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Show Us Your Vintage Hat Store

I didn't win this vintage Panama hat, but with "Robert" and "Springfield" in the logo I just had to look it up.

Roberts Brothers of Springfield, Illinois.

Roberts_Brothers_Panama.JPG


Roberts_Brothers_Panama_Close.JPG


And someone did all the research already! I just had to find a few photos.


1680288742048.png

1938 view of the Roberts Brothers front door on the north side of the square (Washington Street).

Smoke rises from demolished Roberts Brothers store, 1974 (Sangamon County recorder)

In the cold, early morning hours of December 12, 1974, smoke billowed from the roof of Roberts Brothers clothing store in downtown Springfield. A fire had started on the second floor, and the Springfield Fire Department was alerted when a neighbor smelled smoke in the air. As firefighters arrived, the blaze increased inside the store.

Smoke was so thick that Sangamon County Rescue had to supply emergency lighting and provide firefighters with additional oxygen tanks. As the crew made its way across the Old Capitol Plaza, the roof of the store suddenly collapsed. Thereafter, the front and back of the store were knocked down by the fire department in an effort to locate additional combustibles inside the building and to stop backdrafts. By the time the fire was finally extinguished later that day, the 55-year-old clothing store lay in ruins.


1680288825247.png

Smoke rises from demolished Roberts Brothers store, 1974 (Sangamon County recorder)

Roberts Brothers clothing was owned by Abraham (1894-1978), Joseph (1893-1975) and Louis Roberts (1883-1958). They were the sons of Jewish immigrants who had lived in Sangamon County since the 1890s. Reuben Roberts (1856-1911), the family’s progenitor, had emigrated from Russia to Ohio during the 1880s. Roberts, his wife, Rebecca Cohen Roberts (1862-1929), and their children moved to Sangamon County, where Reuben peddled dry goods from a horse-drawn wagon.

Reuben’s son Louis started the family’s haberdashery business. Louis began his career by clerking at Greenburg’s store on East Washington Street in Springfield. At one point in the early 1900s, he also tried his hand at pawnbroking, by working in the shop of Max Cohn on the southwest corner of Fifth and Jefferson. Roberts eventually bought Cohn’s store.

Around 1904, Louis Roberts seems to have turned a portion of his pawnshop into a men’s clothing store. He sold shirts, “union suits” (long underwear), shoes and umbrellas along with a variety of men’s clothing accessories. Roberts ran a successful business, but his brothers, Abraham and Joe, are credited with organizing the classic Roberts Brothers store on East Washington Street.

1680288911673.png

Roberts Brothers newspaper ad, 1919 (SJ-R)

The brothers opened that store in 1919, pooling a little over $1,000 for the store’s initial investment. In the beginning, they operated in a space only 17 feet wide and 80 feet deep. The store, 529 E. Washington St., previously was the Peter Myers clothing store.

(Peter Myers was not related to the Myers Brothers of Springfield department store fame. And, for that matter, the 1919 Roberts Brothers clothing store should not be confused with another Roberts Brothers, which existed in Springfield from the 1870s until 1907. That store was owned by Charles D. Roberts (1848-1923), no relation to Louis, Abe and Joe.)

In 1921, Louis Roberts bought the Redeker paint store at 523 E. Washington (now 2 N. Old Capitol Plaza), and after extensive remodeling and expansion, Abraham and Joe moved into their new space in 1923. It reportedly gave them “seven times more room” than their initial store.

As a reopening promotion, “Norwood the hypnotist” put a woman to sleep in the window of the store. According to ads of the period, the woman was later “awakened on the stage of the Chatterton Theatre.”

As a sideline, Roberts Brothers sponsored two baseball teams—one with an adult line-up and another with a junior line-up. The adult team was financed by Louis, who also served as its captain for a brief period. Roberts Brothers played against a host of retail stores in Springfield and the surrounding area, in addition to playing Sangamon County-based teams such as the Virden Slovaks and the Dawson Indees. (Abe Roberts also played a major role in bringing the St. Louis Cardinals’ top minor-league team, the AAA Redbirds, to Springfield in the late 1970s.)


1680289278453.png


1680289324312.png

Roberts Brothers interior, 1927 (postcard image)

Upon his retirement in 1974, Abe Roberts gave an interview to the Illinois State Journal in which he recalled how, during the Great Depression, Roberts Brothers maintained $200,000 worth of clothing inventory. When other haberdasheries were being forced to liquidate their stock, the brothers went around Springfield and bought clothing at “50 cents on the dollar,” he said, later selling the lots at a profit.

