Lipman's
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1850 |
| Founder | Adolphe Wolfe, Soloman Lipman |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Fate | Acquired and renamed Frederick & Nelson |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon , United States |
Area served | Oregon, United States |
| Products | Department store goods |
| Parent | Dayton Hudson Corporation (from 1950s until acquisition by Marshall Field's) |
Lipman's was a retail department store chain based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 1850 in Sacramento, California, it originally operated under the name Lipman–Wolfe & Company, honoring its founders Adolphe Wolfe and his uncle Soloman Lipman. Over time, the enterprise expanded to six locations across Oregon before being absorbed and renamed Frederick & Nelson in 1979. The flagship store, erected in 1912 in downtown Portland, is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places as the Lipman–Wolfe and Company Building.
History
The partnership between Lipman and Wolfe commenced in 1850 amid the California Gold Rush in Sacramento. Their commercial success extended into Nevada during the silver rushes associated with the Comstock Lode. Following a downturn linked to the mine’s decline, Wolfe relocated to Portland in 1880 to relaunch the business.
The Portland store underwent several relocations due to flooding and spatial constraints, culminating in the construction of a flagship building at Fifth and Washington Streets in 1912. Positioned directly opposite Meier & Frank’s main store, this proximity fueled a notable competitive rivalry.
Lipman's gained local acclaim for pioneering several retail innovations in Portland:
- Introducing an elevator system within a department store setting.
- Implementing fixed pricing on merchandise, thereby removing bargaining and the traditional fashion code pricing.
- Offering change precise to the penny rather than rounding to the nearest nickel.
By the time it ceased operations under its own name, Lipman's had grown into a six-store chain. After Adolphe Wolfe’s death in 1938, stewardship passed to his nephew. In the 1950s, ownership transferred from the Wolfe family to the Dayton Hudson Corporation, which maintained Lipman's as a subsidiary brand. Throughout the 1970s, Lipman's market share diminished relative to Meier & Frank until all six locations were acquired by Marshall Field's in 1979. Subsequently, these stores were rebranded as Frederick & Nelson in April of that year. The downtown Portland location closed in October 1986, while the Eastport Plaza branch became a Mervyn's. By 1987, most remaining stores transitioned to The Crescent (department store), a Frederick & Nelson division based in Spokane, Washington. In 1988, these outlets were sold to Lamonts.
Brief revival
At the beginning of 1987, F&N Acquisition Corp., the proprietors of Frederick's, declared plans to revive the Lipman's brand as an off-price retail segment. Five Frederick & Nelson outlets located in Oregon and four Great Clothes Outlets in Washington were intended to be rebranded as Lipman's; however, the Oregon stores were ultimately sold to The Crescent. These outlets were somewhat smaller than typical department stores and targeted "style-savvy consumers aged 20 to 40 with disposable income for both professional and casual attire." This division aimed to directly challenge Nordstrom while also supporting its affiliated store. By January 1988, sales at these locations had not reached the goal of $125 (~$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year) per square foot.Template:Fix/category[citation needed] Control was transferred to F&N management, and by mid-1988, all stores were converted into Frederick & Nelson Red Tag Clearance Centers. These outlets were eventually shuttered amid cutbacks in 1990.
Cinnamon Bear
Lipman's is most famously associated with the Cinnamon Bear, a cherished Portland holiday tradition dating back to 1937. The Cinnamon Bear originated as a character in a radio story sponsored by Lipman's, designed to mark the countdown to Christmas. Alongside Santa Claus, a person dressed as the Cinnamon Bear appeared annually at Lipman's stores during the Christmas season, distributing cookies to children. This custom was maintained by Frederick & Nelson after acquiring the brand. Today, the Cinnamon Bear endures as a keepsake available at the Fifth Avenue Suites hotel. The character's story continues to be broadcast each holiday season on K103 and can also be heard on Kool 99.1 in Eugene, Oregon every Christmas.
Reuse of Portland flagship store
During a restructuring of the chain in 1986, Frederick & Nelson closed the former Lipman's flagship store. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 under the name Lipman–Wolfe and Company Building.[1]
Following extensive renovations completed in 1996, this ten-story half-block structure reopened as the Fifth Avenue Suites hotel, featuring 222 guest rooms. In 2007, the establishment was rebranded as Hotel Monaco.
References
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
- Lipman's at PDXhistory.com, Mark Moore's detailed page on Lipman-Wolfe & Company
- Fifth Avenue Suites Portland, historical overview of the building
- "Lessons from the past", a 2005 article comparing adaptive reuse of the Lipman building with plans for the nearby Meier & Frank Building from Portland Tribune
- Photograph of Lipman Wolfe & Co. store in Salem from 1956 provided by Salem Public Library