THE NEW YORK STORE
New York Stores were virtually identical to Boston Stores; only the names were different. As with a "Boston" store, the owner-operator of a "New York" store hoped that the name would impart a sense of class and big city sophistication to their run-of-the-mill, small town mercantile.
The New York Store moniker begins to appear in newspapers of the 1840s. Apparently, the majority of New York Stores were independently-operated and not part of any retail chain.
A few New York Stores evolved into larger department stores. Case in point, the Korrick's New York Store, which was founded -in Phoenix- by Samuel Korrick. This mercantile opened for business in 1895. Its official name was shortened to simply "Korrick's" in 1916.
Advert from Korrick's New York Store
Among America's many New York Stores was a mercantile which operated in Imperial, California. This ad, promoting said store, was published in August 1905.
Advert from The New York Store
The New York Store in Indianapolis was inaugurated in 1853. The establishment was acquired by Alphonso Pettis, who had renamed it the Pettis Dry Goods Company by 1891. The Indy New York Store was part of the Syndicate Trading Company; a joint venture of ten American retail stores that banded together to buy goods at cheaper prices.
Photo from https://historicindianapolis.com
THE RACKET STORE
While Boston Stores and New York stores sold dry goods-type merchandise, a Racket Store was more of a general store. It would carry farm equipment, hardware, groceries, pots and pans, ladies' and men's ready-to-wear and shoes.
The origin of the term "Racket Store" is unclear. It first appeared in the mid-19th century. Some have said that the name derived from peddlers pushing carts, selling wares from door-to-door and making lots of "racket" in the process. The merchandise sold by such peddlers was similar to that that was eventually carried by a Racket-type store.
Like most Boston Stores and New York Stores, Racket Stores were independently-owned and operated. A few did evolve into national 5 & 10 or dry goods chains. Others carried on until the final stores were shuttered. The store name and concept had become obsolete by 1940.
Racket Stores dotted the American landscape between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. Like the typical New York Store, a Racket Store was an independently-owned and operated business.
A July 1900 newspaper ad for a Monticello, Arkansas Racket Store includes a run-down of the merchandise offered by the mercantile.
Advert from The Racket Store
There were several variations of the Racket Store name. A Laurens, South Carolina concern calls itself the "Red Hot Racket Store" in a February 1911 ad. Units in locales such as Hamilton, Ohio, Johnson City, Tennessee, Monroe, North Carolina and Pine Bluff, Arkansas were officially known as the "New York Racket Store".
Advert from The Red Hot Racket Store
In this image, we see The Racket Store in Chehalis, Washington. The structure, known as the Brunswig Building, housed an opera house on its upper floors. It was built in 1895.
Photo from http://www.lewistalk.com