In the 1930s, men’s suits cost $30 (about $600 in 2022), but if a customer was penny-wise, he would visit Roberts Brothers on one of their famed “dollar days,” when a suit, overcoat or raincoat could be purchased for just a buck.

Over the decades, the brothers enlarged their store by taking in adjacent structures. In 1927, the store was extensively remodeled and the first floor expanded for suits and sportscoats. A junior clothing section was added on the first floor and tailoring services were put on the second floor. By the 1950s, Roberts Brothers claimed (rightfully so) that the store had the largest selection of men’s and boy’s clothing in Springfield.

During the 1950s, a second generation came to run the family business. Joe Roberts’ sons, Richard and Jim, began to work alongside their father and uncles.


1680290381350.png

East Washington Street in 1955.

In October 1962, the family opened a store in Town and County Shopping Center. The grand opening was attended by Gov. Otto Kerner.


1680289111415.png

1962 grand opening at the Town and Country Shopping Center.

1680289542039.png

East Washington Street in 1965.

In 1974, the brothers also opened a small store in Fairhills Shopping Center (that store was managed by Scott Roberts, the son of Richard). From 1975 to 1978, Roberts Brothers operated a store in the lobby of the Forum 30 hotel, and in the summer of 1977, Roberts Brothers closed its Town and Country store in favor of one in the newly developed White Oaks Mall.

Roberts Brothers also reconstructed their fire-ravaged downtown building during this period.

The Roberts family closed the original downtown store in October 1987. Richard and Jim eventually retired, and Roberts Brothers was sold to Scott Strouse, who continued to operate Roberts Brothers’ store at White Oaks. Strouse had grown up in a family-owned clothing business in Indiana; purchasing Roberts Brothers was his initial expansion outside the Hoosier State.

However, by the end of the 1990s, men’s retail clothing had transformed. The obligatory suit and tie for the office gave way to a sports coat (usually with no tie). Then came casual Fridays, when blue jeans and sneakers were permitted in the workplace.

For Roberts Brothers, a business that relied on a traditional look, the loss of new customers was a sign to toss in the hat. Strouse closed the White Oaks location in 1998, bringing Springfield’s 79-year connection to Roberts Brothers to an end.

Contributor: William Cellini Jr.

Original content copyright Sangamon County Historical Society.


 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,997
I didn't win this vintage Panama hat, but with "Robert" and "Springfield" in the logo I just had to look it up.

Roberts Brothers of Springfield, Illinois.

View attachment 503341

View attachment 503342

And someone did all the research already! I just had to find a few photos.


View attachment 503352
1938 view of the Roberts Brothers front door on the north side of the square (Washington Street).

Smoke rises from demolished Roberts Brothers store, 1974 (Sangamon County recorder)

In the cold, early morning hours of December 12, 1974, smoke billowed from the roof of Roberts Brothers clothing store in downtown Springfield. A fire had started on the second floor, and the Springfield Fire Department was alerted when a neighbor smelled smoke in the air. As firefighters arrived, the blaze increased inside the store.

Smoke was so thick that Sangamon County Rescue had to supply emergency lighting and provide firefighters with additional oxygen tanks. As the crew made its way across the Old Capitol Plaza, the roof of the store suddenly collapsed. Thereafter, the front and back of the store were knocked down by the fire department in an effort to locate additional combustibles inside the building and to stop backdrafts. By the time the fire was finally extinguished later that day, the 55-year-old clothing store lay in ruins.


View attachment 503354
Smoke rises from demolished Roberts Brothers store, 1974 (Sangamon County recorder)

Roberts Brothers clothing was owned by Abraham (1894-1978), Joseph (1893-1975) and Louis Roberts (1883-1958). They were the sons of Jewish immigrants who had lived in Sangamon County since the 1890s. Reuben Roberts (1856-1911), the family’s progenitor, had emigrated from Russia to Ohio during the 1880s. Roberts, his wife, Rebecca Cohen Roberts (1862-1929), and their children moved to Sangamon County, where Reuben peddled dry goods from a horse-drawn wagon.

Reuben’s son Louis started the family’s haberdashery business. Louis began his career by clerking at Greenburg’s store on East Washington Street in Springfield. At one point in the early 1900s, he also tried his hand at pawnbroking, by working in the shop of Max Cohn on the southwest corner of Fifth and Jefferson. Roberts eventually bought Cohn’s store.

