Garfinckel's

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Garfinckel's
company_
fate = Bankruptcy
foundation = ca. 1900
defunct = 1990
location = Washington, D.C.
industry = Retail
key_people = Julius Garfinckel, founder
products = Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, housewares
num_employees =
parent =
subsid =

Garfinckel's was a prominent department store chain based in Washington, D.C., that catered to a clientele of wealthy consumers.

History

This retail mercantile business was founded in 1905, as Julius Garfinckel & Co. by Julius Garfinckel (1872-1936), originally employing 10 clerks. In 1946, it acquired the mens specialty retailer, Brooks Brothers and in 1950, De Pinna. It formed the national retail conglomerate, Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc., after acquisition of the Miller & Rhoads chain in 1967. In 1977, the conglomerate acquired the Ann Taylor women's fashion store chain. In 1981, the conglomerate consisted of close to 190 stores in seven chains. ["Top 100 Area Firms," "The Washington Post", Apr 20, 1981, p. WB26.] That same year, Allied Stores acquired Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc. for $228 million. In 1986, Campeau Corp. acquired Allied, and in turn sold the Garfinckel's chain to locally owned Raleigh's for $95 million, forming Garfinckel's, Raleigh's & Co. ["The Downfall Of a Washington Institution," by Mark Potts, "The Washington Post", Jun 22, 1990, p. F1.]

Garfinckel's grew and expanded into a chain of stores, but was eventually pushed into financial collapse due to a series of mergers and acquisitions. On June 21, 1990, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by its chairman and CEO George P. Kelly and went out of business.cite web |title=Company News; Garfinckel's In Chapter 11 |first= |last= |work=NYTimes.com |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE4DD133BF931A15755C0A966958260 |date=1990-06-22 |accessdate=2007-11-12]

Flagship Store

Infobox nrhp
name = Garfinckel's Department Store
nrhp_type =


caption =
location = 1401 F St., NW
nearest_city = Washington, D.C.
lat_degrees =
lat_minutes =
lat_seconds =
lat_direction =
long_degrees =
long_minutes =
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area = (less than convert|1|acre|m2
built = 1925-1929
architect = Porter and Lockie, Starrett & van Vleck
architecture = Other, Moderne
added = 1995
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum =95000353
mpsub =
governing_body = In 1918, the store was located at 13th and F Streets. An eight-story department store building was erected at the northwest corner of 14th and F Streets, across from the Willard Hotel, and opened in 1929. The $2,000,000 structure was designed by architects Starrett & van Vleck of New York. ["Special from Richmond, June 21: Virginia Exports Increased. North Carolina Also Shows Gain Over Last Year," "New York Times", June 23, 1929, p. N12 ] By 1936, there were more than 500 employees. ["Special from Washington, Nov. 6: Julius Garfinckel Dies In Washington - Merchant and Philanthropist Succumbs to Pneumonia in the Capital at 62," "New York Times", Nov. 7, 1936, p. 17 ]

In 1995, the historic Garfinckel's flagship store located at 1401 F Street, NW, Washington, which is one block from the Treasury Department and less than two blocks from the White House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. From 1997 to 1999, the property was redeveloped into a modern office building and shopping center that is referred to as Hamilton Square. It includes a Borders Books & Music store.

Branch Stores

Unlike its local retail competitors, the Hecht Company, Woodward & Lothrop, and Lord & Taylor, Garfinckel's did not open numerous suburban locations during the heyday of the 1950's and 1960's. The store was an original anchor at the Seven Corners Shopping Center upon opening in 1956. After that, its Montgomery Mall store opened in 1968. ["Garfinckel's 'New' Image," by William G. Cushing, "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Oct 26, 1969, p. 117.] It also operated a 35,000 square foot store in the Spring Valley section of Washington, D.C., at 4820 Massachusetts Avenue. This was followed by store openings in May 1970, a 30,000 square foot location at Tyson's Corner Center; a 90,000 square foot location at Landover Mall on May 11, 1972; and a second hotel location - a 600 square foot store in the Washington Hilton, opened July 1972. ["Garfinckel Opens at Tysons," "The Washington Post, Times Herald", May 29, 1970, p. C7.] ["Garfinckel's Sixth Store," "The Washington Post, Times Herald", May 7, 1972, p. AS11.] ["Garfinckel's Opens Hilton Hotel Shop," "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Aug 3, 1972, p. H2.] The Springfield Mall store opened in January 1973. ["Garfinckel's Plans Chevy Chase Store," by William H. Jones, "The Washington Post, Times Herald", Mar 6, 1972, p. D7.]

Convinced that the company had expanded enough and that the premiere 170,000 square foot downtown location would continue to prosper, Garfinckel's did not expand again until the early-1980's. ["Garfinckel's Still Attracting Suburbanites," by William H. Jones, "The Washington Post", Mar 27, 1977, p. 185.] Stores opened in the early 1980's at Annapolis Mall, Fair Oaks Mall, and a 16,000 square foot store at The Shops at Georgetown Park. ["Garfinckel's Plans to Expand," by Merrill Brown, "The Washington Post", Nov 2, 1979, p. D1.] These would be the last new Garfinckel's suburban locations. After allowing its lease to expire at the Tyson's Corner store at the end of 1988, Garfinckel's announced plans to open a second downtown Washington store at 1130 Connecticut Ave, NW; then the site of a temporary Raleigh's location. ["Garfinckel's to Open New Store Downtown," The Washington Post", Jan 25, 1989, p. F1.] Nine locations were in operation at the time of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. ["Retailer Garfinckel's Files for Bankruptcy," by Kara Swisher, "The Washington Post", Jun 22, 1990, p. A1.]

Former locations

Washington, D.C

*14th & F Streets "(flagship store, opened 1925, closed 1990; now on National Register of Historic Places and renamed Hamilton Square)"
*Georgetown - The Shops at Georgetown Park "(opened 1984, closed 1990; now smaller shops)"
*1130 Connecticut Ave., NW "(opened 1989, closed 1990)"
*Omni Shoreham - Connecticut Avenue and Calvert Street "(small hotel convenience shop, operated 1960's - 1970's)"
*Spring Valley - 4820 Massachusetts Avenue "(closed 1990, now Crate and Barrel)"
*Washington Hilton - 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. "(opened 1972)"

Maryland

*Annapolis - Annapolis Mall "(opened ca. 1982, closed 1990; remodeled as Borders Books 1998)"
*Bethesda - Montgomery Mall "(opened 1968, closed/demolished 1989, rebuilt/reopened as Nordstrom 1991)"
*Landover - Landover Mall "(opened 1972, closed 1990; mall torn down 2006)"

Virginia

*Fairfax - Fair Oaks Mall "(opened ca. 1982, closed 1990; now smaller shops)"
*Falls Church - Seven Corners Shopping Center "(opened 1956, closed 1990; mall renovated and remodeled in late 1990s, now Ross Dress for Less)"
*McLean - Tysons Corner Center "(opened 1970, closed 1988)"
*Springfield - Springfield Mall "(opened 1973, closed 1990; now partially The Sports Authority)"

References

External links

* [http://www.garfinckels.com/ Garfinckels.com - America's House of Fashion Lives On]
* [http://www.hamilton-square.com/property_desc.shtml Hamilton Square, Washington, D.C.]