FAMOUS-BARR St. Louis Shopping At Its Finest (Landmarks) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
For ninety-five years, St. Louis residents counted on Famous-Barr to buy the things they used every day and to celebrate the moments that happened only once a year. Customers might bump into Sophia Loren while shoe shopping or confide in Santa Claus during a visit to Toyland. May Company purchased the Famous Clothing Company in 1892 and acquired the William Barr Dry Goods Company nineteen years later. In 1914, Famous-Barr opened the doors of its iconic downtown location, treating folks across Missouri and Illinois to almost a century of spectacular window displays and legendary luncheons.
Series: Landmarks
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing; Signed edition (November 11, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1626196923
ISBN-13: 978-1626196926
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.3 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #685,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #527 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Retailing #13020 in Books > History > Americas > United States > State & Local
Stroll through time while reading this well written book. Shopping at Famous-Barr and stores from that era was so special as a child you were wide eyed taking in all the sights and sounds. It was an era when shopping was an event. You will be thrilled to see images of all the famous people who crossed the threshold of Famous-Barr.
I received my copy today, one day earlier than predicted. Just leafing through brought back so many memories of Downtown St. Louis. One picture in the 1960s showes the streets packed with people, shoppers, business types, bankers, brokers and children. It was great to see life in Downtown. Buses and streetcars still crowding Olive Street. There was life. Famous people pictures, recipes from Famous food service and all sorts of black n white shots. This will be a fun book and can't wait to get into it. Light reading and great memories. The history of Famous- Barr in St. Louis.
I loved this book. My mom retired from Famous in 1982. She was a department manager at Northwest Plaza and was Manager of the Year at least once. Some of my favorite memories as a teenager are of shopping with my mom and my friends at Northland and Northwest Plaza. It was a very special treat when Mom and I would go shopping at the downtown store. Back in the 60s, it was a must that we dressed up in dresses and heels. We loved eating in the Tea Room. Wish I could relive those days.
As a collector of books on Department Store History, this book did not meet my expectations. Very little in this book is about the actual history of Famous Barr. It is not even explained how the flagship came to be located in the Railway Exchange building, featured on the cover. The majority of the book focuses on in-store events culled from the Famous Barr Public Relations archives. Or seemingly from newspaper articles. Unnecessarily included were details of vendor sponsored door prizes, an athletes baseball history, Eagle Stamp management, etc. Missing were photos of departments in the store, interviews with store management & employees, advertising and memorabilia that helped make Famous Barr so loved by many in St. Louis.
I was excited to see that this book was available in Kindle edition! Since my was employed by Famous-Barr for many years, I was interested to see he history. I remembered many years as a child going to the downtown store and riding the escalators up to the 9th floor auditorium to see Santa, so I had some history there, too. I found the book to contain a great deal of history of store...which I really enjoyed...going all the way back prior to the origins of Famous-Barr/May Co. However, I also found the book to be somewhat distracting by too many events held at the downtown stores while in the midst of a particularly interesting part of the history. I think the organization would be more carefully crafted. Despite this, however, I did find the book VERY informative and was exactly what I wanted to read. The book is an easy, informative read. Anyone who has ever shopped at Famous-Barr or has lived in St. Louis will find this book a fun read.
I was born in 1940. Famous-Barr was a special part of my childhood.The store was bigger than life.The elevators that where operated by human operators, where very exciting for a young child.The toy land on the seventh floor, was magical. Everything about Famous-Barr and downtown, in 1950's was special.The noise, the smells, the buses, the streetcars and the big crowds of people downtown, was something to behold.It is so very sad, to have all of that, gone forever.I am grateful that someone took the time and effort, to write thi book
Fantastic book-as a child my mother would take me and my two brothers to Famous during the Christmas season (1950's). This book brought back many memories. Highly recommended (I would give this item 10 STARS!!!)
This book actually had so much MORE about this Famous-Barr than was expected! There were so many old photos from its "hay day", people happily shopping (when people dressed up to go out), some of the original employees, pictures of displays and counters, etc. It is fascinating! The stories had little gems about the store that we never knew. We sorely miss our old, familiar Famous. My mother-in-law and her sisters had a tradition of going Christmas shopping together at that Famous every year the day after Thanksgiving. A photo of the three of them on the last holiday seasons it was open was even published in the local paper. It is the end of an era. I recommend this fascinating book.
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