Around 1904, Louis Roberts seems to have turned a portion of his pawnshop into a men’s clothing store. He sold shirts, “union suits” (long underwear), shoes and umbrellas along with a variety of men’s clothing accessories. Roberts ran a successful business, but his brothers, Abraham and Joe, are credited with organizing the classic Roberts Brothers store on East Washington Street.

View attachment 503355
Roberts Brothers newspaper ad, 1919 (SJ-R)

The brothers opened that store in 1919, pooling a little over $1,000 for the store’s initial investment. In the beginning, they operated in a space only 17 feet wide and 80 feet deep. The store, 529 E. Washington St., previously was the Peter Myers clothing store.

(Peter Myers was not related to the Myers Brothers of Springfield department store fame. And, for that matter, the 1919 Roberts Brothers clothing store should not be confused with another Roberts Brothers, which existed in Springfield from the 1870s until 1907. That store was owned by Charles D. Roberts (1848-1923), no relation to Louis, Abe and Joe.)

In 1921, Louis Roberts bought the Redeker paint store at 523 E. Washington (now 2 N. Old Capitol Plaza), and after extensive remodeling and expansion, Abraham and Joe moved into their new space in 1923. It reportedly gave them “seven times more room” than their initial store.

As a reopening promotion, “Norwood the hypnotist” put a woman to sleep in the window of the store. According to ads of the period, the woman was later “awakened on the stage of the Chatterton Theatre.”

As a sideline, Roberts Brothers sponsored two baseball teams—one with an adult line-up and another with a junior line-up. The adult team was financed by Louis, who also served as its captain for a brief period. Roberts Brothers played against a host of retail stores in Springfield and the surrounding area, in addition to playing Sangamon County-based teams such as the Virden Slovaks and the Dawson Indees. (Abe Roberts also played a major role in bringing the St. Louis Cardinals’ top minor-league team, the AAA Redbirds, to Springfield in the late 1970s.)


View attachment 503359

View attachment 503360
Roberts Brothers interior, 1927 (postcard image)

Upon his retirement in 1974, Abe Roberts gave an interview to the Illinois State Journal in which he recalled how, during the Great Depression, Roberts Brothers maintained $200,000 worth of clothing inventory. When other haberdasheries were being forced to liquidate their stock, the brothers went around Springfield and bought clothing at “50 cents on the dollar,” he said, later selling the lots at a profit.

In the 1930s, men’s suits cost $30 (about $600 in 2022), but if a customer was penny-wise, he would visit Roberts Brothers on one of their famed “dollar days,” when a suit, overcoat or raincoat could be purchased for just a buck.

Over the decades, the brothers enlarged their store by taking in adjacent structures. In 1927, the store was extensively remodeled and the first floor expanded for suits and sportscoats. A junior clothing section was added on the first floor and tailoring services were put on the second floor. By the 1950s, Roberts Brothers claimed (rightfully so) that the store had the largest selection of men’s and boy’s clothing in Springfield.

During the 1950s, a second generation came to run the family business. Joe Roberts’ sons, Richard and Jim, began to work alongside their father and uncles.


View attachment 503363
East Washington Street in 1955.

In October 1962, the family opened a store in Town and County Shopping Center. The grand opening was attended by Gov. Otto Kerner.


View attachment 503357
1962 grand opening at the Town and Country Shopping Center.

View attachment 503361
East Washington Street in 1965.

In 1974, the brothers also opened a small store in Fairhills Shopping Center (that store was managed by Scott Roberts, the son of Richard). From 1975 to 1978, Roberts Brothers operated a store in the lobby of the Forum 30 hotel, and in the summer of 1977, Roberts Brothers closed its Town and Country store in favor of one in the newly developed White Oaks Mall.

Roberts Brothers also reconstructed their fire-ravaged downtown building during this period.

The Roberts family closed the original downtown store in October 1987. Richard and Jim eventually retired, and Roberts Brothers was sold to Scott Strouse, who continued to operate Roberts Brothers’ store at White Oaks. Strouse had grown up in a family-owned clothing business in Indiana; purchasing Roberts Brothers was his initial expansion outside the Hoosier State.

However, by the end of the 1990s, men’s retail clothing had transformed. The obligatory suit and tie for the office gave way to a sports coat (usually with no tie). Then came casual Fridays, when blue jeans and sneakers were permitted in the workplace.

