Gimbels Has It! by Michael J. Lisicky Page B

high-couture Vendome Room. As a former special events director for Gimbels, Kay Cushing Neuhausen simply says, “Kaufmann’s just did it right. There was just a spirit in Kaufmann’s.”
    “Kaufmann’s was always with it and up to date. Horne’s was the old guard, conservative, traditional store,” says Gimbels Pittsburgh assistant fashion coordinator and actress Audrey Roth. Joseph Horne Co. opened its doors in 1849 and relocated to its signature landmark store in 1893. The elegant building was known for its crystal chandeliers, marble floors and signature doorman. It was a dignified store where no person was addressed on a first name basis. It was always “Mr. or Mrs.” at Horne’s. The store was located at Stanwix Street and Penn Avenue, away from Pittsburgh’s other large retailers. Pittsburghers did not seem to mind walking the few extra blocks in order to make Horne’s part of their shopping routine. Barbara Cloud says, “Horne’s became known as the major fashion trend store.” Acquired by Associated Dry Goods in 1966, the Joseph Horne Co. was named one of the top fashion stores of the century in 1967 by Harper’s Bazaar . Just as Pittsburghers celebrated Kaufmann’s for its signature clock, Horne’s was well known for its multistory Christmas tree.

    An advertisement featuring all the Pittsburgh Kaufmann’s stores. Kaufmann’s was the leading department store group in Pittsburgh. Collection of the author .
    A few other large stores were also part of Pittsburgh’s retail scene. Although it was located in Northside, Boggs & Buehl was “the carriage trade store of Old Allegheny.” Founded in 1860, the store “where no one ever seemed to be in a hurry” closed in February 1958 after years of declining sales. Frank & Seder opened for business in 1907 and gradually opened other locations in Philadelphia and Detroit. Its signature building, across from Kaufmann’s, was built in 1918. The owner, National Department Stores, closed Frank & Seder in December 1958, citing the decay of the downtown business district as a reason for the drop-off in customer traffic. And Rosenbaum’s, “The Store Ahead,” closed its fourteen-story downtown store in January 1960 after ninety-two years of service.
    M ILWAUKEE
    Gimbels was one of the two major stores, and it frequently was our store of choice. But many people fondly recall the sayings “Schuster’s, where the streetcar round the corner bends” and “Let’s go down by Schuster’s .”
    —Gus Gnorski, Milwaukee radio and television personality 66
    Even though Gimbels was “Wisconsin’s Largest Store,” the Boston Store was the “Heart of Milwaukee.” Boston Store’s roots stemmed from a business that housed several merchants who joined forces in 1900. One of the building’s tenants was the notions and undergarment retailer Herzfeld-Phillipson Co. In 1906, Herzfeld-Phillipson took over the entire structure and named it the Boston Store. The name “Boston Store” was a frequently used term for dry goods businesses, since Boston was regarded as the scene of culture and commerce. By 1911, a new structure was completed, and the motto “Fair, Square and Liberal” was adopted. In 1948, Federated Department Stores acquired the Boston Store, and the company continued to flourish through special events such as Capacity Days, Mill End Sales and Double Our Business Days. Both Gimbels and Boston Store targeted the same all-purpose customer. Neither store satisfied the upscale market. Former Milwaukee director Barbara Markoff states, “I don’t know how Gimbels and the Boston Store both existed. But Gimbels was more of a leader and Boston Store was more of a follower.” 67
    Milwaukee’s upscale market belonged to T.A. Chapman Co. Appleton Chapman established his business in 1857, and his signature building “on the other side of the river” was built in 1885. T.A. Chapman was an old world store that served Milwaukee’s carriage trade shopper. The