20th-Century Retailing in Downtown Grand Rapids

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467112567
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/27/2014
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,071,047
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Thanks to unique images from the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Library, and the Ella Sharp Museum, readers are able to enjoy revered views of the diversity of retailers, the exceptional selection and service, spectacular window displays, fashionable merchandise, and memorable special events. Michael Hauser, who worked at two of the department stores on Monroe Avenue, is the marketing manager and historian for the Detroit Opera House. Marianne Weldon is the collections manager for art and artifacts at Bryn Mawr College. The authors share a passion for architecture and the history of Michigan's built urban environment. This is the fifth Arcadia title that they have collaborated on.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 The Herpolsheimer Company 9

2 Paul Steketee and Sons 35

3 The Wurzburg Company 49

4 Specialty Retailers 87

5 Dime Stores 117