For Roberts Brothers, a business that relied on a traditional look, the loss of new customers was a sign to toss in the hat. Strouse closed the White Oaks location in 1998, bringing Springfield’s 79-year connection to Roberts Brothers to an end.

Contributor: William Cellini Jr.

Original content copyright Sangamon County Historical Society.


Great photos and research, Bob!
 
a sign to toss in the hat.
I see what he did there!:)
:D:D:D

Seriously there WAS a great men's store (wish I could remember the name) just across from the Abraham Lincoln Hotel, they even sold hats. Each year for several years I made it a point to go in an buy a hat and sometimes a bow-tie......THEN the pandemic shut their doors for good (along with a good many shops and stores down town and on the old capitol square....:(
:mad::(:mad::(:confused:
 
Messages
11,630
I didn't win this vintage Panama hat, but with "Robert" and "Springfield" in the logo I just had to look it up.

Roberts Brothers of Springfield, Illinois.

View attachment 503341

View attachment 503342

And someone did all the research already! I just had to find a few photos.


View attachment 503352
1938 view of the Roberts Brothers front door on the north side of the square (Washington Street).

Smoke rises from demolished Roberts Brothers store, 1974 (Sangamon County recorder)

In the cold, early morning hours of December 12, 1974, smoke billowed from the roof of Roberts Brothers clothing store in downtown Springfield. A fire had started on the second floor, and the Springfield Fire Department was alerted when a neighbor smelled smoke in the air. As firefighters arrived, the blaze increased inside the store.

Smoke was so thick that Sangamon County Rescue had to supply emergency lighting and provide firefighters with additional oxygen tanks. As the crew made its way across the Old Capitol Plaza, the roof of the store suddenly collapsed. Thereafter, the front and back of the store were knocked down by the fire department in an effort to locate additional combustibles inside the building and to stop backdrafts. By the time the fire was finally extinguished later that day, the 55-year-old clothing store lay in ruins.


View attachment 503354
Smoke rises from demolished Roberts Brothers store, 1974 (Sangamon County recorder)

Roberts Brothers clothing was owned by Abraham (1894-1978), Joseph (1893-1975) and Louis Roberts (1883-1958). They were the sons of Jewish immigrants who had lived in Sangamon County since the 1890s. Reuben Roberts (1856-1911), the family’s progenitor, had emigrated from Russia to Ohio during the 1880s. Roberts, his wife, Rebecca Cohen Roberts (1862-1929), and their children moved to Sangamon County, where Reuben peddled dry goods from a horse-drawn wagon.

Reuben’s son Louis started the family’s haberdashery business. Louis began his career by clerking at Greenburg’s store on East Washington Street in Springfield. At one point in the early 1900s, he also tried his hand at pawnbroking, by working in the shop of Max Cohn on the southwest corner of Fifth and Jefferson. Roberts eventually bought Cohn’s store.

Around 1904, Louis Roberts seems to have turned a portion of his pawnshop into a men’s clothing store. He sold shirts, “union suits” (long underwear), shoes and umbrellas along with a variety of men’s clothing accessories. Roberts ran a successful business, but his brothers, Abraham and Joe, are credited with organizing the classic Roberts Brothers store on East Washington Street.

View attachment 503355
Roberts Brothers newspaper ad, 1919 (SJ-R)

The brothers opened that store in 1919, pooling a little over $1,000 for the store’s initial investment. In the beginning, they operated in a space only 17 feet wide and 80 feet deep. The store, 529 E. Washington St., previously was the Peter Myers clothing store.

(Peter Myers was not related to the Myers Brothers of Springfield department store fame. And, for that matter, the 1919 Roberts Brothers clothing store should not be confused with another Roberts Brothers, which existed in Springfield from the 1870s until 1907. That store was owned by Charles D. Roberts (1848-1923), no relation to Louis, Abe and Joe.)

In 1921, Louis Roberts bought the Redeker paint store at 523 E. Washington (now 2 N. Old Capitol Plaza), and after extensive remodeling and expansion, Abraham and Joe moved into their new space in 1923. It reportedly gave them “seven times more room” than their initial store.

As a reopening promotion, “Norwood the hypnotist” put a woman to sleep in the window of the store. According to ads of the period, the woman was later “awakened on the stage of the Chatterton Theatre.”

As a sideline, Roberts Brothers sponsored two baseball teams—one with an adult line-up and another with a junior line-up. The adult team was financed by Louis, who also served as its captain for a brief period. Roberts Brothers played against a host of retail stores in Springfield and the surrounding area, in addition to playing Sangamon County-based teams such as the Virden Slovaks and the Dawson Indees. (Abe Roberts also played a major role in bringing the St. Louis Cardinals’ top minor-league team, the AAA Redbirds, to Springfield in the late 1970s.)


