The Big Store(12/24/2015)

The city of Philadelphia is rich in history. It was our nation's Capital during the American Revolution and temporary capital while Washington D.C. was under construction. It is the birth place of American democracy where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787. Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He wrote the document in a small building at 6th and Market Street in downtown Philadelphia. Little did Mr. Jefferson know at the time that a decade later he would become our nation's first Secretary of State and his office would be located two blocks away, at the northwest corner of 8th and Market Streets. Almost a century later, 8th and Market would be home to a family dry goods store known as Strawbridge and Clothier.

Strawbridge and Clothier (S&C) was founded in 1868 by two Pennsylvania Quakers - Justus Clayton Strawbridge and Isaac Hallowell Clothier. Mr. Clothier was representing a wholesale cloth dealer while Mr. Strawbridge was running a small store in 1860. The two men agreed to become partners in 1868. The business was based on honest merchandise, cash only, and fixed prices. The two rented a meager 3 story house on 8th and Market Streets that would eventually be expanded in 1928 to a 13-story structure that still stands today.

Philadelphia was not only a historically rich town but it was also rich in department stores. At one time the eastern portion of Center City included Philadelphia's first department store - John Wanamaker located at 15th and Market. Gimbels was at 9th and Chestnut, while Lit Brothers and Strawbridge and Clothier shared the corner of 8th and Market Streets.

Strawbridges was a family run store. The family earned the respect of their employees because they obtained their positions at the entry working their way up the corporate ladder. Stockton Strawbridge's true passion was aviation. As a youngster at William Penn Charter School, he pleaded with his parents to get his pilot's license and bypass his education. Although his request was denied, he went on to serve in WWII flying 4,000 hours as a transport pilot. He would begin his retailing career as a clerk tracing consumer complaints. In time he would rise to Board Chairman. Stockton's eldest son, Peter, rose to store president while son, Francis, served as treasurer. Their cousin, David Strawbridge, was in charge of the personnel department.

S & C was a forward thinking company that always looked to expand their market. In May of 1930, one of the first branch stores in the nation was opened by Strawbridges in Ardmore. Jenkintown would follow in 1931. Many more were soon to come. Twenty years later the store would expand to Wilmington Delaware. New stores opened throughout the 1960's in: Cherry Hill (1961), Springfield (1964), Plymouth Meeting (1966), and Neshaminy (1968). In the early 70's expansion led to stores opening in Echelon, Exton Square and Christiana. Concord and Burlington would be home to new stores in 1978 and 1983.

Perhaps the companies most effective transition occurred in the 1970's when S&C Chairman Stockton Strawbridge had a vision to revitalize the Market East retail area. In 1977 an urban mall known as The Gallery was built connecting the 8th street structure to its former cross street competitor, Gimbel's department store. This would provide customers convenient access to various shopping while discouraging them from visiting fellow rival John Wanamakers located at 15th and Market.

Besides merchandising, the store at 8th and Market streets had many other distinguishing qualities. They were well known for their handled shopping bags. In the late 70's these bags would easily be identified in bright glossy yellow, trimmed in black, with the Strawbridge and Clothier Seal of Confidence displayed in the middle of the bag. The store's "Seal of Confidence" was introduced in 1911. The seal depicted William Penn's treaty with the Lenape Indians that enabled him to establish Philadelphia and Pennsylvania on Lenape land. This was used as the company's dedication to customer satisfaction. The store had a very liberal return policy (more on this later). They would take a return on merchandise for almost any reason believing that this philosophy would yield future business. In the center of the flagship store was a large bronze statue of a wild boar. The myth was that good luck would follow those who rubbed the boar's nose. Thus, the boar bore (no pun intended) a very shiny nose from all the rubbing. The first floor of the Center City Flagship mezzanine contained a Food Court where shoppers could take a break and enjoy a tasty croissant with a cup of hot coffee. The Food Court opened in November 15, 1982. For more elegant dining, the 6th floor featured the Corinthian Room restaurant.

The company also issued a monthly magazine called "Store Chat" which was extremely popular with the employees. General Manager Herbert Tily first issued store Chat in June of 1906, for the harmony of the company's 5,000 employees. The magazine was printed in the firm's own shop on race Street.

The Christmas season was a special time at Strawbridges. The Center City store was brightly decorated with lights and garland displayed prominently. I learned the lyrics to all of the classical Christmas songs as they were repeatedly piped throughout the store. In 1985, the store displayed perhaps its most famous exhibit - the Dickens Christmas Village on the 4th floor. The village contained life size exhibits from the famous Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Professional actors were hired to narrate and portray some of the major scenes from the tale. At times live musicians would play Christmas tunes with violins and harps. Strawbidge's employees also participated in the display often appearing in costume as narrators.

On Christmas Eve, an hour before opening, the company's chorus would gather around the mezzanine and fellow workers would be treated to a chorus of Christmas carols. The Strawbridge and clothier Chorus was formed in the fall of 1882. Various departments and offices would host Christmas parties. My favorite was the spread provided by the Oriental Rug concession on the 6th floor. The department's owner, Harry and his wife Mary, were gracious hosts and always went out of their way to welcome co-workers to their annual event. The store always closed earlier on Christmas Eve. Management valued that Christmas was a special time for employees as well as their customers.

