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The San Francisco Chronicle website posted an image of the original article in 1968 about the Zodiac Killer that had an old JC Penney ad below and to the right of it that I thought everyone would find interesting:

http://www.sfgate.com/gate/graphics/200 ... 1_1968.pdf

There are similar ads in the local newspapers from that era. It was very rare to see photographs in department store ads in that era, most ads used line art drawings like the ones you see here.

Some of the "older" folks continue to refer to the chain simply as Penneys. With this ad...I see why.

What year was the "full" JCPenney name integrated?

I'm 38 and I still sometimes call it Penney's...

They switched from the "Penneys" logo to the current "JCPenney" logo in 1971, though some stores' signage still used the old logo for a while. I remember the Stonewood store in Downey as having the old logo in the late 70s.

thanks Chad!

Remember when JCPenney had appliances? Auto centers?

I remember they had essentially the precursor to true bar code scanning with a little "gun" they scanned some code numbers.

As mentioned on another thread...the parking lot in front of the JCPenney @ the Puente Hills Mall (Industry, CA) was used for the terrorist "chase" scene in the original BACK TO THE FUTURE movie. This site has been divided into a number of stores over the years. A portion had been Circuit City...which is now closing. The auto center was recently demolished for additional shops.

runchadrun wrote:They switched from the "Penneys" logo to the current "JCPenney" logo in 1971, though some stores' signage still used the old logo for a while.

Some still do...



This 1968-vintage "package pick-up" sign still appears by the back entrance of the Manitowoc, WI store to this day. (The main signs, however, were updated to the current "JCPenney" style quite some time ago.)

I love how some of the older stores used stylized P's in the designs like the one above. The others that come to mind that also do this are Montclair and Lakewood. Both have P flower designs. Its really funny to see this design on old stores that are now something else.

Dean wrote:What year was the "full" JCPenney name integrated?

If I understand correctly, the company has always been known as J. C. Penney & Co. The stylized P logo was an attempt to simplify, but it did not change the company name. Similarly, the company is currently known as JCPenney, but I believe the official name is still as I've said above. The pre-stylized logo stores just said in plain font J. C. Penney & Co.

According to SEC filings, the official name of the company is J. C. Penney Company, Inc. Unlike Sears, Roebuck and Company, there's no "and" or ampersand in the name. According to Wikipedia, it took this name (perhaps without the "Inc") in 1912 when James Cash Penney bought The Golden Rule Store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

Well, the name stuck around a lot longer than 1971. I don't even remember seeing the new logo until the mid 80's. Which reminds me of the line "There's a sale at Penney's!" from the movie Airplane! in 1980.

There's also a department store named Penney's (no relation) in Ireland.

Dean wrote:Thanks Chad!

Remember when JCPenney had appliances? Auto centers?

I remember they had essentially the precursor to true bar code scanning with a little "gun" they scanned some code numbers.

As mentioned on another thread...the parking lot in front of the JCPenney @ the Puente Hills Mall (Industry, CA) was used for the terrorist "chase" scene in the original BACK TO THE FUTURE movie. This site has been divided into a number of stores over the years. A portion had been Circuit City...which is now closing. The auto center was recently demolished for additional shops.

I remember a time when it seemed like JCPenney, Sears, and Montgomery Ward were the same basic stores with different names on them. Everything from the merchandise to the catalogs. How times have changed.

For many years, the JCPenney in Sandusky, Ohio (a store we visited often while growing up) kept the auto center doors intact, long after the auto center itself had shut down. It seemed like the doors were still there as recently as 2005. I did not visit that area on my most recent visit in 2007.

As for the signage, many older JCPenney stores which are located in small towns with no enclosed mall nearby, still use the original signage that reads "J.C.Penney Co." The store in Astoria, Oregon is a good example.

Super S wrote: As for the signage, many older JCPenney stores which are located in small towns with no enclosed mall nearby, still use the original signage that reads "J.C.Penney Co." The store in Astoria, Oregon is a good example.

The power of Google:

Most JCPenney stores are located now in malls, especially in the urban areas.

Los Angeles has an exception:
The old Huntington Park JCPenney on Pacific and Gage is still open after many years. It really shows its age when you walk in.
The original main sales floor, a small mezzanine, and a large third floor. I dont remember if it has a basement level. Considering this store's age and the fact that the closest JCP stores are in Montebello, Glendale or Lakewood, this tells you that this store will be around for years to come. It only has stairs and no escalators, and one elevator.

There's a a non-mall JCPenney located in Burley, ID as well, although I've only seen it in passing (it does have modern signage though.) Presumably, it would be a smaller location than most, since it's serving a fairly sparsely populated area (there's an awful lot of middle of nowhere in Southern Idaho) and there's also one roughly 20 miles away in Twin Falls (which I believe would be in a mall) as well.

Penney was primarily a soft goods chain - and did not have a catalog - until the ealy 60s, when they introduced Penncrest appliances, tv, and auto supplies. This happened around the time of the introduction of the ribbony "Penneys" logo. When they dropped hard goods in the mid 80s, JCP went back to its roots.