Wikipedia

Famous Department Store

This article is about defunct Los Angeles–based department store and its forerunner, Cal Hirsch & Sons. For the Famous Clothing Company of St. Louis, see Famous-Barr.

The Famous Department Store (not to be confused with the "Famous Clothing Store", precursor to Famous-Barr and the May Department Stores Co.) was a department store in Los Angeles, California.

Famous Department Store
PredecessorCal Hirsch & Sons Mercantile Co.
Defunct1950 (1950)
FateStores sold to J. J. Sugarman Co., brand subsequently retired
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Number of locations
8 (1950)

Famous had its origins with the Cal Hirsch & Sons Mercantile Co., founded in 1860 or 1871 depending on the source,[1][2] which ran Army and Navy surplus stores in St. Louis.[1]

After opening stores in Los Angeles starting in 1913 and later moved its headquarters there. As Cal. Hirsch & Sons, it operated the generically named "Army and Navy Store" at 526 S. Main St. then moved to a larger space next door, what it advertised as the "world's largest Army and navy store" at 530-532 S. Main St. starting in December, 1916.[3] In 1917 it advertised a branch store in San Diego.[4]

U.S. Hirsch was president of the company during the 1930s.[5] By 1948, Urban Hirsch, Jr. was president.[6]

New large store on Broadway

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In 1939, it took over the vacated Blackstone's Department Store building at 901 S. Broadway (designed by architect John Parkinson, built in 1917) and renovated and expanded it to 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) of selling space, shifting the existing 530 S. Main St. store to use mostly as a warehouse. The new Broadway store sold men's, women's and children's clothing, furnishings and accessories; shoes, drapes, furniture, drapes, household utensils and accessories and an entire floor was devoted to toys. It also has a beauty shop and lunch counter.[2]

Expansion across Southern California

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Chapman Building at 110 E. Wilshire at Spadra (Now Harbor), where Famous' Fullerton store opened in 1937

Morgan, Walls & Clements designed an art deco building for Famous on Pine Street in downtown Long Beach, which opened in 1929.[7] It is a city landmark building and is currently home to a branch of RiteAid pharmacy.[8]

Epilogue

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In 1950 the stores were sold to the J. J. Sugarman Co., a Los Angeles business investment firm, a value estimated at $3.5 million (~$35.2 million in 2023), reported by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the larges mercantile sales of its kind in recent years in California". The chain at that time consisted of eight stores:[9] Advertising for the Famous Department Store ceases in 1952.[10]

Timeline of geographic expansion

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Opened City/area Notes
1913 Downtown Los Angeles, 530 S. Main St. Main store till 1939, then became the Famous Army and Navy store
1917 San Diego Branch of the Army and Navy Store[4]
1929 Downtown Long Beach, Pine at 6th 2 stories + basement, 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2), completed 1929 at a cost of $350,000,[11] Morgan, Walls and Clements architects, art deco style, Long Beach historic landmark building[8]
1926[5] Glendale, Brand at Harvard
1932 Santa Ana, 4th and Bush 4th store at the time, 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) main floor.[12] Opened December 10, 1932 with ca. 100 employees. National oratory champion Lucille Goldsmith, as well as two other Famous employees from Los Angeles – Yvonne Gregg and Helen Gruda – attended the grand opening.[13] Store manager George J. Kidd. In 1937 it expanded into the basement, selling sporting goods, bicycles, guns, fishing tackle, tires, camping equipment, beach furniture and paint there.[14] On November 8, 1940 opened a second retail floor selling furniture, home decoration, appliances and floor coverings.[15] Modernized and expanded into what it claimed to be the largest store in Santa Ana, adding a third retail floor, a terrazzo floor to the 4th Street entrance, and a self-service elevator. Its grand re-opening was held April 4, 1941.[16]
1933 Pasadena, 268 E. Colorado Boulevard Opened September 7, 1933, staff of ca. 250[5]
1935 Fresno, Fulton at Tulare in ex-Radin & Kamp building 5 stories, 6th store at the time, opened November 2, 1935 at a cost of $750,000, more than 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) of selling space, staff of more than 200, store manager A. O. Lamb[17]
1937 Fullerton,[6] Spadra at Wilshire
1939 Downtown Los Angeles, 901 S. Broadway New flagship store
1948 Porterville, Tulare Co. Opened May 1948.[6] East side of Main St. between Putnam and Mill. Store manager George Noonan.[18]
1948 San Bernardino, 393 E St. Opened December 17, 1948, store manager Peter Moses[6]
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References

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  1. ^ a b Harris, Charles H.; Sadler, Louis R. (2016-04-25). The Secret War in el Paso: Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue, 1906–1920. ISBN 978-0-8263-4654-4.
  2. ^ a b "Famous Department Store Moves to Broadway Home". Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Ad for Cal. Hirsch & Sons: "largest army and navy store in the world" - 530-32 South Main St". Los Angeles Evening Express. 20 December 1916. p. 13. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Advertisement for Famous Department Store". Los Angeles Times. 14 Oct 1917. p. 6. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "New Store Provides Many Jobs: Famous Opens Establishment in Pasadena". The Los Angeles Times. 11 September 1933. p. 20. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Vast Crowds Anticipated at Opening of Great New Value Center". The San Bernardino County Sun. 16 September 1948. p. 44. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  7. ^ Thomas, John W.; Cooper, Suzanne Tarbell; Christopher Launi, J. (2006). Long Beach Art Deco. ISBN 978-0-7385-4670-4.
  8. ^ a b "Famous Department Store/RiteAid", Historic Landmarks, City of Long Beach
  9. ^ "Famous Stores Chain Sold to Sugarman Co". Los Angeles Times. 5 November 1952. p. 34. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  10. ^ Search newspapers.com
  11. ^ "$7 Million Spent for Building Downtown in 1929". Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California: Press-Telegram (reprinted in 4 November 1959 edition). 31 December 1929. p. 33. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Advertisement for The Famous Dept. Store". Santa Ana Register. June 13, 1935. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Famous Department Store To Open Here Tomorrow". Santa Ana Register. newspaperarchive.com. 9 December 1932. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Famous Opens New Basement Counters Today". The Register. 23 April 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  15. ^ "other-articles-clipping-nov-07-1940-4370836/". Santa Ana Register. 7 November 1940. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Huge Celebration Climaxes". Santa Ana Register. 4 April 1941. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Famous Department Store Opens To-Morrow". The Fresno Bee. 1 November 1935. p. 33. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Famous Department Store, Porterville, Calif., 1950". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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