Strawbridge's
Encyclopedia
Strawbridge's was a department store
in the northeastern United States
with stores in Pennsylvania
, New Jersey
and Delaware
. In its day a gracious urban emporium, the downtown Philadelphia flagship store added branch stores starting in the 1930s and together they enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollars by their zenith in the 1980s. By the 1990s Strawbridge's found itself part of May Department Stores
until that company's August 30, 2005 acquisition by Macy's Inc. May had operated it under its Arlington County, Virginia
-based Hecht's
division. It was announced March 10, 2006 that this store would close on June 1, but it actually shut its doors on May 23.http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=3981527
On February 1, 2006, the former May Company divisions were dissolved and operating control of the Strawbridge's stores was assumed by Macy's East
. On September 9, 2006, the Strawbridge's and Hecht's nameplates were completely phased out in favor of Macy's
.
The store began as a dry goods
store founded by Quakers Justus Clayton Strawbridge (1838–1911) and Isaac Hallowell Clothier (1837–1921) in Philadelphia in 1862. In 1868 Strawbridge & Clothier purchased the 3-story brick building on the northwest corner of Market and 8th Streets in Center City
Philadelphia that had been Thomas Jefferson's
office from 1790 to 1793 while he served as Secretary of State
, and opened their first store. They soon replaced the old building with the 5-story department store (left) that would offer a variety of fixed-price merchandise under one roof for the next fifty years.
In 1931 the company opened a modern store building on the site, the Beaux Arts-style limestone monument that dominates the corner today. Planning and design by Philadelphia architectural firm Simon & Simon began in 1928, before the Wall Street crash, but by ribbon-cutting at the depth of the Depression, the staggering $10 million cost of such grand construction nearly suffocated the cash-strapped company. The building subsequently became the eastern anchor in 1977 of The Gallery
, an urban mall connecting Strawbridge & Clothier with Gimbels, which had relocated from across Market Street to join the mall. It was the vision of S&C Chairman Stockton Strawbridge that was instrumental in revitalizing the Market East retail district
in the 1970s, a vision that is still apparent today despite the demise of both Gimbels and Strawbridge's. He once said that his goal was to transform fading east Market Street into "the Champs-Élysées
of Philadelphia."
In May 1930, Strawbridge & Clothier helped remake the American retail scene by opening one of the first suburban branch department stores in the nation, located in the Suburban Square
shopping center in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
. In 1931, they followed with their second suburban "satellite" store at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
. By the 1970s, Strawbridge's had nearly a dozen branch stores in malls across eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. The branches proved to have been a wise step: the flagship store posted only a few years of actual profitability, all of them during the 1940s. The company also revolutionized retailing with their introduction of revolving charge account
cards. In 1969 Strawbridge set his sights on competing with the emerging Target
grade retailers, launching the Clover
discount store chain; the first Clover store opened in 1971. Located in strip centers
rather than malls for the most part, Clover grew to have 26 locations, more than the 21 full-service S&C stores. Most Clover stores closed in winter 1997.
After successfully fighting off a hostile takeover attempt by Ronald S. Baron
in 1986, Strawbridge & Clothier survived as an independent, locally-owned department store into the 1990s. In 1995, in an attempt to become the dominant retailer in the Philadelphia region, S&C partnered with Federated Department Stores, Pomeroys, and the Rubin Brothers real estate development company to acquire their rival Wanamaker's
, but were outbid in bankruptcy court by May Department Stores Company. Subsequently, the thirteen Strawbridge & Clothier department stores were themselves bought by May Department Stores Company in 1996, when the Strawbridge & Clothier directors (mostly members of the Strawbridge and Clothier families) elected to liquidate operations over the vehement objections of patriarch Stockton Strawbridge. Strawbridge died not long after the sale; some say he died of a broken heart. "He was the store, and the store was him," said his attorney Peter Hearn to the Philadelphia Daily News. Store employees and the public-at-large felt a sense of loss as well: many employees rushed to pay off their credit card accounts in full before the sale was finalized, "hoping that the proceeds would go to the founding families rather than [the new buyers]."
At the time of the May acquisition, the Strawbridge's name was retained, and the Philadelphia area Hecht's
stores (the former John Wanamaker
locations) also adopted the name. However, the Strawbridge & Clothier head office was closed and its operations were consolidated with Hecht's in Arlington, Virginia. After the sale the stores operated simply as Strawbridge's, although exterior signage reading Strawbridge & Clothier remained in place at many locations until the stores became Macy's
in 2006.
