THE BOSTON STORE

In the 19th century, so called "carriage trade" department stores were being launched in American cities from coast-to-coast. These were often named after their founder or founders. 

Several of these mercantiles adopted The Boston Store as their official name. This branding was used by stores on the American frontier; this to invoke the cosmopolitan air of a retail establishment from New England, which was viewed as a center of trade and fashion. 

A typical Boston Store would have carried so-called "dry goods," which included ladies' and men's clothing, fabrics and yarns, toiletries and non-liquid grocery items. Most Boston Stores were independently owned and operated, but there were a few that became retail chains.

Between the 1840s and 1930s, countless Boston Stores were in operation in America. Most were independently-operated and not part of any particular retail chain.  

The Edgerton, Wisconsin Boston Store is promoted in this April 1900 newspaper spread.

Advert from The Boston Store Edgerton

The Boston Store concept made its way all of the way to America's Last Frontier, as this April 1917 ad attests. It is promoting a Juneau, Alaska Boston Store.

Advert from The Boston Store Juneau

There were also Boston Stores in the Hawaiian Islands. A Honolulu unit announces its latest shipment of Christmas toys in this December 1917 notice.

Advert from The Boston Store Honolulu 

A new location for the Utica, New York Boston Store was completed in 1941. The mercantile housed in this art deco structure was one in a chain of Boston Stores; these owned and operated by the Interstate Stores holding company. Three branch stores were located in -or around- the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Rome. 

Photo from https://uticadepartmentstores.weebly.com

Omaha, Nebraska's Boston Store was co-branded as J.L. Brandeis & Sons. The Boston Store moniker was dropped from the official name in 1910, although it is still visible on the sign seen in this November 1938 snapshot.

Photo from Library of Congress / John Vachon

Milwaukee's Boston Store was founded in 1899 and sold to Federated Department Stores in December 1948. A lengthy succession of owners followed; P.A. Bergner & Company (March 1985), Carson's (October 1993), Proffitt's, Incorporated (November 1997), Saks, Incorporated (September 1998) and The Bon Ton (October 2005). This Boston Store chain folded in August 2018, as a result of The Bon Ton Stores bankruptcy. 

Graphic from The Boston Store Milwaukee

 

Another of the larger Boston Stores chains was originally based in Inglewood, California. Inaugurated in 1934, it eventually operated branches in California and Arizona. The final So-Cal-based Boston Stores were shuttered in September 1995.

Graphic from Boston Stores California

A third major American Boston Store chain operated in -and around- Erie, Pennsylvania. It was created, in 1885, from a shuttered Erie Dry Goods operation. The flagship Boston Store, seen above, was completed in 1931 and expanded in 1949 and 1953. The chain was acquired by New York City's Associated Dry Goods holding company in 1959. All Erie-based Boston Stores were shuttered in July 1979.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Niagara"  

Milwaukee's Boston Store chain opened units at BAY SHORE CENTER (1958), BROOKFIELD SQUARE (1967), SOUTHRIDGE MALL (1969), NORTHRIDGE MALL (1972), MAYFAIR MALL (1987) and SOUTHGATE MALL (1987). The BROOKFIELD SQUARE location seen here was shuttered in August 2018.

Drawing from The Boston Store Milwaukee