J. B. White & Co.'s store on Broad Street in Augusta
was built in 1924 and enlarged by the addition of a
4th floor in 1946.
936 Broad Street
Augusta, Georgia
PA 2-6631
DOWNTOWN STORE DIRECTORY
Main Floor
Fine Jewelry • Jewelry • Cosmetics • Cosmetics Salon • Handbags • Leather Goods • Gloves • Handkerchiefs • Fashion Accessories • Hosiery • Hat Bar • Scarves • First Floor Lingerie • Sportswear-on-Main • Dress Corner • Uniforms • Luggage • Stationery • Books • Candies • Shoe Salon • Children's Shoes • Trim-a-Tree Shop
Men's Shop Men's Clothing • Trend Shop • Men's Furnishings • Men's Shoes • Men's Hats • Noy's Clothing • Pit Stop for Boys
Second Floor
Fashion Second Dresses • Sportswear • Coats and Suits • Magnolia Room • 77 Shop • Fur Salon • Bridal Shop • Pace Setter Juniors • Young Junior Shop • Junior Dresses • Junior Whirl • Millinery • Wig Boutique • Fashion Foundations • Lingerie • Robes • Sleepwear • Stork Shop
Children's World Baby Shop • Tots and Toddlers Shop • Girls' Clothing • Girls' World • SubteensvTeen Corner
Third Floor
Store for Homes • Furniture • Bedding • Carpeting • Lamp Collection • Chandeliers • White's Salon of Beauty
Fourth Floor
Curtains • Draperies • Home Entertainment Center • Music Center • Records • Housewares • Electric Appliances • Glassware • Lawnmowers • Phot Studio • Business Office
East Building
Main Floor
Linens • Domestics • Bedspreads • Bath Shop • Silverware • Accessories • Fabrics • Notions • Sewing Machines (Allis Street Entrance)
Mezzanine
China • Crystal • Gifts • Art Goods • Mirror Collection • Needlework
BRANCH STORES (1952-1978)
Richland Avenue
Dutch Square (1970)Columbia, S.C.
Mitchell Shopping Center (1971)Whiskey Road
Ailken, S.C.
Regency Mall (1978)
Greenville Mall (1978)Greenville, S.C.
I fondly remember J B White. People in Augusta and the surrounding area loved the store. It was very community minded and had a very liberal return policy...no questions asked.
ReplyDeleteI remember as a child visiting Santa on his throne on the 4th floor at Christmas time and looking out at the amazing toy department (amazing at least in the eyes of a child)
In addition to Augusta, JBW operated stores in Columbia SC, Greenville SC,
Spartanburg SC, Aiken SC and Savannah GA
I have a vintage fur coat with JB White & CO Augusta GA tag inside of it. How do I find out what the value of the coat is?
ReplyDeleteMy mother worked at the JBW in Dutch Square for many years, selling furniture, and I worked there during high school 1983-1985. I always miss walking through there when I visit Columbia. It was a neat place
ReplyDeleteI worked at J. B. White's in Advertising. That was a wonderful place to work...all the people in the office and on the floors were a great group of people. Working there was a wonderful experience. I throughly enjoyed my job and just wish retail could go back to what it was then. A WONDERFUL PLACE! WITH WONDERFUL PEOPLE!
ReplyDeleteI, not only enjoyed working there; I forgot to mention that Mamie Eisenhower went shoping on Second floor where the dresses were. I walked up there because I wanted so much to see her. I looked around also. She had secret service all around...dressed in their black suits....She was dressed nice also and her attention was toward her shopping...intently...I was approximately within 10ft from her...she was beautiful. White's or the Secret Service never said a word to me or tried to keep me away....her limo parked in the "no parking" area in front of the store. I looked out the front windows to see it.
ReplyDeleteMy aunt, Mrs. Georgia Lovett, worked for J. B. White in Augusta for 31 years. She died in an automobile accident in 1955. She was head of the lingerie department.
ReplyDeleteA long, complimentary article by Marguerite Stelling appeared in the Augusta Chronicle soon after "Miss Georgia's" death.
An excert from the article read: "One simply did not, back in those days, go off to college, get married or have a baby without consulting the petite, attractive and sparkling brown-eyed lady at White's that we as brides, first met her. Miss Georgia carried half the feminine Augusta's sizes in her head. And she would tell you right off if you were going wrong on color or style."
I bet she knew my Aunt, Margaret Williamson, who also worked at JB Whites for that long!
DeleteI was stationed at Fort Gordon in 1997/1998. I went to the Regency with my then wife and went into J.B. White and the Regency mall. The J.B. White there was amazing but it was slow the day we went in. Maybe 5 to 10 people in there. I am sad to see J.B. White and the Regency mall gone.
ReplyDeleteI remember J. B. White in Jacksonville, TX. back in the 70's as a kid. All I remember though is, there it was just a clothing store. I do believe it was included in the block of buildings that burned down in the mid 80's. I am not sure when they had closed. But there are fond childhood memories
ReplyDeleteI worked for J.B. White Department Store in Jacksonville, Texas as a high school student. After graduation, I went to work for the General Offices for J.B. White stores - it was called White & Mayes, also located in Jacksonville TX. It was the accounting office, buyers were housed there and warehouse facilites for goods shipped out to the stores. There ended up being 65 stores located in Texas, Louisiana & Oklahoma, the bulk of them located in small Texas towns. Wal-Mart coming into Texas in the 70's put this chain store out of business. It lasted until about 1990, but struggled all through the 80's. I stayed at the GO until 1990 and left in late fall that year.