Some Strawbridge's stores had restaurants inside, like at Christiana Mall
in Newark, Delaware
. Strawbridge's was well known for their shopping bags. It was a paper bag, with navy blue handles. And it read, Strawbridge's in blue twice and red once on one side of the bag, and vice versa on the other. They were also known for their friendly employees. In the center of the flagship store was a large bronze statue of a wild boar. The legend had it that good luck would follow those who rubbed the boar's nose. The boar consequently had a very shiny nose from all the rubbing.
For thirteen years from 1922-1935, the store operated WFI, an AM radio station. In 1935, the station merged with WLIT, owned by the Lit Brothers
store across the street, to form WFIL
, an NBC Blue network affiliate. WFIL remains on the air today on its original frequency, AM 560.
In July, 2006, The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
(PREIT), owners of The Gallery at Market East, agreed to purchase the lower floors of the flagship Strawbridge's store. It is anticipated that PREIT will seek retail tenants for the areas of the building closest to street level but may convert some higher floors to office space. The uppermost floors had previously been sold and converted to offices; they are currently owned by American Financial Realty Trust of Jenkintown
.
On February 26, 2009, it was announced that the developers of Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia
were looking into locating their new casino
onto three floors of the former Strawbridge's flagship store currently owned by PREIT.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in the northeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with stores in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. In its day a gracious urban emporium, the downtown Philadelphia flagship store added branch stores starting in the 1930s and together they enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollars by their zenith in the 1980s. By the 1990s Strawbridge's found itself part of May Department Stores
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
until that company's August 30, 2005 acquisition by Macy's Inc. May had operated it under its Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
-based Hecht's
Hecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores located mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States....
division. It was announced March 10, 2006 that this store would close on June 1, but it actually shut its doors on May 23.http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=3981527
On February 1, 2006, the former May Company divisions were dissolved and operating control of the Strawbridge's stores was assumed by Macy's East
Macy's East
Macy's East, New York, New York is a division of Macy's, Inc.. It is the operating successor to the original R.H. Macy & Co., Inc. and operates the Macy's department stores in the northeast U.S. and Puerto Rico. Over the years it has been known as Macy's New York and Macy's Northeast...
. On September 9, 2006, the Strawbridge's and Hecht's nameplates were completely phased out in favor of Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
.
History
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
store founded by Quakers Justus Clayton Strawbridge (1838–1911) and Isaac Hallowell Clothier (1837–1921) in Philadelphia in 1862. In 1868 Strawbridge & Clothier purchased the 3-story brick building on the northwest corner of Market and 8th Streets in Center City
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
Philadelphia that had been Thomas Jefferson's
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
office from 1790 to 1793 while he served as Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, and opened their first store. They soon replaced the old building with the 5-story department store (left) that would offer a variety of fixed-price merchandise under one roof for the next fifty years.
In 1931 the company opened a modern store building on the site, the Beaux Arts-style limestone monument that dominates the corner today. Planning and design by Philadelphia architectural firm Simon & Simon began in 1928, before the Wall Street crash, but by ribbon-cutting at the depth of the Depression, the staggering $10 million cost of such grand construction nearly suffocated the cash-strapped company. The building subsequently became the eastern anchor in 1977 of The Gallery
The Gallery at Market East
The Gallery at Market East, or "The Gallery" as it is known to locals, is an urban mall in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States with over 130 stores and a food court. The mall's major anchor stores are Kmart and Burlington Coat Factory....
, an urban mall connecting Strawbridge & Clothier with Gimbels, which had relocated from across Market Street to join the mall. It was the vision of S&C Chairman Stockton Strawbridge that was instrumental in revitalizing the Market East retail district
Market East, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Market East is part of the downtown district known as Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Market East corresponds to the area along Market Street between Arch Street to the north, Chestnut Street to the south, Juniper Street to the west, and 6th Street to the east...
in the 1970s, a vision that is still apparent today despite the demise of both Gimbels and Strawbridge's. He once said that his goal was to transform fading east Market Street into "the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
of Philadelphia."
In May 1930, Strawbridge & Clothier helped remake the American retail scene by opening one of the first suburban branch department stores in the nation, located in the Suburban Square
Suburban Square
Suburban Square is a shopping center located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Philadelphia area. The center opened in 1928, and is notable as one of the earliest shopping centers in the United States...
shopping center in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore is a census-designated place in Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census...
. In 1931, they followed with their second suburban "satellite" store at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. "Jenkintown" is also used to describe a number of neighborhoods surrounding the borough, which also are known by names such as Rydal, Jenkintown Manor and Noble...
