Strawbridge's
| File:Strawbridge's-Macy's logo.png | |
| Company type | Department store chain |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1868 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Founder | Justus Clayton Strawbridge, Isaac Hallowell Clothier |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Converted to Macy's |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Area served | Northeastern United States (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware) |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, housewares |
Strawbridge's, originally known as Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store chain located in the northeastern United States, with locations throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Its flagship store in Center City Philadelphia was once considered a distinguished urban retail destination. The company began expanding with additional branches in the 1930s and reached its peak in the 1980s, achieving annual revenues exceeding one billion dollars. During the 1990s, Strawbridge's became part of the May Department Stores group until May itself was acquired by Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.) on August 30, 2005.
Under May’s ownership, Strawbridge's outlets were managed through the Hecht's division based in Northern Virginia. On February 1, 2006, all former May Company divisions were dissolved, and operational oversight of the remaining Strawbridge's locations transitioned to Macy's East.
The iconic Center City flagship store was shuttered by Macy's on May 23, 2006. By September 9, 2006, the Strawbridge's and Hecht's brand names were fully retired and replaced by the Macy's banner.
Early history
1800s
Founded in Philadelphia in 1868 by Quakers Justus Clayton Strawbridge (1838–1911) and Isaac Hallowell Clothier (1837–1921), Strawbridge & Clothier started as a dry goods retailer. Their initial location was a three-story brick building situated at the northwest corner of Market and 8th Streets in Center City Philadelphia—an address historically notable as Thomas Jefferson’s office from 1790 to 1793 during his tenure as Secretary of State. The store soon replaced this structure with a five-story building and gradually expanded into adjacent properties.
1900s
In 1928, the company opted to demolish all but one of its existing structures and commenced phased construction of a new 13-story building located at the intersection of Market and North 8th Street, where it still stands today. The Philadelphia-based architectural firm Simon & Simon designed this limestone edifice in the Beaux Arts style. Initially, the projected expense for the building was $6.5 million, a figure that raised concerns among the store’s proprietors. By the time the grand opening occurred in 1931 amidst the depths of the Great Depression, the final cost had ballooned to an astonishing $10 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year), placing a severe financial strain on the already cash-challenged company.
In 1977, this building became the eastern anchor of The Gallery, an urban shopping mall that linked Strawbridge & Clothier with Gimbels, which had relocated from across Market Street to join the complex. The revitalization of the Market East retail district during the 1970s was largely credited to S&C Chairman Stockton Strawbridge’s vision—a vision that remains evident despite both Gimbels and Strawbridge’s no longer existing. Stockton famously expressed his ambition to transform the declining east Market Street into what he described as "the Champs-Élysées of Philadelphia."
Late 20th-century demise
Following a successful defense against a hostile takeover bid by Ronald S. Baron in 1986, Strawbridge & Clothier maintained its status as an independent, locally owned department store well into the 1990s. In 1995, aiming to establish dominance in the Philadelphia retail market, S&C collaborated with Federated Department Stores, Pomeroys, and Rubin Brothers real estate developers to acquire their competitor Wanamaker's. However, they were ultimately outbid in bankruptcy proceedings by May Department Stores Company. Subsequently, May acquired all 13 Strawbridge & Clothier locations in 1996 after most of the Strawbridge & Clothier board members—primarily from the founding families—voted to dissolve operations despite strong opposition from patriarch Stockton Strawbridge. He passed away shortly after the sale; his attorney Peter Hearn remarked to the Philadelphia Daily News, "He was the store, and the store was him." The closure also deeply affected employees and customers alike, with many staff members hastening to pay off their credit card balances in full prior to completion of the sale, hoping that their payments would benefit the founding families rather than new owners.
Post-acquisition, stores operated under the shortened name "Strawbridge's," though many locations retained exterior signage displaying "Strawbridge & Clothier" until their conversion to Macy's in 2006. While May merged former John Wanamaker stores into its Hecht's brand initially, these were later rebranded as Strawbridge's—except for Wanamaker’s original flagship on Market Street, which eventually transitioned into a Lord & Taylor before becoming Macy’s. Meanwhile, Strawbridge & Clothier’s headquarters were shut down and its operations consolidated with Hecht’s facilities in Arlington, Virginia.
Radio broadcasting
Between 1922 and 1935, the store managed WFI, an AM radio broadcaster. In 1935, WFI combined forces with WLIT, a station owned by the neighboring Lit Brothers department store, resulting in the creation of WFIL, which became an affiliate of the NBC Blue network. Today, WFIL continues to broadcast on its original AM 560 frequency.
