Circa-1942
Circa-1946
Penney's first suburban shopping center stores opened in Whitehall, Ohio's TOWN & COUNTRY DRIVE-IN CENTER (1950) and Greater New York City's LEVITTOWN CENTER (1951). At the time, all stores were so-called dry goods only operations. Unlike Sears and Montgomery Ward, who operated some full-line stores, Penney's carried only apparel, shoes, linens and other "soft lines."
The "J.C. Penney Co." store that anchored Greater New Orleans' LAKESIDE CENTER mall opened in March 1960. It encompassed approximately 43,200 square feet and typified the standard "dry-goods-only" Penney's store.
EARLY J.C. PENNEY SHOPPING MALL STORES (dry goods only):
*LOS ALTOS CENTER, Long Beach, CA (1955)
*163rd STREET CENTER, Dade County, FL (1956)
*STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER, Atlanta, GA (1959)
Advert from the J.C. Penney Company
In November 1961, "Penney's Audobon" opened in Camden County, New Jersey. Encompassing approximately 80,000 square feet, it epitomized the larger Penney's stores that had begun to appear in the late 1950s. It was followed by the company's first full-line store, the 152,000 square foot "J.C. Penney Co." unit at Greater Philadelphia's KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA. The KOPP store was dedicated, on August 15, 1962, as the largest store in the chain.
"Penney's Audobon," which was an anchor of Camden County, New Jersey's BLACK HORSE PIKE CENTER. It, and the subsequent KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA store, were stepping stones. They bridged the gap between early "dry goods only" mercantiles and newer full-line "Penneys" locations.
Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company
In November 1961, "Penney's Audobon" opened in Camden County, New Jersey. Encompassing approximately 80,000 square feet, it epitomized the larger Penney's stores that had begun to appear in the late 1950s. It was followed by the company's first full-line store, the 152,000 square foot "J.C. Penney Co." unit at Greater Philadelphia's KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA. The KOPP store was dedicated, on August 15, 1962, as the largest store in the chain.
"Penney's Audobon," which was an anchor of Camden County, New Jersey's BLACK HORSE PIKE CENTER. It, and the subsequent KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA store, were stepping stones. They bridged the gap between early "dry goods only" mercantiles and newer full-line "Penneys" locations.
Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company
Circa 1962
A new corporate identity and logo were unveiled in November 1962. Greater Philadelphia's KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA store, while featuring expanded lines of merchandise and new departments, was still branded as a (quote-unquote) "J.C. Penney Co." unit.
Subsequent full-line -or "New Generation"- stores would include most -or all- of the expanded departments and be branded with the new (sans-apostrophe) Penneys logo. The first such store, anchoring Central Florida's WINTER PARK MALL, welcomed shoppers on August 20, 1964.
EARLY J.C. PENNEY SHOPPING MALL STORES (full-line):
*WHITE LAKES MALL, Topeka, KS (1964)
*SOUTHLAND CENTER, Hayward, CA (1964)
*SHEPHERD MALL, Oklahoma City, OK (1964)
