Retail: December 2008 Archives

The York Galleria Mall boasts four main anchors: The Bon-Ton, Sears, J.C. Penney, and Boscov's. Three of these chains anchored the 100 block of West Market Street for several decades in the mid-20th century. The Bon-Ton opened as a one-room millinery in 1898 and constructed their flagship store in 1912, competing with other local stores like P. Wiest Sons and Bear's Department Store. These local merchants were soon joined by Sears and J.C. Penney, two chains undergoing aggressive national expansion.

The first home of Sears in York is not hard to miss. Despite the geometric styling of its gold brick Art Deco façade, many residents don't realize that the home of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Downtown Visitors Center was built originally as a Sears, Roebuck and Company store. Some know the building as Shive's Furniture, others know it as the Byrnes Building. But from 1928 until 1955, residents knew the building next to the Gates House as Sears. And actually, most people knew the Gates House as Mike's Nut Shop.

This picture from the Corbis Image Gallery shows the block in 1948, less than a decade before Sears relocated to the York County Shopping Center. President Harry Truman is on the back of a train, making a campaign stop.

The fact that Sears, Roebuck and Company opened in York in 1928 shows the importance of York's retail district. Sears, Roebuck traces its roots to 1886, but their first retail store didn't open until 1925; prior to that, the company focused on mail order business (you could even purchase a house from the Sears catalog). Over the next two years, the chain grew from one Chicago store to 27 stores. The year of 1928 was one of major expansion for the retailer - 165 stores were opened, including the one on West Market Street. Sears eventually grew to become the largest chain in the United States, a title which they lost in the early 1980s; today, Sears operates over 900 full-size stores and over 2,400 branded and affiliated stores. Their 1955 departure from York City for the growing suburbs in east York portended the decline of downtown retail.

In 1934, J.C. Penney joined the downtown retail scene with the opening of their new store on October 11. Just as the Sears Building still stands with little fanfare as to its past, so does the Penney Building. Today, the J.C. Penney Building is connected on the interior with the adjacent Bon-Ton Building, creating the rather large York County Government Center.

While York was part of Sears, Roebuck's early expansion plans, there were already over 1,000 J.C. Penney stores by the time the department store chain reached York. A 1944 York Chamber of Commerce directory tells of the store's local success:

"Penney's in York has experienced a steady growth since its opening ten years ago. Five years ago, the store was completely remodeled and enlarged and further remodeling and air conditioning are included in Penney's post-war plans."

Elsewhere, the profile promotes Penney's value to the business community:

"The J. C. Penney Company, Incorporated, does millions of dollars of business annually with York manufacturers. Much of the nightwear, shirts, hosiery, underwear, ties, shoes, toys, piece goods, and cotton and rayon dresses distributed by the chain are manufactured in York."

In 1968, J.C. Penney joined the list of city retailers leaving downtown York for suburbia when they opened in the new, state-of-the-art York Mall.

McCrory's five and dime store was a staple on the first block of West Market Street throughout much of the 20th century. The first McCrory store was opened by John G. McCrorey in Scottsdale, Pennsylvania in 1892. The small chain grew, and in February 1896 a McCrory's store opened in York, selling such merchandise as dry goods, house furnishings, and kitchenware.

Promising "Nothing over ten cents," the store flourished in York, despite competition from other five and dime stores including F.W. Woolworth's, which opened near McCrory's in 1913, and G.C. Murphy, which opened a store on Continental Square in the early 1940s. During the Great Depression, many five and dime stores actually experienced substantial growth because of their low cost products.

By 1944, the McCrory chain had grown to over 200 stores. Dramatic growth in York led to construction of a new West Market Street building in 1941, creating five times the space of the original store. The multi-level store continued to enjoy great success. Soon, McCory's would have a different connection with York. In 1963, the headquarters of the discount chain relocated to Springettsbury Township. McCrory's grew through acquisition, eventually purchasing several competitors, including G.C. Murphy.

After the "mass exodus" of department stores from downtown York, McCrory's continued to serve the local residents, surviving on West Market Street until the 1990s. The chain had grown to 1300 stores, but began to shrink in the waning years of the 20th century. McCrory Stores permanently closed in 2001.