J.L. Hudsons - Downtown

[Hermod]

The store closed promptly at 5:45 and I remember rushing to the store's deli with my mom to pick up a loaf of Pepperidge Farms thin sliced bread and lunch meat, usually old fashioned loaf. I'm not sure if they still make that bread but I thought it was pretty good.

My mother like to eat in one or the other of the Hudson's cafeterias. For deli or baked goods, we would go a block or so down te street to the Broadway Market before heading home. I think the Broadway Market burned and closed in 1961. It was a few steps down from the street and was full of little market stalls and eateries.

[EastsideQT]

• As a child I can recall being downtown and seeing police horses tied in the covered alley which separated parts of the Hudson store.
• Seeing staff workers cleaning the brass.
• A super clean store with courteous and helpful sales people.
• Green delivery trucks making rounds in the neighborhoods delivering parcels to customers who called in their order.

How well do I remember those green trucks. When I got married in 1968 that truck stopped by my house at least twice a day for two weeks delivering my wedding gifts...we got to know the driver so well my parents invited him to the wedding. Speaking of weddings, Hudson's bridal salon on the 7th floor was like a fairy tale and the bridal staff made me and my bridesmaids feel like royalty. They treated you like you were the only bride in the world. When you got off the elevator on the 7th floor it was so beautiful nothing like you will ever see in any of the department stores today. I could go on but those of you who have experienced the Woodward Shops know what I mean. They tried very hard to replicate the Woodward Shops at the Hudson's stores at the Malls but it was a poor substitute for the real Downtown Hudson's. There will never be another Hudson's.

[stasu1213]

Other than for talking and pride purposes, Hudson's never competed with Macy's. Each had their own markets as did Marshal Field's and Wanamaker's. Hudson's competed directly with Crowley's and with the smaller specialty stores such as Kern's. At the low end, they also competed with Sears, Federal, and Monkey Ward for the Detroit area business. Later the downtown store competed with its own branches in the suburbs [[and lost).

What I should had said was that Hudson's was comparable to Macy's of New York. Hudsons didn't have to worry about Sears, Crowley's, or Montgomery Wards for Hudson's clothing line was a much higher quality than the other local stores. When tourists came to Detroit Hudson's was one of the main attractions. Just as Marshall Fields, Macy's, and Dillards were the main attraction to the city those stores resides in.

[DetroitPlanner]

What I should had said was that Hudson's was comparable to Macy's of New York. Hudsons didn't have to worry about Sears, Crowley's, or Montgomery Wards for Hudson's clothing line was a much higher quality than the other local stores. When tourists came to Detroit Hudson's was one of the main attractions. Just as Marshall Fields, Macy's, and Dillards were the main attraction to the city those stores resides in.

Hudsons sold lower level clothes too. These were literally found on the lower levels of the stores. When the company opened up Mervyns and Target, these departments were forgotten. These stores were often referred to as the "Rainbow Store"

[Hermod]

Hudsons sold lower level clothes too. These were literally found on the lower levels of the stores. When the company opened up Mervyns and Target, these departments were forgotten. These stores were often referred to as the "Rainbow Store"

The official term was "Hudson's Basement Store" in the 1st and 2nd basements. When Northland first opened, they had a section of the store signed as "Hudson's Basement Store".

[Hermod]

In the downtown store boy's department, the size 2 to 6X was the Mickey Martin Shop and the size 6 to 16 was the Bob Briar Shop. They also had an "official" Boy Scout gear shop where you had to show your Boy Scout membership card to buy the stuff. It was all on the 2nd floor as I recall.

[DetroitPlanner]

The official term was "Hudson's Basement Store" in the 1st and 2nd basements. When Northland first opened, they had a section of the store signed as "Hudson's Basement Store".

What about Fairlane that had no basement but had a Rainbow Store?

What about the free-standing Rainbow Stores such as the one at Michigan and Greenfield?

I'm pretty sure the Pontiac Mall Rainbow Store was in an area they called "The Annex"

[Hermod]

What about Fairlane that had no basement but had a Rainbow Store?

What about the free-standing Rainbow Stores such as the one at Michigan and Greenfield?

I'm pretty sure the Pontiac Mall Rainbow Store was in an area they called "The Annex"

Long after my time shopping at Hudson's.

[still_searching]

I was wondering if your brother remembered a shoe salesmran during that period named William Mitchell. He was my Dad and I have been trying to get any information on him or possibly a picture. I appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you.

[jackie5275]

I'm pretty sure the Pontiac Mall Rainbow Store was in an area they called "The Annex"

It was called the Annex, but it was in actuality, the basement level.

[DetroitPlanner]

It was called the Annex, but it was in actuality, the basement level.

Pontiac [[Summit Place Mall) http://aaron.reference-man.com/raba/summit.html

I can recall for a time the rainbow store was located in the area delinated for service merchandise.

[Herman Krieger]

I remember the boy scout shop quite well. In the early 1940s I was a member of troop 76 at Temple Beth El. The toy department on the 12th floor was a favorite place to visit. I left Detroit before Northland was built. The sort of shopping malls I now visit occasionally is shown in the photo series, "Mall-aise", at www.efn.org/~hkrieger/mallaise.htm

[Hans64]

My father was an exeutive at Hudson's Downtown. My mother, brother, sister, and I would come down from Royal Oak and shop and have lunch while my father worked. His secretary would go down to the candy counter and buy us jelly beans. We'd have lunch at the Picadilly Circus or Beef Emporium and then buy school clothes. I'd get a haircut sitiing in the tiger chair in the barbershop. The elevators had operators who wore white gloves--this was in the 70s, not the 50s! Years later when I was in college and the store had announced its closure, my father told me that a female customer was in the store returning an item and wanted to voice her outrage over the store closure. Naturally a sales person or floor manager wouldn't do--she needs top level management to express her feelings to. My father apparently drew the short straw and went down from his office to meet her. She demanded to know why they were closing the store, why they wouldn't do more to help it, etc. She also happened to be returning an item from Hudson's Northland. My father asked her if she usually shopped at Northland. When she said yes, she typically shops at Northland, he replied "That, ma'am, is why we are closing the store".