View attachment 503359

View attachment 503360
Roberts Brothers interior, 1927 (postcard image)

Upon his retirement in 1974, Abe Roberts gave an interview to the Illinois State Journal in which he recalled how, during the Great Depression, Roberts Brothers maintained $200,000 worth of clothing inventory. When other haberdasheries were being forced to liquidate their stock, the brothers went around Springfield and bought clothing at “50 cents on the dollar,” he said, later selling the lots at a profit.

In the 1930s, men’s suits cost $30 (about $600 in 2022), but if a customer was penny-wise, he would visit Roberts Brothers on one of their famed “dollar days,” when a suit, overcoat or raincoat could be purchased for just a buck.

Over the decades, the brothers enlarged their store by taking in adjacent structures. In 1927, the store was extensively remodeled and the first floor expanded for suits and sportscoats. A junior clothing section was added on the first floor and tailoring services were put on the second floor. By the 1950s, Roberts Brothers claimed (rightfully so) that the store had the largest selection of men’s and boy’s clothing in Springfield.

During the 1950s, a second generation came to run the family business. Joe Roberts’ sons, Richard and Jim, began to work alongside their father and uncles.


View attachment 503363
East Washington Street in 1955.

In October 1962, the family opened a store in Town and County Shopping Center. The grand opening was attended by Gov. Otto Kerner.


View attachment 503357
1962 grand opening at the Town and Country Shopping Center.

View attachment 503361
East Washington Street in 1965.

In 1974, the brothers also opened a small store in Fairhills Shopping Center (that store was managed by Scott Roberts, the son of Richard). From 1975 to 1978, Roberts Brothers operated a store in the lobby of the Forum 30 hotel, and in the summer of 1977, Roberts Brothers closed its Town and Country store in favor of one in the newly developed White Oaks Mall.

Roberts Brothers also reconstructed their fire-ravaged downtown building during this period.

The Roberts family closed the original downtown store in October 1987. Richard and Jim eventually retired, and Roberts Brothers was sold to Scott Strouse, who continued to operate Roberts Brothers’ store at White Oaks. Strouse had grown up in a family-owned clothing business in Indiana; purchasing Roberts Brothers was his initial expansion outside the Hoosier State.

However, by the end of the 1990s, men’s retail clothing had transformed. The obligatory suit and tie for the office gave way to a sports coat (usually with no tie). Then came casual Fridays, when blue jeans and sneakers were permitted in the workplace.

For Roberts Brothers, a business that relied on a traditional look, the loss of new customers was a sign to toss in the hat. Strouse closed the White Oaks location in 1998, bringing Springfield’s 79-year connection to Roberts Brothers to an end.

Contributor: William Cellini Jr.

Original content copyright Sangamon County Historical Society.


Looks like Roberts Bros was quite the store in its day!!!
 
1950s Dobbs Gay Blade from one of the Desmond's locations in Southern California.

IMG-0959.JPG


IMG-0969.JPG


Desmond's started in 1862 when Daniel Desmond opened his one-man hat making shop on the Los Angeles Plaza.

From Wikipedia:

In 1870 Desmond and other leading retailers moved to the Temple Block (Los Angeles) on Main Street.

In 1882, Desmond moved to no. 4 North Spring St., leading other retailers in moving to a new central business district around First and Spring streets, which was, according to the Los Angeles Times in 1937, "the rendezvous for socialites from San Francisco to Baja California". Desmond's opened in the Nadeau Block there.

In 1890, around the time that Los Angeles started horst-drawn streetcar service, Desmond moved his store to its fourth location, in the Bryson Block, 141 S. Spring St. at the northwest corner of 2nd St., which only ten years earlier had been considered "the country".

In 1900, Desmond's moved to its fifth location at Third and Spring in the Ramona Block, home to the Hotel Romana.


1903 (on the left with the turret). Note the sign above the entrance.
Desmonds_Hotel_Ramona_1903.jpg


In 1906, when it moved again across the street to the Douglas Building at 301 S. Spring St., its sixth home, as one of the largest retailers in Los Angeles at that time. Around this time Desmond's became a store of reference across Southern California, well known for a broad range of high quality men's attire.

