Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle

By Michael J. Lisicky

An “informative and entertaining” history of the famed Philadelphia department store, with photos included (Montgomery News).
 
Philadelphia was once the proud home of Wanamaker’s, a department store founded by the retail giant John Wanamaker in 1861. Its name was synonymous with service, and Philadelphians still fondly remember the massive bronze eagle in the Grand Court, concerts from the world’s largest pipe organ, and the spectacular Christmas festivities. 
 
In this book, Philadelphia native Michael J. Lisicky takes a nostalgic journey through the history of the store, from its beginnings as a haberdashery to its growth into New York and Delaware and the final poignant closing of its doors. Lisicky brilliantly combines interviews with store insiders, forgotten recipes, and memories from local celebrities such as Trudy Haynes and Sally Starr to bring readers back to the soft glow of the marble atrium and the quiet elegance of the Crystal Tea Room that was Wanamaker’s.
 
“A wonderfully affectionate look at the Market St. store whose name, for generations, was symbolic of Philly.”—Philadelphia Daily News

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Nov 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781614230304

Michael J. Lisicky

Michael Lisicky is a nationally recognized east coast department store historian and lecturer. He is the author of several bestselling books including "Gimbels Has It!"? He has been featured in Fortune Magazine and on the CBS Sunday Morning show. He resides in Baltimore, and is an oboist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Albert Boscov is the chairman and chief executive officer of Boscov's Department Stores.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

When people living in Philadelphia began asking me how to spell the name Wanamaker, I realized that it was time to write this book. I grew up in Cherry Hill, and I never went into Center City without at least walking through the store. It seemed like Wanamaker’s was Philadelphia, just like cheese steaks and string bands. The store was as big as they come but just in case you got lost or had an appointment with someone, all you had to do was meet them at the Eagle.

Philadelphia has been a notoriously competitive retail market and it never had a shortage of department stores. Each of the hometown stores had its own identity. Strawbridge’s had its Seal of Confidence; Lits had its collection of iron-front buildings advertising Hats Trimmed Free of Charge; Gimbels had its Thanksgiving Parade; and Wanamaker’s had its Eagle.

My mother loved to shop—or should I say browse. I can’t say that Wanamaker’s was my mother’s favorite store; she shopped there but not exclusively. Her loyalties tended to lean toward Strawbridge & Clothier, the chief rival of Wanamaker’s. My mother came from a very modest upbringing, and she seemed to view Wanamaker’s as the store for the upper class. Whether that was actually the case, it never stopped me from going there, at least to just walk around.

I always had trouble calling the store Wanamaker’s. To me, it was John Wanamaker. That’s what the name on the building said and that was the name of the man who helped to perfect the American department store. Wanamaker was truly an American icon. In addition to operating large emporiums in Philadelphia and New York, he was a pillar in his church. His religious devotion spilled over into the operation of his stores. That, along with his love of fine art and culture, set Wanamaker’s apart from not only the local competition but also the competition in many other American cities.

The store’s logo was the founder’s signature and it seemed to have the same authority as that of John Hancock’s. The name John Wanamaker seemed to command quality, confidence and heritage. It was befitting of a store that was a regal neighbor to Philadelphia’s City Hall. Its main aisle was one of Philadelphia’s most famous—and most beautiful—passageways. Whenever celebrities came to town, they came to Wanamaker’s. And when generations of Philadelphians celebrated Christmas traditions, they went to Wanamaker’s.

By the time I was a kid, Wanamaker’s was getting a little dusty and a little dingy. In the 1970s, Strawbridge’s overtook Wanamaker’s as the number one department store in Philadelphia in terms of sales, but that wasn’t the only issue facing Wanamaker’s. Out-of-town companies were beginning to take root in the area. Stores like Bamberger’s and Bloomingdale’s were courting Wanamaker’s customers, and those stores were winning. The family wanted out, and new owners were never sure what to do with the stores. Neither did Philadelphia; the city still wanted a store named Wanamaker’s—residents just didn’t want to shop there.

There are a number of books written about the man John Wanamaker but not about the store, which dates back to 1861. It was the first store to refund money for returned merchandise; the first store to open a restaurant; the first store to have a telephone exchange; and it was one of the first American stores to adhere to the phrase the Customer Is Always Right.

Wanamaker’s was part of my childhood. Whether it was a trip to Center City or just the Moorestown Mall, the name John Wanamaker will forever be a part of me. Today, the doors of the Center City store are still open. The building now houses another retailer but for many Philadelphians it’s still the old Wanamaker’s. In Philadelphia, traditions die hard. Wanamaker’s helped give Philadelphia its identity, and it is good to know that you can still hear the world’s largest pipe organ, see the famous Light Show at Christmastime and meet the rest of Philadelphia at the Eagle.

