Frederick & Nelson
| File:Frederick & Nelson logo.png Classic logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (department store) |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Founder | Donald E. Frederick, Nels B. Nelson |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy and ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington , United States |
Area served | Northwestern United States (Washington, Oregon) |
| Products | Furniture, housewares, clothing, cosmetics, candy (Frango chocolates) |
| Parent | Marshall Field & Company (from 1929) |
Frederick & Nelson was a department store chain located in the northwestern United States, with its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Established in 1890 initially as a furniture retailer, the company eventually broadened its product range. In 1929, it became part of Marshall Field & Company through acquisition. By 1980, Frederick & Nelson operated ten stores across Washington and Oregon. The business declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in 1992. The former flagship store in downtown Seattle currently serves as the main Nordstrom location.
History
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The origins of Frederick & Nelson trace back to two partners, Donald E. Frederick and James Mecham, who had previously worked together as miners in Colorado. After Frederick arrived in Seattle by steamer in 1890, the two joined forces to launch a second-hand furniture enterprise.
Initially operating under various locations, the business adopted the name "J. G. Mecham and Co." Subsequently, another mining associate from Colorado, Nels B. Nelson, joined and acquired a one-third stake in the company. When Mecham’s health declined, he sold his share to Frederick and Nelson, prompting a rebranding to "Frederick & Nelson." The partners committed themselves to establishing the premier retail store west of the Mississippi River and north of San Francisco. Early clientele included local Native American communities and a growing population energized by Seattle’s designation as the western terminus of the Great Northern Railway.
In 1891, they expanded their inventory by acquiring Queen City Furniture Company to offer new furniture alongside used items. Their guiding principle was encapsulated by the phrase: "What our customers want, we will give them. Service is our motto." This dedication was exemplified on a snowy Christmas Eve in 1890 when Frederick and Nelson personally delivered a second-hand rocking chair to a customer’s home atop Denny Hill after closing hours—the first delivery in company history. Anecdotal accounts suggest that their initial credit customer was a Native American woman who obtained a used parlor stove with weekly payments made in berries, woven mats, and sweet grass baskets.
The Klondike Gold Rush at the dawn of the twentieth century spurred further growth for Seattle and Frederick & Nelson alike. Demand increased for quality furnishings within the city’s expanding hotel industry and affluent households. Their straightforward approach was: "If a customer asks for it, get it; if enough customers request an item, create a department." This philosophy led to dedicated sections for furniture, carpeting, housewares, china, and draperies; they even operated their own mattress factory.
In 1897, Frederick & Nelson acquired Pacific Carpet Company’s assets and merged with Silas Munro’s New England Furniture Store, adopting the name Frederick, Nelson and Munro. Munro was cautious about rapid growth and soon parted ways with the firm. In 1907, while returning from treatment at a medical spa in Bohemia, Nels Nelson passed away at sea, leaving Frederick as sole manager.
Plans for a new six-story building with an additional basement level were initiated in 1914. Despite material shortages due to World War I demands, the store opened on September 3, 1918—immediately after Labor Day—at Pine Street and Fifth Avenue. Over 25,000 visitors entered on opening day. Frederick had engineered the foundation to support ten stories despite skepticism from financial circles who labeled it "Frederick's Folly." His vision would be fulfilled thirty years later with vertical expansion of the building.
Marshall Field
In 1929, at 69 years old, D. E. Frederick chose to retire and sold the business to Marshall Field and Company for $6 million (equivalent to approximately Template:Inflation/year dollars). Frederick admired Marshall Field’s business principles and had even modeled Frederick & Nelson after their practices. The parties agreed to a 99-year lease arrangement, ensuring an annual payment of $100,000 to Frederick and subsequently his estate.
In 1943, Frederick & Nelson launched a branch at Boeing Field within Boeing Airplane Company's Number 2 Plant, demonstrating support for the wartime effort and fostering loyalty among the manufacturer’s 47,000 workers. The Seattle flagship store featured a "Victory Post" on its main floor, where War Bonds and stamps were sold. Notably, Frederick & Nelson was among a select group of retailers nationwide awarded a U.S. Treasury Department T-Flag, recognizing that over 90 percent of its employees invested at least 10 percent of their wages in War Bonds.
D. E. Frederick’s vision to expand the original Pine Street and Fifth Avenue location came to fruition with the grand reopening on August 4, 1952. The building comprised ten stories above ground and two below, featuring amenities such as a beauty salon, post office, movie theater, medical clinic, and nursery. Additional facilities included reading and writing rooms, while the elaborately appointed fifth-floor tearoom accommodated up to 400 guests. A state-of-the-art candy kitchen on the tenth floor produced over 500,000 pounds of Frango chocolates annually. Subsequent additions included a kindergarten and a children’s barbershop. (In 1998, the original Frederick & Nelson store was reopened as Nordstrom’s flagship location.)