DeleteI have to believe that the store in Texas had no relation to the Georgia department store exhibited here, but it's nice to have memories of it just the same.
ReplyDeleteBruce
J.B. White was a wonderful department store. At different times, there were three stores in Columbia, Richland Mall, Dutch Square and then Columbiana Centre as of 1990. The store opened downtown in the late 1940s and left to anchor Richland Mall in 1961. Their Midnight Madness Sales were legendary and the quality of the merchandise was unbeatable. They are sorely missed.
ReplyDeleteJ.B. White's was the greatest department store of all. I remember my mother taking me shopping
ReplyDeletethere many, many times and we always got the most beautiful clothes, jewelry, furnishings, etc. I still have jewelry that my mother bought
there, and a box with J.B. White's name on it.
A great memory for all of us that experienced
shopping there.
J.B. White definitely was the best department store. I have fond memories of shopping at the store on Broad Street in Augusta as well as the stores in National Hills, Aiken, Richland Mall, and Dutch Square. I could name many wonderful items I purchased at J.B. White. The stores had the best quality for a reasonable price, and the sales were legendary---always something to look forward to. I was heartbroken when they closed. Dillard's, which established itself in many of the old J.B. White buildings, gave us a huge case of sticker shock, and they had the worst "sales" ever. They have improved somewhat over the years. I think the only department store that came close to J.B. White was Tapp's in Columbia, SC. They closed their doors before White's did. I often think of shopping on Broad Street in the 1960s and 1970s. It was great fun!!
ReplyDeleteWhile looking through an antique store in Lexington, Georgia I found an accounts payable ledger from a company named, Moody Reynolds Co in Woodville, Georgia. Dated 1903, it contains a number of invoices from J. B. White CO., Augusta Georgia. The location is referenced as "Broadway" with no street number. The items purchased are items found in a department store. Could this be the same J. B. White Department Store referenced here? If so, I can post copies of a few that might be of interest.
ReplyDeleteJohn
I do believe it is the same store.
ReplyDelete-Bruce
I loved J.B. White I even have one of the White's metal plaques that was by the enterace hanging in my home. I think it is the one from National Hills.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have the size of the 1st floor of the 732 Broad St.
ReplyDeleteMatt Aitken
706 267 0107
My grandfather (Benjamin F Lopes) work at the Liberty House for 50 years. I have a gold watch given to him on 3/21/51, and a wooden bowl given to him for retirement ( 1912 to 1962). I believe he was the longest employ of Liberty House. If there is a place this could be on display I think my grandfather would like that. If there is a place please contact me.
ReplyDeleteBob Lopes
408-286-6874
reply
WHITE'S, AS WE CALLED IT, WAS THE FIRST STORE IN THE AUGUSTA AREA TO STAY OPEN UNTIL 9 PM---JUST ON MONDAY NITES---IT WAS A TRULY 0WONDERFUL STORE : THE CLERKS REMEMBERED U, SOMETIMES EVEN YOUR SIZES!!!---IT WAS THE EPITOME OF A SERVICE-ORIENTED STORE---IT SOLD JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING---THEIR PRICES WERE REASONABLE & THE QUALITY EXCELLENT---MY MOTHER WORKED THERE AS A TEENAGER & LATER ON IN LIFE AS A DESIGNER IN THE HAT DEPARTMENT---MANY OF THEIR EMPLOYEES WORKED THERE FOR MANY YEARS---THE STORE TREATED THEM EXCEPTIONALLY WELL---THE STORE WAS A VITAL PART OF AUGUSTA FOR A LONG TIME---IT IS MISSED TO THIS DAY
ReplyDeleteI have a white round cashmere/furtype fabric hat that is in its original jb white box with the receipt and paper, 100% mint condition and the receipt reads 1961 and the hat was $26.00.
ReplyDeleteI am currently trying to assess its value because im moving and fear it would not have a safe place to be stored.
Anyone know anything about appraising it? I could use any insight for sure! Thankss in advance.
I grew up near Aiken, SC in the 80's and 90's and me and my family still have the fondest memories of shopping at JB White's. I can't count all of the birthday, anniversary, wedding, baby and Christmas gifts that we bought there over the years. We never missed the midnight madness sales and no school year started without first doing our back to school shopping at the Aiken and Regency Mall locations.
ReplyDeleteStores like JB White's, Rich's and Davidson's that catered to shoppers and made the experience wonderful and got great loyalty in return are all but gone. I now live in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, WA) and there are no stores out here that come close to those experiences. The people that worked in those stores made a decent living, knew their customers and seemed to actually enjoy what they were doing. It's very rare to find that in any store, any where, any more.
I have my fond memories and every year as we approach the holiday's someone in my family will say "I wish we still had White's". Thanks for sharing your memories.
I believe the third photo under Branch Stores (1954-1978) labeled as Mitchell Shopping Center (1971)/Whiskey Road/Ailken, S.C. is incorrect. It should be Dutch Square Mall/Columbia, S.C. (plus Aiken is spelled incorrectly).
ReplyDelete