The history of department stores

OK, I admit it, the cover is tattered and old - and not at all appealing. But don't let that stop you from reading A History of the Department Store ( 658.871 FE) by John William Ferry. Because the author is writing about the founding of some of the most prestigious retail stores, the information is still valuable.

Because this book was printed in 1960, many of the current big box department stores we have in the Cedar Valley are not listed. But that doesn't mean you won't recognize many of the names. Author John Ferry devotes a section to the history of each of the stores he feels contributed most to the development of our concept of a department store. Although many of stores featured had their start in New York and London, the author still has quite a few from Chicago and other areas.

The first thirty pages talk about the "current" state of retail (in 1960), so that information is just a little old - OK, really old. Before working at the library, I worked in retail for many years (starting in 1976 or 1977). There are many comments made by the author that were outdated even by the middle of the 1970s. However, it's still a wonderful look at what it was like working in retail.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007