In the summer of 1979 I was in pursuit of my first job. My goal was modest. I was looking to work part-time to earn some money to meet daily expenses that I would incur in the fall, when I would be entering my first year of college at Temple University. This was in the middle of the Carter years and jobs were scarce. It never hurt to have someone on the inside that could lend a hand in opening a door. That person was my mother.

My mom worked at Strawbridges as a sales clerk. She was friendly with the S&C executive that was in charge of the Loss Prevention department who informed her of a new position they were creating to deter store theft. The duties of the job were quite simple. The job called for the employee to randomly roam the various departments sporting a Kelly green blazer white carrying a walkie-talkie. It was the department's hope that would-be thieves would be discouraged from committing theft if they knew they were being watched.

Shortly after submitting my job application I was called for an interview with the head of Loss Prevention - my mother's friend (nepotism at its finest). This would be my first experience traveling to Center City Philadelphia on my own. I used public transportation to commute and arrived promptly for my interview.

The building on 8th and Market streets encompassed 13 floors. The personnel department was on the 10th floor. I had my interview with the head of Loss Prevention and it went very well. At the conclusion we shook hands and he said that as far as he was concerned I got the job. I was elated! Before I could rush down to the Infant's department to tell my mother the good news, I was sent to the personnel office to meet with a representative. He said I would be receiving a phone call. I don't know what went wrong but that phone still hasn't rung.

In the fall of 1979 I entered my first year of college at Temple University. At my mother's urging (no I'm not a mama's boy), I re-applied to Strawbridges for a part-time sales clerk position. Timing is everything and this was an opportune moment to apply since the store would be looking to boost their sales staff for the approaching Christmas season. To my surprise I was quickly hired at an hourly rate of $3.10 without having to adhere to a formal job interview.

I was scheduled to work 3 nights during the week and Sundays. My hours were 10 to 5 on Sundays and 5 to 9 during the week. The perk for working Sundays was being paid at time and one half. On the downside I had to attend my daily classes at Temple dressed in a suit and tie ( nerd) because I would need to commute directly from Temple to Strawbridges. It was an easy commute. I simply hopped on the subway at Broad and Columbia Avenue and rode the train to City Hall. From there I had the option of walking or transferring to the Market Street El which would stop underneath the store at 8th and Market.

After my last class at Temple I would go to the school library or the student lounge at Mitten Hall and complete my school work until it was time to leave for work. Those were long days. I often left my house by 7:30 A.M. and would not return home until 10 o'clock at night, but I was grateful for the opportunity.

I was assigned to the men's department on the 8th street side of the first floor. Our department carried shirts, ties, belts, wallets, and other accessories. Christmas was a busy time and I had many interesting experiences and encountered various fascinating characters (I mean customers). One fellow would accuse me of practicing shop lifting in reverse after the store ran a sale on an item that he had previously purchased at full price. Another, named Malcolm, would visit the store on Sunday dressed in bright red jacket and straw hat. He preached to me in a southern drawl on his belief that he was on this planet for a short period of time and his mission was to obtain as many goods as he possible could. The funny thing about Malcolm was that for a guy who was out to acquire all of the world possessions, he did a lot of talking and very little buying.

Although I primarily worked in the men's department, it was not uncommon for me to relieve co-workers from other departments. It was in the men's sleep ware department where I had a very bizarre encounter. An elderly lady had approached me with a pair of pajamas that she wished to return. Normally this would be no big deal if the nightwear was the wrong size, or an undesirable color, but I was appalled when I heard the elderly lady's reason for the return - she no longer needed the pajamas because her husband had died in them! I stood shocked at the register when the service manager instructed me to accept the return. This transaction gave liberal return policy a whole new meaning.

Evidently this was an effective policy as company sales would soar over a billion dollars by the 1980's.

There were also many fun times. When I was assigned to the 5th floor small electronics department I found that playing practical jokes was a humorous way to pass time when business was sluggish. One of my favorite targets was an assistant buyer who seemed to take himself a bit too serious. This fellow was always in a rush as if the financial well-being of the store depended on the outcome of his work task. One slow morning I stood at my counter in the center of the lobby watching him hustle back and forth from the stock room to the office like a bee gathering honey. I couldn't resist, I had my prey in the crosshairs. As he raced from the office to the stock room I picked up the phone and dialed the office secretary requesting to speak with him immediately speaking as if I were upper management. I could hardly contain my laughter as I witnessed my victim stop dead in his tracts, do a complete 360, then hurry back to the office, as he was summed by a loud voice emerging from the office. Only to be hung up on when he answered the phone (score one for me).

The good times ended on May 26th, 2006 when the big store closed its doors for good. It was a sad day. The family patriarch, Stockton Strawbridge at age 83, passed shortly after the sale of the store he spent 55 years building. A small part of many of the S&C "family" also died that day. Throughout the decades Strawbridge and Clothier would satisfy many customers with a myriad of items consisting of: clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, and personal computers. In 1984 I became their most satisfied customer. That was the year I met a lovely young girl from the 8th floor credit department. Six years later she became my wife.

Merry Christmas!