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    20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids
    20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids
    20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids
    Ebook214 pages29 minutes

    20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids

    By Michael Hauser and Marianne Weldon

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    About this ebook

    Grand Rapids, Michigan was the center for shopping in western Michigan with department stores, five-and-dimes and more, until the advent of the shopping mall.


    For decades, downtown Grand Rapids enjoyed a long run in the limelight as the epicenter of shopping in western Michigan. The vibrant Monroe Avenue corridor included three homegrown department stores, several chain department stores, five-and-dime stores, and scores of clothing and specialty retailers. It weathered mother nature, wars, the Great Depression, the advent of neighborhood shopping centers, and civil disturbances--but the one change it could not overcome was the regional shopping mall.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateOct 27, 2014
    ISBN9781439647950
    20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids
    Author

    Michael Hauser

    Utilizing remarkable images from several sources, including the Manning Brothers Historical Collection, the Michigan Opera Theatre Archives, and several additional collections, Michael Hauser and Marianne Weldon have captured the excitement of the shared entertainment experience. Hauser is marketing manager for the Detroit Opera House, and Weldon is the collections manager for art and artifacts at Bryn Mawr College.

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      20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids - Michael Hauser

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      INTRODUCTION

      For many folks, recalling the era when downtown Grand Rapids was a mecca for West Michigan shoppers evokes memories of riding the bus downtown, window-shopping, ogling the holiday decor, visiting the real Santa, watching the elevators whoosh between floors, and listening to the clickety-clack of the escalators.

      Others may remember being a member of the teen board, attending a style show in one of the department store dining rooms, freezing on Monroe Avenue while watching the Santa Claus Parade, playing the latest top-40 tunes, or purchasing a first pet from one of the dime stores.

      Back in the 1950s—the heyday for downtown retailing—venturing to downtown Grand Rapids was a daylong adventure. Besides offering over one million square feet of retailing, the area also boasted many nearby restaurants and half a dozen first-run movie palaces.

      Monroe Avenue was home to three homegrown department stores (Herpolsheimer’s, Steketee’s, and Wurzburg’s), as well as Jacobson’s, Sears Roebuck & Company, four large dime stores (W.T. Grant Company, H.L. Green Company, S.S. Kresge Company, and F.W. Woolworth Company), and scores of specialty stores.

      Names such as Herpolsheimer, Herkner, Houseman, May, Preusser, Steketee, and Wurzburg still resonate with the citizenry today because of the active role these businesspeople contributed to the arts and culture of Grand Rapids. Today, the consolidation of the retail industry and the proliferation of big-box retailers have severely diminished the community-giving aspect that was the hallmark of the aforementioned retailers and have made today’s shopping experience far less personal.

      Many of the early merchants that dominated Monroe Avenue, who were immigrants of various origins, could trace their roots to small dry goods stores of the 19th century. As the city prospered, so did these merchants who supplied durable goods to the growing population.

      Following World War II, the migration to neighborhood and suburban areas gripped Grand Rapids, just as it had elsewhere around the country. The earliest local shopping areas were West Leonard, Burton Heights, Madison Square, Town and Country, Gaslight Village, Breton Village, Creston Heights, Galewood, and Standale. Roger’s Plaza, the area’s first enclosed shopping mall in 1960, was a revelation. Although the downtown stores held their own, it was not until the opening of Eastbrook Mall in 1967 and Woodland Mall in 1968 that downtown started to experience a serious drop-off in business and guest traffic.

      In some respects, the large department stores cannibalized themselves. Wurzburg’s opened branches in Southland Center (1964), Eastbrook Mall (1966), and North Kent Mall (1970). Herpolsheimer’s acquired the former Southland Center store from Wurzburg’s in 1976, and Steketee’s opened a branch at Eastbrook Mall in 1967.

      The real death knell for downtown retailing occurred in 1971, when the new owners of Wurzburg’s announced they would close the venerable Monroe Avenue department store. Wurzburg’s for decades had been Grand Rapids’s version of the J.L. Hudson Company of Detroit. Wurzburg’s operated a large 10-story edifice, produced the Santa Claus Parade, created magical animated window displays, featured elaborate holiday decor, and was the largest advertiser in town. Following its departure, Herpolsheimer’s skated along until 1990, and Steketee’s until 1998, although both stores were shadows of their former selves. Most of the specialty stores closed in the 1970s and were replaced with smaller niche merchants. A few of the vanguard retailers have survived downtown, including Preusser Jewelers, Groskopf’s Luggage & Gifts, and Reynolds & Son Sporting Goods.

      During the demolition of the famed Wurzburg store, a foreman from Capitol Lumber and Wrecking stated to the media that there is nothing structurally wrong with it—it is a beautiful building! Frederick Schoeck, Wurzburg’s longtime president, stated, I think it is stupid! My life’s work is ruined. We built a big store with the help of Sperry and Hutchinson. Now it is gone. I don’t want to say any more! Back in the 1970s, community leaders did not have the foresight to believe that these former retail edifices could evolve into mixed-use facilities.

      My (coauthor Michael Hauser) fascination with downtown and its wide range of retail began in the mid-1950s when my parents enrolled me in summer classes at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Once I learned the ropes, I rode the bus downtown on my own, filling my mind with images of the various styles of architecture and neon signage that I could see out the window. Once home, I would create my own version of the stores, restaurants, and theaters in sketchbooks. In the late 1950s, our family treat was to occasionally take the bus downtown together on Friday evenings when the stores were open late. We would window-shop, rotate dining at the dime store lunch counters, and end the evening with a movie.

      As a student at Central High School, I would walk downtown each afternoon to catch the bus home, hoping to one day be able to work in this environment. My dream was fulfilled while I was attending college, when I held various jobs at Steketee’s and three of the remaining downtown movie palaces. Following college, my professional career began with a marketing position at Herpolsheimer’s.

      Marianne and I have attempted here to provide a glimpse of the great retailers we once had downtown. Obviously, we have only scratched the surface; in some cases, there was simply

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