Detroit's department stores

**iheartthed** · December-04-09, 12:35 PM

Does downtown Detroit have any structures left standing that were once department stores?

This question was inspired by the Wanamaker Building/Macy's discussion in the Philadelphia population thread.

**daddeeo** · December-04-09, 01:56 PM

I don't know about downtown but there are a couple at Grand River and Greenfield.

**iheartthed** · December-04-09, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

I don't know about downtown but there are a couple at Grand River and Greenfield.

Yeah, I know about those two. [[As a kid, I attended the Lutheran school next to the building that was once Federals.) I was just curious of whether any buildings are still standing that were analagous to what is the Wanamaker building.

Lorax · December-04-09, 02:26 PM

Nothing that grand left. That would have been Hudson's, Crowleys [[first built as Partridge & Blackwell) and Kern's. All gone now.

Other players would have been Demery's, People's Outfitters, Saks, also all gone.

**ghettopalmetto** · December-04-09, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Lorax

Nothing that grand left. That would have been Hudson's, Crowleys [[first built as Partridge & Blackwell) and Kern's. All gone now.

Other players would have been Demery's, People's Outfitters, Saks, also all gone.

They had to make way for all the Progress.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-04-09, 03:18 PM

Actually the Saks still stands as does the replacement for the New Center Branch of the Crowley's in New Center One. Hughes and Hatcher's flagship still stands, but has been modified extensively. It is now Hockeytown! Himelhoch's stands too!

**bailey** · December-04-09, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto

They had to make way for all the Progress.

Might have helped if they had stayed in business as stores....

**douglasm** · December-04-09, 03:24 PM

Does The Colonial Department Store building on Grand River [[?), 1/2 block off Woodward count?

**EastsideAl** · December-04-09, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

Does The Colonial Department Store building on Grand River [[?), 1/2 block off Woodward count?

If it does, don't forget to tell 'em - Honest Hank sent you there...

**Fury13** · December-04-09, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Actually the Saks still stands as does the replacement for the New Center Branch of the Crowley's in New Center One. Hughes and Hatcher's flagship still stands, but has been modified extensively. It is now Hockeytown! Himelhoch's stands too!

None of those were really department stores; they were high-end apparel stores. I guess the Himelhoch's building is the closest structure we have left to one of those grand downtown retail palaces.

**exmotowner** · December-04-09, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Might have helped if they had stayed in business as stores....

Bailey, Just how long could you stay in business when every third person in your store is sealing something? Why do you think there are no grocery stores there. Hell they get robbed to death [[sometimes literally).

**ndavies** · December-04-09, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by exmotowner

Bailey, Just how long could you stay in business when every third person in your store is sealing something? Why do you think there are no grocery stores there. Hell they get robbed to death [[sometimes literally).

Yes that's it, it's all the theft. It couldn't have anything to do with all their monied customers leaving the city and shopping at all their other branches in the suburban malls.

**dtowncitylover** · December-04-09, 04:55 PM

Does anyone think the beginning of the end for Hudson's was the opening of their suburban stores? It seems to me that if they, or even Crowley's, resisted opening suburban locales and offered incentives to come downtown, they might still be in business or something still down there.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-04-09, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Does anyone think the beginning of the end for Hudson's was the opening of their suburban stores? It seems to me that if they, or even Crowley's, resisted opening suburban locales and offered incentives to come downtown, they might still be in business or something still down there.

If Hudson's or Crowley's never opened suburban stores some other marketer would have. There would be just too much market share to go untapped. Remember, Detroit's first round of suburban Department Stores were places like the Sears on Gratiot, Woodward, and Grand River, the Federals and the Montgomery Wards. All were suburban when compared to downtown shopping. You could almost make the case that if these shopping areas were never built then your hypothesis would be correct as well.

The bottom line is you're testing a hypothesis that the market would never allow in reality. The real killer of downtown department stores was the movement of wealth away from the central city.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-04-09, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Fury13

None of those were really department stores; they were high-end apparel stores. I guess the Himelhoch's building is the closest structure we have left to one of those grand downtown retail palaces.

