Strawbridge's

Strawbridge's,formerlyStrawbridge & Clothier,was adepartment storein the northeasternUnited States,with stores inPennsylvania,New Jersey,andDelaware.The Center CityPhiladelphiaflagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban emporium. The retailer started adding branch stores starting in the 1930s and, by their zenith in the 1980s, enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollarsBy the 1990s, Strawbridge's became part of theMay Department Storesconglomerate until May's acquisition byFederated Department Storeson August 30, 2005.

Strawbridge's

Industry	Retail
Founded	1868 (as Strawbridge & Clothier)
Defunct	September 9, 2006
Fate	Acquired byMacy's, Inc.
Successor	Macy's
Headquarters	8th andMarket Streets, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,U.S.
Products	Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.
Parent	May Department Stores(1996-2005) Federated Department Stores(2005-2006)
Website	Official website (2004 archive)at theWayback Machine(archived 2004-06-30)

May operated the Strawbridge's stores under the Northern Virginia-basedHecht's Department Storedivision. On February 1, 2006, the former May Company divisions were all dissolved, and operating control of the remaining Strawbridge's stores was assumed byMacy's East.

Macy's closed Strawbridge's flagship Center City store on May 23, 2006.On September 9, 2006, the Strawbridge's and Hecht's nameplates were completely phased-out in favor of theMacy'sbrand.

Early history

Building the 1931 limestone flagship building nearly bankrupted the company during theDepression

From 1870 to 1930, the 5-story S&C stood at 8th and Market Streets (1910s postcard)

1800s

Strawbridge & Clothier began as adry goodsstore founded byQuakersJustus Clayton Strawbridge (1838–1911) and Isaac Hallowell Clothier (1837–1921)in Philadelphia in 1868. Strawbridge & Clothier purchased the 3-story brick building on the northwest corner of Market and 8th Streets inCenter CityPhiladelphiathat had beenThomas Jefferson'soffice from 1790 to 1793 while he served asSecretary of State,and opened their first store. They soon replaced the old building with one of 5 stories, and then expanded into neighboring buildings as well.

1900s

In 1928, the company decided to replace all but one of its buildings with a new edifice, and began construction in phases on the 13-story building which stands on the corner of Market and North 8th Street today. Designed in theBeaux Arts-style by the Philadelphia architectural firm Simon & Simon, the cost of the limestone building was expected to be $6.5 million, an amount which caused some concern to the store's owners.By the time of the ribbon-cutting in 1931 in the depth of theGreat Depression,the staggering $10 million cost (equivalent to $200 million in 2023) of such grand construction nearly suffocated the cash-strapped company.

The building subsequently became the eastern anchor in 1977 ofThe Gallery,an urban mall connecting Strawbridge & Clothier withGimbels,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 theMarket East retail districtin 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 "theChamps-Élyséesof Philadelphia. "

Late 20th-century demise

After successfully fighting off a hostile takeover attempt byRonald S. Baronin 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 rivalWanamaker's,but were outbid in bankruptcy court byMay Department Stores Company.Subsequently, the 13 Strawbridge & Clothier department stores were themselves bought by May in 1996, when the Strawbridge & Clothier directors (mostly members of the Strawbridge and Clothier families) elected to liquidate operationsover the vehement objections of patriarch Stockton Strawbridge. Strawbridge died not long after the sale. "He was the store, and the store was him," said his attorney Peter Hearn to thePhiladelphia 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]."

Strawbridge's-Macy's logo

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 becameMacy'sin 2006.May had merged the formerJohn Wanamakerinto itsHecht'sbanner, but converted them to Strawbridge's as well (except for Wanamaker's former flagship on Market Street, which eventually became aLord & Taylorand is now Macy's). However, the Strawbridge & Clothier head office was closed and its operations were consolidated with Hecht's inArlington, Virginia.

Cultural significance

Radio station

For 13 years, from 1922 to 1935, the store operated WFI, an AM radio station.In 1935, the station merged with WLIT, owned by theLit Brothersstore across the street, to formWFIL,anNBC Bluenetwork affiliate.WFIL remains on the air today on its original frequency, AM 560.

