History of the Department Store

It is believed that the oldest department store in the world is 'Austin's' in Derry, Northern Ireland, which has been in business since1830. It was followed by Le Bon Marché, in Paris, which began offering a variety of goods in different departments by 1852. In America in 1846 A.T. Stewart opened his "Marble Palace" on East-Broadway by 1862 he had built a department store on a full city block at Broadway and 9^th St. with eight floors and nineteen departments surrounding a glass covered courtyard.

This innovation in the retail world soon pushed smaller traditional general stores into becoming more like the big departments stores. Many of the largest department stores, like Macy's, started out as small shops. Department stores appealed to the public by offering fixed prices and money back guarantees. Constructing the department stores produced many architectural innovations like improvements in glass technology, heating systems, and the building materials. The interior layouts of the store made shopping easier and more pleasant for customers regardless of their background or social standing. The stores also offered a variety of customer services such as restrooms, bridal registries, home delivery, restaurants, and more.

The department store also had a big impact on changes in society. Some say that it helped bring women their rightful place in society by offering them new career opportunities in professional fields and sometimes by helping them get into politics. It also gave women a place where it was socially and morally acceptable for a woman to be in public alone.

Obviously the department store also had a huge impact on the mass production of ready to wear clothing. It was the first instance of a large business making full use of the principles of vertical integration; that is the backward integration of retailing to wholesaling all the way to the manufacturing of the goods.

Today department stores popularity is declining. For one they are experiencing heavy competition from specialty stores and the widespread establishment of large scale superstores. Another reason for the decline is the change in where Americans are living. The shift from urban cities to suburban communities coupled with the rise in popularity of the suburban shopping mall is making it more difficult for department stores.