In 1915, Desmond's moved to its seventh location, a new two-story building on 553 S. Spring St., and added women's and boys' shops. The building was demolished in 1924 to make way for the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank

Desmonds_543_Spring_St_1915_1924.png


In 1924, Desmond's moved to its eighth and final location as a single store at 616 Broadway, a street lined at that time with many other department stores such as The Broadway, May Company, the Fifth Street Store, Silverwoods, Bullock's, N. B. Blackstone, and Eastern Columbia.


1939:

1680890861230.png


Designed by the firm of Albert C. Martin, Sr., the 85,000 sq ft (7,900 m2), six-story building has been described as both Beaux-arts and "Spanish".

Desmonds_8th_616_Broadway_1930s_3.jpg


Desmond's would add branch stores starting in 1927 with Seventh and Hope, and would also operate a branch in the Spring Arcade at 543 Spring Street, next door to the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank on Spring Street, which occupied the site of its former sole store.

The locations in 1937:

Desmonds_1937_Ad_Locations.png


Westwood Boulevard:

Desmonds_Westwood_1925.jpg


5500 Wilshire Tower 1940 (opened in 1929).

Desmonds_5500_Wilshire_Tower_1940_Open_1929.png


Palm Springs:

Desmonds_Palm_Springs.jpg


The 616 Broadway store closed in 1972.

In 2018 the landmark building was renovated as office space, a restaurant and a rooftop bar.
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,997
1950s Dobbs Gay Blade from one of the Desmond's locations in Southern California.

View attachment 505393

View attachment 505394

Desmond's started in 1862 when Daniel Desmond opened his one-man hat making shop on the Los Angeles Plaza.

From Wikipedia:

In 1870 Desmond and other leading retailers moved to the Temple Block (Los Angeles) on Main Street.

In 1882, Desmond moved to no. 4 North Spring St., leading other retailers in moving to a new central business district around First and Spring streets, which was, according to the Los Angeles Times in 1937, "the rendezvous for socialites from San Francisco to Baja California". Desmond's opened in the Nadeau Block there.

In 1890, around the time that Los Angeles started horst-drawn streetcar service, Desmond moved his store to its fourth location, in the Bryson Block, 141 S. Spring St. at the northwest corner of 2nd St., which only ten years earlier had been considered "the country".

In 1900, Desmond's moved to its fifth location at Third and Spring in the Ramona Block, home to the Hotel Romana.


1903 (on the left with the turret). Note the sign above the entrance.
View attachment 505398

In 1906, when it moved again across the street to the Douglas Building at 301 S. Spring St., its sixth home, as one of the largest retailers in Los Angeles at that time. Around this time Desmond's became a store of reference across Southern California, well known for a broad range of high quality men's attire.

In 1915, Desmond's moved to its seventh location, a new two-story building on 553 S. Spring St., and added women's and boys' shops. The building was demolished in 1924 to make way for the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank

View attachment 505400

In 1924, Desmond's moved to its eighth and final location as a single store at 616 Broadway, a street lined at that time with many other department stores such as The Broadway, May Company, the Fifth Street Store, Silverwoods, Bullock's, N. B. Blackstone, and Eastern Columbia.


1939:

View attachment 505409

Designed by the firm of Albert C. Martin, Sr., the 85,000 sq ft (7,900 m2), six-story building has been described as both Beaux-arts and "Spanish".

View attachment 505402

Desmond's would add branch stores starting in 1927 with Seventh and Hope, and would also operate a branch in the Spring Arcade at 543 Spring Street, next door to the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank on Spring Street, which occupied the site of its former sole store.

The locations in 1937:

View attachment 505403


Westwood Boulevard:

View attachment 505405

5500 Wilshire Tower 1940 (opened in 1929).

View attachment 505406

Palm Springs:

View attachment 505423

The 616 Broadway store closed in 1972.

In 2018 the landmark building was renovated as office space, a restaurant and a rooftop bar.
Spectacular—one after another. That nighttime art deco exterior—suitable for framing, as they say.

Thanks for another installment, Bob!
 
Spectacular—one after another. That nighttime art deco exterior—suitable for framing, as they say.

Thanks for another installment, Bob!

