Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban emporium. The retailer started adding branch stores starting in the 1930s and, by their zenith in the 1980s, enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollars By the 1990s, Strawbridge's became part of the May Department Stores conglomerate until May's acquisition by Federated Department Stores on August 30, 2005.
Building the 1931 limestone flagship building nearly bankrupted the company during the Depression
From 1870 to 1930, the 5-story S&C stood at 8th and Market Streets (1910s postcard)
Jenkintown store, on the National Register of Historic Places
Refurbished flagship building (2014)
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appearance in the middle of the 19th century, and permanently reshaped shopping habits, and the definition of service and luxury. Similar developments were under way in London, in Paris and in New York City (Stewart's).
Interior of Le Bon Marché in Paris
Sokos department store building in Multimäki, Kuopio, Finland
Harrods illuminated exterior at night in Knightsbridge, London
Au Bon Marché