Dept. store chains with widely dispresed operations

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Max
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Dept. store chains with widely dispresed operations

Post by Max »

What I found unusual about Orbach's was that although it was a regional chain, it operated in two regions that were far away from each other: New York/New Jersey and Southern California. The only other regional department store I can think of that operated in non-adjacent regions was Gimbels, which had stores in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee.
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Post by bigbubby »

Max wrote:What I found unusual about Orbach's was that although it was a regional chain, it operated in two regions that were far away from each other: New York/New Jersey and Southern California. The only other regional department store I can think of that operated in non-adjacent regions was Gimbels, which had stores in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee.
Back when Macy's was actually R.H. Macy & Company, they only operated in New York/New Jersey, Northern California/Reno, and Atlanta. Like their Herald Square rivals, their operating regions were rather scattered.
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Post by Dean »

Jeff wrote:
Dean wrote:
Groceteria wrote: "Dark Shadows" was one I remember specifically, with Joan Bennett perpetually dressed to the nines. I'm glad you metioned they were also in New York, as it seemed a little odd for a soap that was shot there to get its fashions from an LA store.

I'm pretty sure they were rather upscale, and the ads actually make me more certain of that.
I'd have to check the credits...but I am pretty sure I LOVE LUCY also listed OHRBACH'S under their fashions.
Yes they did. I remember seeing it on there,
Heard LUCY and/or ETHEL verbally mention OHRBACH'S on an episode recently. Like Phillip Morris...I wonder if they paid for that advertisement!
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Post by umtrr-author »

retroguy76 wrote:I remeber going to one ohrbach's store in woodbridge nj at the woodbridge center i think I went to one in new york also I just remeber the Oh! Oh!rbach's advertisment in 1987 the woodbridge stoe turned into steinbach's until their fate in 1995 and that store was demolished and rebuilt for lord and taylor
Yes, Orbach's was one of the three original anchor stores in Woodbridge Center. The other two are also gone: A&S and Stern's.

If I recall correctly, the Woodbridge Center Orbach's had a facade similar to the one in the opening post of this thread, except that it was all white and the store name was in orange.
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steps
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Re: Ohrbach's Department Store

Post by steps »

Jeff wrote:
- Glendale Galleria (its there, it became part of the mall and was subdivided into shops. The elevators in the center are still there too)
Which set of elevators? The ones near Nordstroms or the ones in the middle of the mall near JC Pennys?
Pavilions, the new, the unusal, the BEST of everything!
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Re: Ohrbach's Department Store

Post by Jeff »

steps wrote:
Jeff wrote:
- Glendale Galleria (its there, it became part of the mall and was subdivided into shops. The elevators in the center are still there too)
Which set of elevators? The ones near Nordstroms or the ones in the middle of the mall near JC Pennys?
I had meant escalators.

They are the escalators that are by the food court, where Limited and Express are upstairs today. The McDonald's downstairs used to be the old entrance from the outside, as was the food court stairs to this area.
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buckhead
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Post by buckhead »

Max wrote:What I found unusual about Orbach's was that although it was a regional chain, it operated in two regions that were far away from each other: New York/New Jersey and Southern California. The only other regional department store I can think of that operated in non-adjacent regions was Gimbels, which had stores in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee.
A few others come to mind:

1. Ivey's had two regions, one that served the Carolina's and the other that operated only in Florida. They had separate advertising and marketing practices, but I'm not sure about buying, etc.

2. Belk and Leggett stores were a special case for years until fairly recently. Although the stores shared many resources such as buying and some back office functions, the stores were originally organized as distinct entities serving specific areas. Organized as partnerships or associations with varying percentage ownership/control by the Belk family. each store had its own personality. There were many Belk banners, including (just plain) Belk, Belk-Hudson, Belk-Linsey, Gallant-Belk, Belk-Gallant, Belk-Simpson, Belk-Matthews, Leggett, and others.

3. Maison-Blanche operated stores in Louisiana as well as Florida.

4. Even 20 years ago, May Company had stores in widely separated parts of the country, although typically as part of acquisitions. May-Cohen was in Florida, May-D&F was in Colorado, etc. Before they sold out, May had also acquired Robinson's of California, and numerous other chains.

5. Bloomindale's and Nordstrom have expanded their footprint through the US over the years.

6. In addition to the Macy's stores mentioned by a previous poster, R. H. Macy also operated stores in the midwest under the Macy's name as well as isolated stores in several cities in Florida, and elsewhere that were typically operated more or less directly from New York as opposed to being assigned to the nearby regional unit, e.g., Atlanta. Before Macy's acquired the I. Magnin and Bullock's chains, they already had some California stores that had operated for years.