Dickens Village
In November 1985, Strawbridge's introduced Dickens Village on the fourth floor of its main store. This festive exhibition included animatronic characters within a 6,000-square-foot walkthrough featuring 26 scenes inspired by Charles Dickens's timeless A Christmas Carol. As of 2024, Macy's, housed in the former Wanamaker's building, carries on the tradition by displaying Dickens Village during the holiday season.
Branch locations in suburban areas
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In May 1930, Strawbridge & Clothier pioneered one of America's earliest suburban branch department stores by opening a location in the Suburban Square shopping center in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The following year saw the debut of their second suburban outlet in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, with its building later earning a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, Strawbridge's expanded its presence with numerous branch stores, primarily situated within shopping malls. Key locations around Philadelphia included Wilmington (1952), Cherry Hill (1961), Springfield (1964), Plymouth Meeting (1966), Neshaminy (1968), Echelon (1970), Exton (1973), Christiana (1978), Burlington (1982), Wilmington’s Concord Mall (1983), King of Prussia (1988), and Willow Grove (1989). By the 1970s, nearly twelve mall-based branches operated across eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and northern Delaware. This expansion proved strategically sound since the flagship store experienced only a few profitable years—mostly during the 1940s. The final Strawbridge & Clothier location constructed was at Concord Mall in Wilmington, Delaware in 1983.
In 1969, aiming to challenge emerging retailers akin to Target, Strawbridge launched the Clover discount chain; its inaugural store opened in 1971. Predominantly located in strip shopping centers rather than malls, Clover eventually grew to encompass 26 stores—surpassing the total number of full-service S&C outlets. Most Clover locations ceased operations during the winter of 1997.
Store amenities and brand identity
Several Strawbridge's locations featured in-house dining options, including those at Christiana Mall, Exton Square Mall, Plymouth Meeting Mall, Neshaminy Mall, Cherry Hill Mall, the Jenkintown outlet, as well as the Corinthian Room situated on the sixth floor of the main flagship store.
The company was a pioneer in retail by launching revolving charge account cards, transforming customer payment methods.
Strawbridge's gained recognition for its distinctive shopping bags, which evolved to reflect contemporary fashion trends of their respective periods. These paper bags featured navy blue handles and displayed the Strawbridge's name twice in blue and once in red on one side, with the colors reversed on the opposite side. After May took control of the company, the Strawbridge & Clothier Seal of Confidence ceased to be a focal marketing symbol. During the late 1970s and 1980s, bags were characterized by a bright glossy yellow shade showcasing a stylized pseudo-calligraphic logo oriented vertically along the edge in black. In contrast, bags from the 1960s bore a "modern" script-style logo accompanied by the iconic "seal of confidence."
The brand was also celebrated for its courteous and approachable staff members.
At the heart of the flagship store stood a sizable bronze statue of a wild boar—a replica of Pietro Tacca's famous Il Porcellino. According to local folklore, rubbing the boar’s nose brought good fortune, which explained its notably polished appearance due to frequent touching.
Redevelopment of flagship location
In July 2006, PREIT, proprietors of The Gallery at Market East, acquired the lower floors of Strawbridge's main flagship building. PREIT aimed to attract retail tenants to street-level spaces while converting some upper floors into office environments. The highest floors had already been sold earlier and transformed into office space; these are currently under ownership by American Financial Realty Trust based in Jenkintown.
On February 26, 2009, it was revealed that developers behind Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia were considering situating their new casino across three levels within the former Strawbridge's flagship property now held by PREIT.
By April 2012, reports from subcontractors indicated ongoing renovations intended to adapt parts of the building for both office and residential purposes. Subsequently, in July 2012, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News moved their headquarters to the third floor of this building from their previous location at 400 North Broad Street.
On October 23, 2014, New York City-based Century 21 Department Stores launched its first branch outside the greater New York metropolitan area within sections of the street-level and entire second floor of the Strawbridge’s building. However, Century 21 ceased operations in 2020 following bankruptcy proceedings that led to closure of all stores nationwide.
Later, on December 16, 2021, a Giant Heirloom Market grocery store commenced operations on the ground floor of the former Strawbridge's department store at 8th Street.
See also
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- Strawbridge and Clothier Store, Jenkintown
- List of department stores that became Macy's
- List of defunct department stores in the United States
References
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Macy's
- Companies based in Philadelphia
- Defunct department stores based in Philadelphia
- Economy of the Northeastern United States
- Clothing retailers of the United States
- Retail companies established in 1868
- Retail companies disestablished in 2006
- Department stores on the National Register of Historic Places
- Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia
- 1868 establishments in Pennsylvania
- May Department Stores