture says) in San Francisco. Would that have been the Oakland store? It was a new-build. Can I post pictures here? My name is Michael Evertsen, and I have the pictures to share if someone could help!
ReplyDeleteI think I already commented, so forgive me for commenting twice, but while doing some research on my grandfather's company I came across some photos of a Rhodes Western Store in (What my grandma wrote was) San Francisco. Would this have been the Oakland store? It was a new-build.I have photos if someone would be willing to offer some insight. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAn annual report for Rhodes Western Department stores can be seen at:
ReplyDeletehttps://archive.org/details/rhodeswesterndepartmentstoresannualreports/page/n1/mode/2up
It shows sketches of the various stores in the chain; you could compare your photo to the illustrations therein.
I will be using it to update this site as well as the Rhodes headquarters in Tacoma and their Portland operation, formerly Olds, Wortman & King.
-Bruce