Thanks David! Here is another nighttime photo since you've been so nice. :)

1680911267131.png


And, since we have more room in this post I'll toss these in here too:

Billboard from 1924:

Desmonds_Billboard_1924.jpg


The 6th store location in 1931 at 140 Broadway:

Desmonds_6th_Location_140_Broadway_1931.jpg


The Wilshire location in 1939:

1680911750266.png


Westwood in the daytime:

Desmonds_Westwood_Blvd.jpg


Flagship store interior from 1943: (sounds almost like a modern headline ... sadly)

Desmonds_Broadway_1943_Interior.jpg


More from the same era:

Desmonds_1945.jpg


Santa_Ana location in 1958:

Desmonds_Santa_Ana_1958.jpg


Flagship interior in 1962:

Desmonds_Broadway_1962_Interior.jpg


A more recent photo of the flagship store:

1680911694690.png
 

jdouglasj

Familiar Face
Messages
82

jdouglasj

Familiar Face
Messages
82
Thanks! Sadly, I sold that one off last year. I was jazzed by the hat and the "Bob's Clothes Shop" store, but it just didn't fit.
If anyone has any idea where I could find a hat maker with blocks who can make a hat like that, please let me know. I tried Northwest but he said he doesn't have the blocks to do it.
 
Stack from Baskin, Chicago (and Evanston), Illinois.

1682014203067.png


1682014359108.png


Salem N. Baskin was born in Chicago on February 12, 1894. Beginning in 1913, he worked as advertising manager for the Hub, Henry C. Lytton & Son's State Street clothing store. From 1918 to 1919, he served in the U.S. Navy. Upon return, he worked as advertising manager for the men's clothing manufacturer Kuppenhiemer & Company. From 1925 to 1933, he ran his own men's clothing store called Baskin Clothing. In 1933, he started his own advertising firm called Salem N. Baskin Advertising Agency, which he ran until his death on July 4, 1947.

Hart, Schaffner and Marx purchased the Baskin chain in 1927 and commissioned the firm of Holabird and Roche to design a new downtown store on Michigan Avenue.

Baskin_Chicago_1928_HartMarx.JPG


I also found an image for a store by the same architects (in 1928), but no location given. The Baskin name was more prominently featured.

Baskin_Chicago_1928_Arch.JPG


In 1946/47 a new store was built (designed by Holabird and Root) on State at Adams (in the Loop).

Baskin_Chicago_1947.jpg


1960s:

Baskin_Chicago_1960s.jpg


Baskin locations in the 1960s (from their Christmas catalog):

Baskin_Chicago_1960s_Locations.JPG


Oak Park location in the late 1950s:

Baskin_Oak_Park_Late_1950s.jpg


In 1992 the Hartmarx Corp. sold off most of the stores to an investor group that planed to close two-thirds of the 185 stores. The last Baskin closed in 1994.

The Michigan Avenue location recently:

Baskin_Chicago_1928_HartMarx_Nowadays_336_N_Michigan_Ave.JPG


The State / Adams location recently: A giant air-conditioner and a CVS Pharmacy.

Baskin_Chicago_Nowadays.jpg
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,997
Stack from Baskin, Chicago (and Evanston), Illinois.

View attachment 509793

View attachment 509794

Salem N. Baskin was born in Chicago on February 12, 1894. Beginning in 1913, he worked as advertising manager for the Hub, Henry C. Lytton & Son's State Street clothing store. From 1918 to 1919, he served in the U.S. Navy. Upon return, he worked as advertising manager for the men's clothing manufacturer Kuppenhiemer & Company. From 1925 to 1933, he ran his own men's clothing store called Baskin Clothing. In 1933, he started his own advertising firm called Salem N. Baskin Advertising Agency, which he ran until his death on July 4, 1947.

Hart, Schaffner and Marx purchased the Baskin chain in 1927 and commissioned the firm of Holabird and Roche to design a new downtown store on Michigan Avenue.

View attachment 509802

I also found an image for a store by the same architects (in 1928), but no location given. The Baskin name was more prominently featured.

View attachment 509801

In 1946/47 a new store was built (designed by Holabird and Root) on State at Adams (in the Loop).

View attachment 509803

1960s:

View attachment 509809

Baskin locations in the 1960s (from their Christmas catalog):

View attachment 509804

Oak Park location in the late 1950s:

View attachment 509807

In 1992 the Hartmarx Corp. sold off most of the stores to an investor group that planed to close two-thirds of the 185 stores. The last Baskin closed in 1994.

The Michigan Avenue location recently:

View attachment 509806

The State / Adams location recently: A giant air-conditioner and a CVS Pharmacy.

View attachment 509808
Very cool. Too bad though, that State and Adams building looked amazing back in the day.
 
