Thalhimer's
Encyclopedia
Thalhimers was a department store
in the Southern United States
. Based in Richmond, Virginia
, the venerable chain at its peak operated dozens of stores in Virginia
, North Carolina
, South Carolina
, and one store in Memphis
, Tennessee
.
Thalhimer's traditions were most notable during the holiday season with visits from the sticker-distributing Snow Bear and, in later years, the arrival of Lego Land at the downtown Richmond store.
in the early 19th century. In 1842 he opened a dry good store which his grandson, William B. Thalhimer (1888-1969), transformed into Richmond's first department store. In 1978, the company, by then developed into a regional department store chain, was acquired by California
-based Carter Hawley Hale Stores
. It was at this time that the apostrophe was dropped from the company's logo, making the name "Thalhimers".
At one time, Carter Hawley Hale owned several notable department stores, including upscale Neiman-Marcus and John Wanamaker
. After poor financial results throughout the 1980s, and saddled by the effects of leveraged debt from fending off two leveraged buyout attempts, in 1990, Carter Hawley Hale decided to concentrate on its West Coast department stores such as The Broadway
, The Emporium, and Capwell's and sold Thalhimers to St. Louis
-based May Company
for US$325 million.
In February 1992, Thalhimers was merged into The Hecht Company (May's Washington, DC division), and nearly all locations were rebranded as Hecht's
, excluding the two Charleston, SC stores and the Memphis, TN store which were sold to Dillard's
, and the store at Lynnhaven Mall
, which remained open as Thalhimers until May 1992. The Lynnhaven store became a second Hecht's location in November of that year.
chain Golden Skillet
. For many years it and its main rival, Miller & Rhoads
, were the fashionable retail anchors for downtown Richmond.
On February 22, 1960, a group of students from Virginia Union University
staged a protest against racial segregation at the Richmond Room. Some 34 were arrested, the city's first mass arrests of the Civil Rights Movement. The case of Raymond B. Randolph, Jr. v. Commonwealth of Virginia (202 Va. 661, 665 (1961)) would test whether trespassing laws constituted a violation of free speech.
Along with several other Thalhimers locations, the downtown flagship closed on January 22, 1992 after purchase by the May Company. It had been the last major department store in the once-bustling retail corridor; Miller & Rhoads had closed in January 1990. The building remained vacant until demolished on June 12, 2004 to make way for a performing arts center.
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 Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. Based in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, the venerable chain at its peak operated dozens of stores in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, and one store in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Thalhimer's traditions were most notable during the holiday season with visits from the sticker-distributing Snow Bear and, in later years, the arrival of Lego Land at the downtown Richmond store.
History
William Thalhimer immigrated to the Richmond area from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the early 19th century. In 1842 he opened a dry good store which his grandson, William B. Thalhimer (1888-1969), transformed into Richmond's first department store. In 1978, the company, by then developed into a regional department store chain, was acquired by California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based Carter Hawley Hale Stores
Carter Hawley Hale Stores
Broadway Stores, Inc. was an American retailer based in Southern California. Known through its history as Carter Hawley Hale Stores and Broadway Hale Stores over time, it acquired other retail store chains in regions outside its California home base and became in certain retail sectors a regional...
. It was at this time that the apostrophe was dropped from the company's logo, making the name "Thalhimers".
At one time, Carter Hawley Hale owned several notable department stores, including upscale Neiman-Marcus and 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...
. After poor financial results throughout the 1980s, and saddled by the effects of leveraged debt from fending off two leveraged buyout attempts, in 1990, Carter Hawley Hale decided to concentrate on its West Coast department stores such as The Broadway
The Broadway
The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. Founded in 1896 by English born Arthur Letts, Sr., who later went on to develop Holmby Hills, The Broadway became one of the dominant retailers in Southern California and the...
, The Emporium, and Capwell's and sold Thalhimers to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
-based May Company
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...
for US$325 million.
In February 1992, Thalhimers was merged into The Hecht Company (May's Washington, DC division), and nearly all locations were rebranded as 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....
, excluding the two Charleston, SC stores and the Memphis, TN store which were sold to Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, and the store at Lynnhaven Mall
Lynnhaven Mall
Lynnhaven Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. It opened in August 1981. At of gross leasable area, it is not only the largest mall in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of southeastern Virginia, but also one of the largest malls on the East Coast...
, which remained open as Thalhimers until May 1992. The Lynnhaven store became a second Hecht's location in November of that year.
Downtown Richmond store
An addition to Thalhimers massive six-story flagship store at Seventh and Broad Streets was built in 1939. Its luxurious restaurant, the Richmond Room, was the source of many recipes still published today. The Richmond Room also had a fast food spin-off, the fried chickenFried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
chain Golden Skillet
Golden Skillet
Golden Skillet is a fast-food chain selling fried chicken that began in Richmond, Virginia. The first Golden Skillet chicken was sold in 1964 at the downtown Richmond department store Thalhimer's. It was the recipe of Clifton W. Guthrie, who first served the recipe at a Richmond Planning Commission...
. For many years it and its main rival, Miller & Rhoads
Miller & Rhoads
Miller & Rhoads was a Virginia-based department store chain. Throughout its 105 year life-span, the store played an active role in the Richmond community, along with its friendly cross-street rival Thalhimers.- Origins :...
, were the fashionable retail anchors for downtown Richmond.
On February 22, 1960, a group of students from Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
staged a protest against racial segregation at the Richmond Room. Some 34 were arrested, the city's first mass arrests of the Civil Rights Movement. The case of Raymond B. Randolph, Jr. v. Commonwealth of Virginia (202 Va. 661, 665 (1961)) would test whether trespassing laws constituted a violation of free speech.
Along with several other Thalhimers locations, the downtown flagship closed on January 22, 1992 after purchase by the May Company. It had been the last major department store in the once-bustling retail corridor; Miller & Rhoads had closed in January 1990. The building remained vacant until demolished on June 12, 2004 to make way for a performing arts center.
External links
- Thalhimer family member's masters' thesis (VCU, 2005) with store history/chronology and anecdotes http://etd.vcu.edu/theses/available/etd-08282006-162353/unrestricted/smarttet_thesis.pdf
- RichmondCityWatch.com: Thalhimer's Department Store profile and photographs
- Virginia Union University: The Richmond 34
- Forsyth CountyForsyth County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile . There were 133,093 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
Public Library: Photograph Collection, including 1959 pictures of the Thalhimers in downtown Winston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...