STARTING A NEW BUSINESS

John Wanamaker was the epitome of a great business man who understood civic responsibilities.

—Governor Ed Rendell, former mayor of Philadelphia, 1991—1999

Apparently John Wanamaker was a very nice and very broad-minded man" states Louise Wanamaker. Her husband’s great-grandfather changed the way America did its business. In the past, customers bargained with shop owners in order to obtain the best price. Only the shrewdest merchant and the savviest customer were ever truly satisfied with a sale. But that all changed when John Wanamaker opened his doors.

John Wanamaker was born in 1838 and grew up in the Greys Ferry neighborhood of South Philadelphia. He was the oldest of seven children, and his parents were devout Presbyterians. His parents reared John to be just as devout and loyal to the Presbyterian faith. At the age of fourteen, John left school and went to work as an errand boy. But two years later, he received his first taste of retail work when he took a job in a men’s clothing store. When he was nineteen, Wanamaker changed direction and worked at the Philadelphia YMCA. He was appointed secretary and became the first full-time YMCA secretary in America. At the same time, he founded the Bethany Sunday School on South Street. Wanamaker was passionate about his work, and in time Bethany became the largest Sunday school in America. While at Bethany, he met Mary Brown. Mary was a student at Bethany, and, in 1860, the two were married.

An early image of a young John Wanamaker. Courtesy of the author.

Wanamaker enjoyed his work at the YMCA but he still craved his own business. Torn between his religious activities and the new world of commerce, he turned his attention toward commerce. Wanamaker partnered with his brother-in-law, Nathan Brown, and established a men’s and boys’ store named Oak Hall—Wanamaker & Brown. The store, located at Sixth and Market Streets, opened on April 8, 1861, just three days before the start of the Civil War. It might not have been the best time to start a business, so Wanamaker and Brown relied on unorthodox means to promote their business. The day before the doors opened, Wanamaker posted signs and banners throughout Philadelphia that simply said W&B.¹ People did not know what the initials stood for and they sought out their meaning. The few customers that showed up on that first day quickly grew in number, and it is clear that the modern age of retail advertising began with those simple W&B signs.

Wanamaker & Brown took in $24.67 on their first day of business. John continued to believe in the power of advertising. He spent his first $24.00 on newspaper advertisements and kept the remaining $0.67 for change. Wanamaker & Brown used billboards and balloons to promote the store. A healthy combination of revolutionary advertising and strong customer service turned Oak Hall—Wanamaker & Brown into a very successful business. With the Civil War progressing, Wanamaker & Brown was able to grow its new organization. The two businessmen successfully received contracts to produce military uniforms and local city officials’ garments.

An image of the original Oak Hall, Wanamaker & Brown men’s clothing store at Sixth and Market Streets. Courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

In 1865, Wanamaker revolutionized retailing by offering money back if a customer was dissatisfied with his or her purchase. This policy was just unheard of at the time. Wanamaker even boldly advertised those who are not pleased with what they buy, do us a positive favor to return the goods and get the money back. He was eager to build customer satisfaction, and he hoped that his goods and services would not fail to please the folks at home. In addition to this new form of reciprocity, Wanamaker began marking the prices on his goods. He disliked bargaining. Wanamaker believed that bargaining resulted in harm to both the customer and the merchant.² This one-price policy was revolutionary at the time but it soon became the accepted method for conducting retail

Reviews for Wanamaker's

[sallylou61 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was expecting this book to be about the main Wanamaker's store in Philadelphia; the one which featured the eagle, a central meeting place for people. It is actually both a history of what became the Wanamaker chain and a history of department stores in the Philadelphia region including adjacent New Jersey. Mr. Lisicky also discusses the competition such as Strawbridge & Clothier, Gimbels, and the Lit Brothers. Much of the text is devoted to the openings and closings of branch stores including those in other regions such as New York City, Wilmington, and other parts of Pennsylvania. The text does point out the general problems of a number of once prominent department stores, which have gone out of business, in major cities such as Philadelphia, Washington, New York, and Chicago.The most enjoyable part of the book told the story of such features as the eagle, the Crystal Tea Room on the ninth floor, the organ concerts, and the Christmas events. Most of these I experienced as a child in the 1950s.There was some repetition from one chapter to another, and Mr. Lisicky repeatedly quoted the same few people. A briefer version of this account would have made a very interesting journal or newspaper article.