7. Jordan Marsh (serving New England) and Jordan Marsh Florida operated separately.
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Post by Groceteria »

buckhead wrote:Jordan Marsh (serving New England) and Jordan Marsh Florida operated separately.
Here's a bit of trivia, although this is getting far afield and may need to be split into a new topic soon:

Allied Stores also operated two isolated stores in Greensboro NC under the Jordan Marsh banner in the late 1970s. They were units of the former Meyer's Department Store, a local operation that had come into the Allied fold at some point. The only bore the JM name for about five or six years (roughly 1974-1980) before being sold off to Charlotte NC-based Ivey's, which was itself acquired by Dillard's about ten years later).
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Post by bigbubby »

buckhead wrote: In addition to the Macy's stores mentioned by a previous poster, R. H. Macy also operated stores in the midwest under the Macy's name as well as isolated stores in several cities in Florida, and elsewhere that were typically operated more or less directly from New York as opposed to being assigned to the nearby regional unit, e.g., Atlanta. Before Macy's acquired the I. Magnin and Bullock's chains, they already had some California stores that had operated for years.
I had forgotten about the Florida stores.
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Post by Jeff »

David or Chad, get ready to split this sucker!

We mentioned May stores. May Company here in Los Angeles for instance had May Co stores in the upper midwest.

We also mentioned Bonwitt Teller, which had stores back east and in LA.

Don't forget Liberty House, and their failed expansion out of Hawaii into northern California and the northwest.

And Bullocks had expanded into the Bay Area from Los Angeles, but ultimately pulled out.
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Post by Dean »

Groceteria wrote:
buckhead wrote:Jordan Marsh (serving New England) and Jordan Marsh Florida operated separately.
Here's a bit of trivia, although this is getting far afield and may need to be split into a new topic soon:

Allied Stores also operated two isolated stores in Greensboro NC under the Jordan Marsh banner in the late 1970s. They were units of the former Meyer's Department Store, a local operation that had come into the Allied fold at some point. The only bore the JM name for about five or six years (roughly 1974-1980) before being sold off to Charlotte NC-based Ivey's, which was itself acquired by Dillard's about ten years later).
You mention that Meyer's was a local operation. Not sure if the same chain or not...I believe there was a Meyer's in Southern California...namely Whittier CA in the Whittwood Mall.

When the store closed, the new tenant left the Meyer's doors...which had a large M on the door handles. The tenant simply inverted the M to a W...even tho the W had nothing to do with the new tenant's name.

This door handle even made the paper years later...as history of shopping in the area.

Jeff, do you remember the store? South side of Whittwood. It has all been demolished now for the new center.
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Post by Jeff »

I beleive so. It beacame a Boston Store (if its the same store - not related to the midwest chain). I never entered the store though from the outside, so if it was on the door handles, then I never saw it. But this was the center anchor for Whittwood before Mervyns was added as a 4th in the 80's.

I remember Boston Store and its sister department store, Brand's. Brand's had a small location we used to go to in Pomona on Garey Ave next to what was once a Stater Brothers at Arrow Hwy. It was a small store, no bigger than 30,000 sq ft. I dont recall Boston Store having that many locations here, or where they were once, and Brands I think was only the inland empire.
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Post by Groceteria »

Jeff wrote:David or Chad, get ready to split this sucker!
It's split. Let's stay on topic this go-round. If someone wants to discuss an issue other than widely dispersed regions, please start a new topic.

Thanks,
David
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Post by TenPoundHammer »

One chain that was rather oddly dispersed until recently was Mervyns. Their operations were mostly in the West, but they did spread out to Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia, as well as a handful in Michigan and Minnesota (the MI and MN stores evidently a result of Dayton-Hudson acquisition).

The FL locations were all former Jordan Marsh stores which were sold to Dillard's a couple years later, while the GA locations seem to have just been random additions that went as fast as they came. LA, OK, MI and MN were all wiped out in 2006, of course.

Also, the Bon-Ton skipped over VA, NC, and SC entirely to have one store in Georgia (more specifically, the now-demolished Riverbend Mall in Rome) after acquiring Hess's in 1994. Similarly, Hess's only had one store in NC, and none in SC at all, despite two different stores in Rome, GA (Riverbend Mall, and a replacement at Mount Berry Square).
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Post by Dean »

Jeff wrote:I beleive so. It beacame a Boston Store (if its the same store - not related to the midwest chain). I never entered the store though from the outside, so if it was on the door handles, then I never saw it. But this was the center anchor for Whittwood before Mervyns was added as a 4th in the 80's.

I remember Boston Store and its sister department store, Brand's. Brand's had a small location we used to go to in Pomona on Garey Ave next to what was once a Stater Brothers at Arrow Hwy. It was a small store, no bigger than 30,000 sq ft. I dont recall Boston Store having that many locations here, or where they were once, and Brands I think was only the inland empire.
Yup! It was Boston Store!

The door handles from the entrance from the parking lot had the inverted M.
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