By 1980, Frederick & Nelson had expanded rapidly from four stores to fifteen locations nationwide. Marshall Field's acquisition included three Liberty House outlets in Portland, two stores in Tacoma, along with six Lipman's stores in Oregon purchased from the Dayton Hudson Corporation. All these were rebranded under the Frederick & Nelson name.
Demise
Over the following nine years, ownership changed hands three more times amid a steady decline in business performance. In 1982, management shifted when BATUS Inc. based in Louisville, Kentucky acquired all outstanding shares of Marshall Field and Co., bringing together a retail group that included Marshall Field, Saks Fifth Avenue, Frederick & Nelson, Gimbels, Kohl's, among other department stores. By the mid-1980s, BATUS began closing several Oregon locations; one store at Washington Square remained operational until 1990.
In September 1986, BATUS sold the struggling Frederick & Nelson chain to local investors. Immediately following this transaction, two stores—located in Portland and Salem—were shuttered. Mismanagement resulted in excessive quantities of low-priced, out-of-season inventory and significant investments in improperly priced stock. Furthermore, failure to settle accounts punctually caused delays in merchandise deliveries and led to poorly stocked storefronts. No longer recognized for upscale fashion offerings, Frederick & Nelson struggled against intensified competition amid an economic downturn in the Seattle area during the late 1980s. The chain's decline culminated in bankruptcy proceedings; facing severe cash flow issues, it ceased operations permanently in May 1992.
Frango
The precise year when Frango was created and the origin of its name remain unclear. Trademark records from the U.S. Patent Office indicate that the name Frango was first officially registered on June 1, 1918. Among the tearoom's popular offerings was a frozen treat called Frango, which came in maple and orange varieties. The name is believed to be a blend of Fran from Frederick & Nelson and go inspired by the tango dance craze of that era. By 1926, the texture of the Frango dessert was described as flaky, requiring a fork rather than a spoon typically used for ice cream. Over time, the Frango product range expanded to include pies, ice cream sodas, and milkshakes. Around 1928 or 1929, Frederick & Nelson decided to introduce a chocolate mint truffle under the Frango brand. Candy maker Ray Alden is credited with creating the Frango Mint using his proprietary recipe that combined cocoa beans sourced from the African Coast and South America, triple-distilled peppermint oil from Oregon, and 40 percent butter. Shortly after Frederick & Nelson was acquired by Marshall Field in 1929, candy artisans from Seattle were brought to Chicago to present Frango chocolates to Marshall Field executives as a strategy to boost declining sales during the Great Depression. The candy kitchen at Marshall Field’s flagship store then developed their own Midwestern version of the Frango chocolate recipe. Production of Frangos took place on the tenth floor of the downtown Chicago flagship store.
Despite the closure of Frederick & Nelson, the F & N Frango brand endures. In the Northwest, these chocolates were retailed through The Bon Marché (now Macy's) and Portland’s Meier & Frank. As of Template:As of?, Frango chocolates continue to be available in Seattle Macy’s locations, packaged in their signature hexagonal boxes. Furthermore, they remain popular at Macy’s stores that once operated as Dayton's, Hudson's, and Marshall Field. The traditional Frango mint confection is now offered in three distinct versions: the original Frederick & Nelson recipe predominantly sold in the Pacific Northwest; the Marshall Field recipe produced locally for Chicago-area Macy’s; and another Marshall Field variant manufactured by Gertrude Hawk Candy Company in Dunsmore, Pennsylvania for distribution at other Macy’s outlets. Prior to May Company’s acquisition, Marshall Field shifted all Frango production to Gertrude Hawk; however, Macy’s chairman Terry Lundgren pledged to maintain a Chicago-made Frango as a response to concerns over retiring the Field name.
References
Further reading
- PDXHistory.com
- The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History 2001 essay by David Wilma
- The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History 2002 essay by founder's great-grandson Gordon Padelford
- Seattle's department store Santa photos revolutionized the holidays 2016 article by Feliks Banel, KIRO 710 Radio Producer & Seattle Historian
- Spector, Robert. More Than A Store: Frederick & Nelson 1890 to 1990. Bellevue: Documentary Book Publishers Corp., 1990.
- R.L. Polk & Co.: Seattle City Directory 1942 - 1993
- R.L. Polk & Co.: Spokane City Directory 1942 - 1993