. By the 1970s, Strawbridge's had nearly a dozen branch stores in malls across eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. The branches proved to have been a wise step: the flagship store posted only a few years of actual profitability, all of them during the 1940s. The company also revolutionized retailing with their introduction of revolving charge account
Revolving credit
Revolving credit is a type of credit that does not have a fixed number of payments, in contrast to installment credit. Examples of revolving credits used by consumers include credit cards. Corporate revolving credit facilities are typically used to provide liquidity for a company's day-to-day...
cards. In 1969 Strawbridge set his sights on competing with the emerging Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
grade retailers, launching the Clover
Clover Discount Store
Clover was a discount chain of 26 stores operated by Strawbridge & Clothier in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Clover stores averaged , but the first five stores it opened, ran about to .-History:The first Clover store opened in 1971...
discount store chain; the first Clover store opened in 1971. Located in strip centers
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
rather than malls for the most part, Clover grew to have 26 locations, more than the 21 full-service S&C stores. Most Clover stores closed in winter 1997.
After successfully fighting off a hostile takeover attempt by Ronald S. Baron
Ronald S. Baron
Ronald Stephen Baron is the founder of Baron Capital Group, an investment management firm. The New York City based firm, markets the Baron Funds. As of 2006, the funds had 700,000 investors and a market value of $16 billion.Baron grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey...
in 1986, Strawbridge & Clothier survived as an independent, locally-owned department store into the 1990s. In 1995, in an attempt to become the dominant retailer in the Philadelphia region, S&C partnered with Federated Department Stores, Pomeroys, and the Rubin Brothers real estate development company to acquire their rival Wanamaker's
Wanamaker's
Wanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...
, but were outbid in bankruptcy court by May Department Stores Company. Subsequently, the thirteen Strawbridge & Clothier department stores were themselves bought by May Department Stores Company in 1996, when the Strawbridge & Clothier directors (mostly members of the Strawbridge and Clothier families) elected to liquidate operations over the vehement objections of patriarch Stockton Strawbridge. Strawbridge died not long after the sale; some say he died of a broken heart. "He was the store, and the store was him," said his attorney Peter Hearn to the Philadelphia Daily News. Store employees and the public-at-large felt a sense of loss as well: many employees rushed to pay off their credit card accounts in full before the sale was finalized, "hoping that the proceeds would go to the founding families rather than [the new buyers]."
At the time of the May acquisition, the Strawbridge's name was retained, and the Philadelphia area Hecht's
Hecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores located mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States....
stores (the former John Wanamaker
Wanamaker's
Wanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...
locations) also adopted the name. However, the Strawbridge & Clothier head office was closed and its operations were consolidated with Hecht's in Arlington, Virginia. After the sale the stores operated simply as Strawbridge's, although exterior signage reading Strawbridge & Clothier remained in place at many locations until the stores became Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
in 2006.
Some Strawbridge's stores had restaurants inside, like at Christiana Mall
Christiana Mall
Christiana Mall is a super-regional mid-range/upscale shopping mall near Newark, Delaware, United States. The mall is near an exit off Interstate 95 close to the center of the BosWash megalopolis. The mall's anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, Target and Nordstrom. The mall contains more than 130...
in Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
. Strawbridge's was well known for their shopping bags. It was a paper bag, with navy blue handles. And it read, Strawbridge's in blue twice and red once on one side of the bag, and vice versa on the other. They were also known for their friendly employees. In the center of the flagship store was a large bronze statue of a wild boar. The legend had it that good luck would follow those who rubbed the boar's nose. The boar consequently had a very shiny nose from all the rubbing.
For thirteen years from 1922-1935, the store operated WFI, an AM radio station. In 1935, the station merged with WLIT, owned by the Lit Brothers
Lit Brothers
Lit Brothers was a moderate priced department store based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Samuel and Jacob Lit opened the first store at Eight and Market Streets in 1893....
store across the street, to form WFIL
WFIL
WFIL is a radio station and a former television station serving the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its transmitter is located in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania....
, an NBC Blue network affiliate. WFIL remains on the air today on its original frequency, AM 560.
In July, 2006, The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust is one of the first publicly traded real estate investment trusts, established in 1960 by Sylvan M. Cohen .The PREIT corporate offices are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
(PREIT), owners of The Gallery at Market East, agreed to purchase the lower floors of the flagship Strawbridge's store. It is anticipated that PREIT will seek retail tenants for the areas of the building closest to street level but may convert some higher floors to office space. The uppermost floors had previously been sold and converted to offices; they are currently owned by American Financial Realty Trust of Jenkintown
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. "Jenkintown" is also used to describe a number of neighborhoods surrounding the borough, which also are known by names such as Rydal, Jenkintown Manor and Noble...
.
On February 26, 2009, it was announced that the developers of Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia
Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia
Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia was a proposed casino to be located first along the Delaware River, then under pressure from local residents attempted to move to the The Gallery at Market East in Center City in Philadelphia, PA...
were looking into locating their new casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
onto three floors of the former Strawbridge's flagship store currently owned by PREIT.