Massachusetts

Author and historian Anthony Sammarco reveals the fascinating history of Boston's beloved Jordan Marsh.

Jordan Marsh opened its first store in 1851 on Milk Street in Boston selling assorted dry goods. Following the Civil War, the store moved to Winthrop Square and later to Washington Street between Summer and Avon Streets. The new five-story building, designed by Winslow & Wetherell, unveiled the novel concept of department shopping under one roof. It attracted shoppers by offering personal service with the adage that the customer is always right, easy credit, art exhibitions and musical performances. By the 1970s, it had become a regional New England icon and the largest department store chain in the nation.

William E. Aubuchon Sr. immigrated to the United States from Canada in 1900 at the age of 15, speaking no English and armed with only a fifth-grade education. Through hard work and perseverance, he established a hardware store in 1908 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. One hundred years later, there are over 130 Aubuchon Hardware stores located throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, employing about 1,100 people. This remarkable growth by Aubuchon Hardware can be attributed to the company treating its customers as friends and always making them number one. As William E. Aubuchon Sr. once said, "The business was founded on the principle of buying economically. We give our customers what they want--high-grade hardware at a price everyone can afford." Aubuchon Hardware never lost track of where it started, and today it still remains "all in the family" with over 20 family members currently employed, including the fourth generation. In Aubuchon Hardware, family members were an invaluable resource for photographs and historical information.

When William Denholm and William McKay teamed up in 1870 to form a dry goods store in the factory town of Worcester, Massachusetts, they could not have imagined the 103-year legacy that would make their store a beloved New England landmark. Former customers may well recall the store's elaborate promotions that took shoppers to exotic locales, from an African holiday to a trip through the Italian fashion world. Join authors Christopher Sawyer and Patricia Wolf, daughter of a former Denholms president, as they take a behind-the-scenes view of the history and memory of Massachusetts's largest department store outside of Boston. With vivid descriptions of the festive holiday displays and personal recollections from former employees, this book is sure to make any reader nostalgic for the bygone days of shopping at Denholms.