The Denver Dry Goods: Where Colorado Shopped with Confidence

by Mark A. Barnhouse

Overview

Over the course of eleven decades, The Denver Dry Goods and its predecessor, McNamara Dry Goods, proudly served Coloradoans, who knew they could "shop with confidence" for the best quality at the fairest prices. Much more than the goods it sold, the store was a major institution that touched the lives of nearly every Denverite. Comforting culinary traditions like Chicken ala King in the vast fifth-floor tearoom and breakfast with Santa delighted locals. Festive chandeliers adorned the four-hundred-foot-long main aisle during the holidays, and longtime salesclerks knew customers by name. Devoted patrons dearly missed all that charm after the doors closed in 1987. Mark Barnhouse explores the fascinating history and cherished memories of Denver's most beloved department store.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625858078
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	04/24/2017
Series:	Landmarks
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Denver native Mark A. Barnhouse has published five history books on Denver and leads the popular Historic Sixteenth Street walking tour for the annual Doors Open Denver celebration. He earned his BA in history and English literature from the University of Colorado at Denver and has continued to research and write. Fascinated by the ways his city has changed over time, Mark is particularly interested in the histories of old, vanished department stores, having spent many hours in them as a youth.

Table of Contents

Foreword F. Joseph Hayes James J. O'Hagan 9

Acknowledgements 13

Introduction: The End of an Era 15

1 An Irish Merchant 23

2 California Street 33

3 Another Irish Merchant 43

4 The Denver Dry Goods Company 53

5 In Full Flower 75

6 The Tea Room 85

7 A Denver Institution 99

8 Traditions 107

9 Branching Out 121

10 Postwar Decades 139

11 The End Comes 149

Epilogue: A Landmark's New Beginning 161

Notes 171

Bibliography 181

Index 185

About the Author 191

Editorial Reviews

"Barnhouse's book lets those who loved the Denver Dry Goods relive the days when department store shopping was an adventure." The Denver Post


"Longtime Coloradans may remember going to 'The Denver.' It was a downtown Denver department store -- full name, The Denver Dry Goods -- that closed 30 years ago this month. It was an institution. A place not just to shop. But to lunch. To see and be seen. Mark A. Barnhouse has a love for lost Denver. And he's written a history of the store, 'The Denver Dry Goods, Where Colorado Shopped With Confidence.'" Colorado Public Radio


""The Denver Dry Goods: Where Colorado Shopped with Confidence" (The History Press, 2017) is the fifth book by NW Denver historian Mark Barnhouse. The book explores eleven decades of history and memories of the downtown department store that Denverites knew simply as "The Denver."

...Barnhouse believes the idea of the department store is going away. "Millennials are not shopping in department stores. Baby boomers are at retirement age and buying online," he said." North Denver Tribune

From the Publisher