[MidTownMs]

My most memorable memory of Hudson's was Downtown Detroit Day's [[we called it three D Days). My mother would get so excited. She'd get me up at the crack of dawn because we had to be there when the doors opened. It was still dark outside when we boarded the Jefferson Bus. We always shopped in the Basement. I didn't find out about the rest of the store until I was old enough to go Downtown by myself.

[Parkguy]

I grew up in the western suburbs, so Westland was our local Hudson's store. I never went to the downtown store until I was an adult. I was amazed at how much higher the level of service was at the downtown store. It was a totally different experience.

[jiminnm]

Hudsons sold lower level clothes too. These were literally found on the lower levels of the stores. When the company opened up Mervyns and Target, these departments were forgotten. These stores were often referred to as the "Rainbow Store"

Dayton department stores began Target in the 1960s, prior to any affiliation with Hudson's. Dayton acquired J.L. Hudson in 1969 and became Dayton-Hudson. That began the decline of Hudson's as we previously knew it. Dayton-Hudson acquired Mervyn's in 1978. By the time that Hudson's downtown store was closed in 1983, previous Hudson's stores were just part of Dayton-Hudson department store division [[though still organizationally separate from Target) and had completely lost their own identity.

[dtowncitylover]

Years later when I was in college and the store had announced its closure, my father told me that a female customer was in the store returning an item and wanted to voice her outrage over the store closure. Naturally a sales person or floor manager wouldn't do--she needs top level management to express her feelings to. My father apparently drew the short straw and went down from his office to meet her. She demanded to know why they were closing the store, why they wouldn't do more to help it, etc. She also happened to be returning an item from Hudson's Northland. My father asked her if she usually shopped at Northland. When she said yes, she typically shops at Northland, he replied "That, ma'am, is why we are closing the store".

HAHAHA!!! Great story! I bet alot of people felt guilty that their favorite store and building were closing downtown, but they couldn't say anything because they shopped at Eastland, Northland, Oakland, etc and they knew they didn't help the situation.

[Ronjm23]

My recollection would be from the early 50's as a child. My grandmother would take my sister and me on the streetcar that ran down Michigan Avenue to the downtown area in early December. We would 1st visit the Quickee Dounut shop for hot chocolate and freshly baked doughnuts, We would then window shop the many stores but I vividly remember the elaborate window displays with the animated Christmas scenes in Hudsons windows. For some reason I also remember that the store elevators had operators that made a genuine effort to stop the cars level with the floors. These are fond memories. I was only 8 or 9 years old at the time.

[sam]

I worked as a stock boy in Hudsons in 1965. It was the summer I graduated from HS. It was an impressive department store. I would compare it to Marshal Fields in Chicago. I remember working in one of the departments I had been assigned to when Mrs. Edsel Ford came in to shop. I suppose that was the high point, or most interesting time of the job.

[dtowncitylover]

Just a quick question about Northland, does anyone remember the bookstore that used to be in the middle of the mall before it was covered? I was talking with my aunt about it and she couldn't remember the name. She said it was her favorite place to be and can still see it and smell it...

[jerrytimes]

I wish I could have seen such a store in Detroit. I was born in 1979 and never was in the building.

[dtowncitylover]

So in a Free Press article today, Quicken Loans announced they're hiring 500 interns this summer. Awesome. But then it also states that Glibert showed a concept for the Hudson's site, but of course the Freep didn't show that...here's the article,

http://www.freep.com/article/2012012...text|FRONTPAGE

[rbdetsport]

So in a Free Press article today, Quicken Loans announced they're hiring 500 interns this summer. Awesome. But then it also states that Glibert showed a concept for the Hudson's site, but of course the Freep didn't show that...here's the article,

http://www.freep.com/article/2012012...text|FRONTPAGE

Yes, does anyone know where we could find this rendering, if it is in fact a different one from the Kraemer one we have seen ever so often.

[DetroitPlanner]

Yes, does anyone know where we could find this rendering, if it is in fact a different one from the Kraemer one we have seen ever so often.

I would not put too much into this. It does not appear to have legs according to the article. What is most positive is bringing in 500 interns! Smart for downtown, and shrewd for business. Even if only 10 percent remember Quicken when they buy thier first home it will make him $$.

[AGinthe313]

So in a Free Press article today, Quicken Loans announced they're hiring 500 interns this summer. Awesome. But then it also states that Glibert showed a concept for the Hudson's site, but of course the Freep didn't show that...here's the article,

http://www.freep.com/article/2012012...text|FRONTPAGE

He showed a concept picture during a PowerPoint presentation last week at the Detroit Shift Revitalization and Business kick-off dinner. I tried to get my camera phone quickly, but he moved on to the next slide before I could take a picture. I was at the back of audience [[and I have poor eyesight) - as near as I could tell the concept appeared to be very contemporary and modern looking, but not like the Kraemer concept. My first thought was that it didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the Woodward corridor [[South of Grand Circus).