Dickens Village

In November 1985, Strawbridge's unveiled Dickens Village on the fourth floor of their flagship store. This Christmas display featured animatronic figures in a 6,000 sq. ft walk-through of 26 scenes from Charles Dickens's classicA Christmas Carol.As of 2022, Macy's, in the former Wanamaker's building, displays Dickens Village during the holiday season.

Suburban branch stores

Jenkintown store,on theNational Register of Historic Places

Refurbished flagship building (2014)

The S&C "Seal of Confidence" (1911-2006), depictingWilliam Pennand aLenapetribesman shaking hands, their "never written, never broken" treaty; it stood for S&C's Quaker-based tradition of fairness and honesty, which included a money-back guarantee on all merchandise

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 theSuburban Squareshopping center inArdmore, Pennsylvania.[9]In 1931, it followed with its second suburban "satellite" store atJenkintown, Pennsylvania,thebuilding for whichwas listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1988.[10]

Strawbridge's opened up a number branch stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. These branch stores typically were opened in shopping malls. Prominent stores throughout the Philadelphia area included the stores inWilmington(1952),Cherry Hill(1961),Springfield(1964),Plymouth Meeting(1966),Neshaminy(1968),Echelon(1970),Exton(1973),Christiana(1978),Burlington, New Jersey(1982),Wilmington(1983),King of Prussia(1988) andWillow Grove(1989). 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, as the flagship store posted only a few years of actual profitability, all of them during the 1940s. The last S&C store built was at theConcord MallinWilmington, Delawarein 1983.

In 1969, Strawbridge set his sights on competing with the emergingTarget-grade retailers,[6]launching theClover discount storechain; the first Clover store opened in 1971. Located instrip centersrather 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 the winter of 1997.

Store features and branding

Some Strawbridge's stores had restaurants inside, like at theChristiana Mall,Exton Square Mall,Plymouth Meeting Mall,Neshaminy Mall,Cherry Hill Mall,Jenkintown store,and the Corinthian Room on the sixth floor of the flagship store.

The company also revolutionized retailing with their introduction ofrevolving charge accountcards.

Strawbridge's was well known for its handled shopping bags which kept up with the fashion of each era. It was a paper bag, with navy blue handles with Strawbridge's printed in blue twice and red once on one side of the bag, and vice versa on the other. Once May assumed the company, the Strawbridge & Clothier Seal of Confidence was no longer a prominent marketing image. Late 1970s and 1980s bags were a bright glossy yellow with that era's pseudo calligraphic trademark in a vertical orientation in black along the bag's edge. 1960s bags featured a "modern" script-like trademark with their famous "seal of confidence".

Strawbridge's was also known for its friendly employees.

In the center of the flagship store was a large bronze statue of a wild boar, a replica ofPietro Tacca'sIl Porcellino.Local 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.

Repurposing of flagship store

In July 2006,PREIT,owners ofThe Gallery at Market East,agreed to purchase the lower floors of the flagship Strawbridge's store. PREIT sought retail tenants for the areas of the building closest to street level and converted 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 ofJenkintown.

On February 26, 2009, it was announced that the developers ofFoxwoods Casino Philadelphiawere looking into locating their newcasinoon three floors of the former Strawbridge's flagship store currently owned by PREIT.

In April 2012, it was reported by one of the sub-contractors that the building was undergoing additional renovation for both office and residential use.In July 2012,The Philadelphia InquirerandPhiladelphia Daily Newsrelocated to the third floor of the building from their former headquarters at400 North Broad Street.

On October 23, 2014, theCentury 21Department Stores company of New York City opened its first location outside of the greater New York City area on a portion of the street level, and the entire second level of the Strawbridge's building.Century 21 closed in 2020 as a result of the chain filing for bankruptcy and closing all stores.On December 16, 2021, aGiant Heirloom Marketgrocery store opened in the ground level of the former Strawbridge's department store at 8th Street.

See also

• Philadelphia portal
• Companies portal
• Strawbridge and Clothier Store, Jenkintown
• List of defunct department stores of the United States

External links

External videos
1990 Visa commercial featuring Strawbridge & Clothier

• Official website(Archive)
• The Tale of Two Family Businesses
• Strawbridge & Clothier company recordsatHagley Museum and Library
• Strawbridge & Clothier Annual Reports: 1934–1941, 1944–1945, 1947–1965, 1967–1975,Internet Archives
• 1996 NY Times article on the acquisition by May's