Raymond's

Raymond's

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (department store)
Founded	1870s
Founder	George J. Raymond
Defunct	1972
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts , United States
Area served	Eastern Massachusetts
Products	Clothing, hats, general department store merchandise

Raymond's was a department store chain based in eastern Massachusetts, operating from the 1870s until 1972. Its flagship location was situated at the intersection of Washington Street and Franklin Street in downtown Boston.

Following the Great Boston fire of 1872, which devastated much of the city's central shopping area, George J. Raymond (1852-1915) set up a temporary tent downtown to sell hats he had acquired at a fire sale. This modest beginning eventually led to establishing a permanent retail presence on Washington Street.

Compared to neighboring department stores like Filene's and Jordan Marsh, Raymond's adopted a more casual and budget-friendly approach. Sales events, often promoted through local newspaper advertisements, typically involved purchasing entire inventories from struggling or surplus out-of-town clothing stores and displaying them in disorganized piles on tables and counters. Despite this informal setup, the store offered many quality products at competitive prices.

The store’s emblematic figure was Unkle Eph, a bearded, rustic swamp yankee character known for his humorous misspellings; the slogan read "Where U Bot The Hat". Advertising slogans embraced this playful style with phrases such as "Moar! Jess Arrived!... Nother big shipment ov the overstock frum a Midwestern Dept. stoar...". One notable annual event in the early 1900s was "originashun day," commemorating the store’s founding anniversary. This celebration featured Unkle Eph arriving at South Station in a hay wagon pulled by oxen, accompanied by his hillbilly band and various rural vaudeville performers. The character Unkle Eph (pronounced "Eef" and short for Ephraim) was inspired by Congregational minister Harvey B. Eastman from Slatersville, Rhode Island.

At various points, Raymond's expanded with additional branches located in Arlington, Dedham, Lynn, Malden, Quincy, Methuen, and Waltham. The first branch opened around 1952 in Quincy. In 1954, the company acquired the former P. B. Magrane department store in Lynn to establish its second branch. Over time, the Lynn location transitioned from the original Magrane building to a newly constructed anchor store within a shopping plaza on State Street before relocating again to a site on the Lynnway.

During the 1950s, the Boston Redevelopment Authority initiated an assertive urban renewal campaign. By 1966, city authorities compelled Raymond's to vacate its aging and somewhat dilapidated complex at Washington and Franklin Streets. This displacement forced the store to relocate further down Washington Street into the former R. H. White building near Boston’s infamous Combat Zone. Although intended as a temporary move pending construction of a modern facility at its original site, declining sales at the new address hindered progress. Without sufficient funds to complete their redevelopment project, Raymond's was unable to proceed; instead, Woolworth's finished and occupied the new building while National Shawmut Bank utilized upper floors for back-office operations. Raymond's continued operating at this location until ceasing business in 1972.