Circa 1960 Dobbs Fifteen two-tone heather from Washer Bros. in Ft. Worth, Texas.

1682033136812.png


1682033155508.png


Lots of detail on the history here: https://hometownbyhandlebar.com/?p=30437

Basically it began in 1882 as Washer & August (Jacob Washer and Leo August). In 1886 Leo August left Washer & August to form L. August & Company with Leon Gross. That same year Jacob and Nathan founded Washer Brothers men’s clothing store.

I'll just steal a few photos.

1886:

1682033364787.png


Leon Gross had left L. Gross around 1891 and by 1895 was a partner in Washer Bros. In 1897 Nathan Washer moved to San Antonio to manage their store there.

In 1901 they moved into a new building at the corner of Main and West 8th streets (built for them by industrialist Winfield Scott).

In 1906 Jacob Washer died at the age of 53. At this time Leon Gross became president of Washer Brothers.

1908:

1682035662355.png


In 1913 the store was expanded and remodeled.

1682035414163.png


In 1927 they needed more space and the the current owner of the building (the widow of Winfield Scott) completely replaced it with a new building (and continued to operate while the new store was built around it).

1930 ad:

1682035539205.png


Late 1930s:

1682034315456.png


1941: @drmaxtejeda may own that $150 Ermine Stetson.

1682034892970.png


1948:

1682035039421.png


Nathan Washer died in 1935 and Leon Gross in 1945.

W. R. Watt, president-manager of the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show, gets a preview of the $1,500 John B. Stetson "Boss of the Plains" hat, to be exhibited at Washer Brothers during the show. At right is Leroy A. Elliott, manager of the hat department. Published in Fort Worth Star Telegram morning edition January 26, 1954.

1682035224967.png


1960s:

wash-building-color.jpg


In 1980 the Washer Brothers store on Main at 8th relocated temporarily to the Meacham Building and then into Tandy Center. The 1927 building was demolished.

In 1988 the Tandy Center store closed and the mall locations followed shortly after.
 

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,997
Circa 1960 Dobbs Fifteen two-tone heather from Washer Bros. in Ft. Worth, Texas.

View attachment 509872

View attachment 509873

Lots of detail on the history here: https://hometownbyhandlebar.com/?p=30437

Basically it began in 1882 as Washer & August (Jacob Washer and Leo August). In 1886 Leo August left Washer & August to form L. August & Company with Leon Gross. That same year Jacob and Nathan founded Washer Brothers men’s clothing store.

I'll just steal a few photos.

1886:

View attachment 509874

Leon Gross had left L. Gross around 1891 and by 1895 was a partner in Washer Bros. In 1897 Nathan Washer moved to San Antonio to manage their store there.

In 1901 they moved into a new building at the corner of Main and West 8th streets (built for them by industrialist Winfield Scott).

In 1906 Jacob Washer died at the age of 53. At this time Leon Gross became president of Washer Brothers.

1908:

View attachment 509900

In 1913 the store was expanded and remodeled.

View attachment 509898

In 1927 they needed more space and the the current owner of the building (the widow of Winfield Scott) completely replaced it with a new building (and continued to operate while the new store was built around it).

1930 ad:

View attachment 509899

Late 1930s:

View attachment 509877

1941: @drmaxtejeda may own that $150 Ermine Stetson.

View attachment 509895

1948:

View attachment 509896

Nathan Washer died in 1935 and Leon Gross in 1945.

W. R. Watt, president-manager of the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show, gets a preview of the $1,500 John B. Stetson "Boss of the Plains" hat, to be exhibited at Washer Brothers during the show. At right is Leroy A. Elliott, manager of the hat department. Published in Fort Worth Star Telegram morning edition January 26, 1954.

View attachment 509897


1960s:

wash-building-color.jpg


In 1980 the Washer Brothers store on Main at 8th relocated temporarily to the Meacham Building and then into Tandy Center. The 1927 building was demolished.

In 1988 the Tandy Center store closed and the mall locations followed shortly after.
What’s the status on Time Machine technology anyway? Wish they’d hurry up already cause I could really spend an hour or two in Washer Brothers working my way through the piles of Whippets and Open Roads….
 
Messages
19,408
Location
Funkytown, USA
What’s the status on Time Machine technology anyway? Wish they’d hurry up already cause I could really spend an hour or two in Washer Brothers working my way through the piles of Whippets and Open Roads….

Let me check with Air Force Research Laboratory up the hill from me. Last I checked, they could only get me back to last Tuesday.
 

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