Marti's

Hugh A. Marti Co.

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	February 1923 (1923-02)
Founder	Hugh Albert Marti
Defunct	1934 (1934)
Fate	Dissolved; building taken over by Walker's Long Beach store
Headquarters	Long Beach, California , United States
Key people	Hugh Albert Marti (President and General Manager)
Products	Department store goods

File:Hugh A. Marti Co. department store new store 1929.jpg

Marti's new store, 1929

Marti's, officially known as the Hugh A. Marti Co., was a department store established in Long Beach, California, USA. It commenced operations in February 1923 at 411 Pine Avenue, taking over the premises previously occupied by the Boadway Bros. Long Beach location.

Hugh Albert Marti served as both President and General Manager. Prior to founding his own establishment in 1923, Marti had experience working with Buffums. Over the following five years, the store steadily expanded by acquiring adjacent leased spaces until it occupied an entire block by 1928, enabling the construction of a large consolidated retail building.

The newly constructed facility, costing around $1,000,000 including land acquisition, was situated on a 22,500 sq ft (2,090 m²) site at the northwest corner of Pine and Fourth streets. The structure comprised four floors plus a basement. Partial operations began in February 1929, with full opening celebrated on July 25, 1929, featuring a speech from the Long Beach mayor. Among its highlights was a 70-foot-long soda fountain located in the basement, serving refreshments and light meals. The architectural design was created by Meyer & Holler.

In December 1932, Marti's merged with the Long Beach-based department store The Emporium (not associated with San Francisco’s The Emporium). Starting December 30, operations shifted to the former Emporium site at Broadway and Locust Streets under the Marti's name, while the original Fourth and Pine location was closed. A grand reopening event took place on January 12, 1933. In its promotional materials, Marti's expressed gratitude to customers for their continued patronage despite the challenges of the Great Depression, describing its new store as "a Good Store Designed for the Masses without Frills and Fancies…but a Good Store."

Nevertheless, due to economic hardships from the Depression and damage caused by the 1932 Long Beach earthquake, Martí eventually lost ownership of the business.

In 1934, Marti formally dissolved the company. Subsequently, the building was taken over by Walker's Long Beach store. Two years later, Marti joined Harris Department Stores in the San Bernardino region—where he had previously lived in Redlands—assuming positions as controller, treasurer, and board member. He retired from Harris in August 1966 but continued providing consulting services thereafter.

Hugh A. Marti

Hugh Albert Marti entered the world on February 5, 1889, in Windsor, Missouri. In 1914, he wed Wilfred Rose Foote in Redlands, California; she passed away in 1940. Subsequently, he married Betty Virginia Iaine in 1943. Marti passed away on November 15, 1967, in Redlands, where he was laid to rest. He left behind six children.

External link

• Depiction of original and relocated sites, 1933