I guess I am not understanding your arguement. These were all multi story retail establishments with elavators or escalators. They all sold a variety of dry goods. Granted these were not huge stores like Hudson's, Crowley's, Sam's, Mabley's, Endicot Johnson, or Kern's; but they were big compared to anything found in the suburbs or smaller cities. Would you not consider Lord and Taylor to be a dapartment store? How about Needless Mark-ups? Are department stores only places like Walmart, Meijer, and Kmart?

**EastsideQT** · December-04-09, 05:26 PM

When Hudson's opened stores at Northland and Eastland Malls [[even though they we called shopping centers and were not covered)...that was the beginning of the end for Hudson's..the rest is history.

**Mackenzie68** · December-04-09, 06:50 PM

I am enjoined to tell you that the Colonial Department Store building is on State Street, between Woodward and Griswold.

**English** · December-04-09, 07:11 PM

At the beginning of the decade, someone tried to open up a new department store in the Financial District... I got the cutest red leather purse from there, and when my uncle visited from Chicago, he ordered custom-made business shirts. Who were they, and what building was it? I was there several times but my memory fails. [[Detroit Synergy featured them on their Shop Detroit tour, I think, which is how I heard of them.)

My experience in Philly really makes me want to advocate for another downtown store like that. If my ship comes in as far as post-PhD employment goes, I'll be back in the central city in mid-2010. How can regular people help to encourage the growth of retail, other than living, working and shopping in the D?

**English** · December-04-09, 07:20 PM

BTW, I think the name of the store was Julian Scott.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_...partment_Store

**d.mcc** · December-04-09, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

I don't know about downtown but there are a couple at Grand River and Greenfield.

the Building on the Right was the Montgomery Wards building in Dearborn. Torn down for another strip mall

**douglasm** · December-04-09, 07:32 PM

In regards to the Colonial Department Store, I was working on what's left of my memory. I'm going to blame the stroke I had a couple months ago.

As to the Crowley store in New Center, didn't that start out as a Demery's?

Lorax · December-04-09, 10:10 PM

Here's the aforementioned Montgomery Ward store on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, stupidly destroyed in yet another brilliant move, rendering our architectural landscape all the less interesting:

**Neilr** · December-04-09, 11:03 PM

Demery's was on the southwest corner of Woodward and Milwaukee.

**dtowncitylover** · December-05-09, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by English

At the beginning of the decade, someone tried to open up a new department store in the Financial District... I got the cutest red leather purse from there, and when my uncle visited from Chicago, he ordered custom-made business shirts. Who were they, and what building was it? I was there several times but my memory fails. [[Detroit Synergy featured them on their Shop Detroit tour, I think, which is how I heard of them.)

My experience in Philly really makes me want to advocate for another downtown store like that. If my ship comes in as far as post-PhD employment goes, I'll be back in the central city in mid-2010. How can regular people help to encourage the growth of retail, other than living, working and shopping in the D?

English, I was very hesitant about saying this, but you kinda brought it up. It is my dream to open up a department store in downtown Detroit. I have the plans for it, the location for it [[1520 Woodward, the former Lane Bryant), and have even started writing a business plan.

I believe Philly has Boyds, which is a boutique luxury deparment store, which is something I have looked into and not sure I want something like that or something like Crowley's, a modest, but fierce department store.

Again, these are only my dreams and have no immediate plans to open one right now due the fact I have no financial support.

I never knew of Julian Scott, I was just a little too young to adventure down there by myself.

**Meddle** · December-05-09, 02:04 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Himelhoch's stands too!

Originally Posted by Fury13

I guess the Himelhoch's building is the closest structure we have left to one of those grand downtown retail palaces.

Worked there for a while through one of those temporary job service agencies. Don't remember too much about it. Everything we received got marked up 100%. If the invoice showed an item at $50, the price tag we printed was $100.