Most department stores came about by already made local business'. There were what they called "dry good stores" located in urban areas JStor- Department Stores in Illinois, that were considered expensive and inconvenient. This was before 1870 when ready made clothing hadn't been made, and many still lived in rural areas. As more immigrants entered America, more people required greater supply of goods, for a lesser price. Many things played role with making a department store. Because of the many immigrants coming to the country, people were very open to new things such as this. Incomes were also finally rising for many working and middle class Americans. This brought more consumers to the department stores, as more people entered the cities American History: Textbook. There were also catalogs sent to citizens living in the rural areas filled with all different kinds of things, that the department stores had at the time. These catalogs ranged from having saddles for horses, to silverware and cooking utensils American History: Textbook. Many were mesmerized by all of these different innovations, leading them away from the expensive specialty stores. The new idea of this department store was to bring many different types of things, and bring them under one roof. There were many people hired, on average 25, and mostly women to these stores JStor- Department Stores in Illinois. According to this JStor source, these new innovators also had the idea to have a flat price for almost everything, instead of changing it based on the market. These different ideas wouldn't have been possible without the other innovations bringing consumers to the city.
Department stores came with the industrialization of many innovations. One of the greatest things the industrialization did to department stores was the invention of the cable car or the trolley. According toThe World of Department stores- Jan Whitaker (book), the trolley buses were able to get people from a 30 mile radius of the city to the central part of each city. In De Moines Iowa, population 26000, these phenomenons at the time were able to bring 75000 people into the city. This made the consumer market huge. Also according to The World of Department stores- Jan Whitaker (book), it was easier to build these department stores in the city because of the lack of restrictions in the new cities. This included walls needed to be broken down and historic buildings. The city planners at the time were able to include these large buildings in the layout of the city since there already wasn't much in the lay out. These department stores started to be built in the biggest cities, such as New York and Boston.
Another innovation was ready made clothing and the sewing machine The World of Department stores- Jan Whitaker (book). This changed everything people were used to before. Before department stores that sold everything, and ready made clothing, the women would have to travel a distance to their local specialized fabric store to buy everything they needed to make their own clothing. When the sewing machine was invented and personal style came about, the game was changed for women JStor: T.C. Power & Bro: The Rise of a Small Western Department Store. After the style of women was changed, shopping was considered an ideal past time, and something women looked up to. Because of all the women coming to these stores, they greatly decorated each store, while adding restaurants and lounge areas inside The World of Department stores- Jan Whitaker (book). Because of the changing market, styles were often changed, bringing shoppers back to the store to get the new "style" of the time. There was also more of a variety of sizes for everyone, instead of only petit, bringing more money to the store JStor: T.C. Power & Bro: The Rise of a Small Western Department Store. This era is when fashion really became prominent.
Although these great stores made a lot of money and had a lot of success, they weren't always popular among everyone. When department stores, such as today's Macy's, were first made, they were taxed more than regular stores, was harassed by the public, and had more regulations The World of Department stores- Jan Whitaker (book). The smaller country stores also still tried to compete with these stores, few being successful. Some of these department stores struggled at first especially in the west. There were bad roads, unfinished railroads, and were ultimately behind in the industrialization aspect at the timeJStor: T.C. Power & Bro: The Rise of a Small Western Department . Another challenge these new stores faced was in the early 20th century, when many were caught paying very low wages. According to Library of Congress- The Day Book- Department Stores hit at low wage hearing- April 24 1915 (search term: department stores 1870-1915), a newspaper from the time, women were working for only $7.69 a week for 8 years. This was a big issue for the public, because in the era of entertainment, many believed that not having enough money to go out is worse than crime in the town. A lot of these women also worked in unsanitary conditions and was eventually called out by the National Civic Foundation Library of Congress: The Day Book July 28, 1913- Department Stores of New York Condemn in Big Report (search term: department stores 1870-1915).
Department stores were a huge invention in the late 19th century. They were sculpted by industrialization, and especially urbanization in this time period. Many at this time believed entertainment was essential to the well being of someone American History: Textbook, so shopping was considered a fun time for women, as it still is for people like me today. Many department stores, including Macy's, were invented over one hundred years ago, and should be considered one of the greatest changes in the turn of the century. I believe that this truly changed the market of the United States for the greater.
A trolley car in 1873, one of the contributions to mass production and consumption
Sources:
(Search Term: Department Stores
1870-1915) This source first introduced me to the issues the department stores were having, such as low wage problems and people fighting back. I used this to talk about the low wages women were getting.
This book taught me about what the new department stores looked like, along with how industrialization (the trolley car, sewing machine) affected the success of these new stores. I used this source in my essay to talk about innovations such as sewing machines and trolleys and how innovations brought stores about.
This site talked about the history of department stores and how they came about. It also talked about what the new department stores were like. I talked about the history of the stores with this source in my essay.
This site talked about the struggles, but also advantages of the new stores. It also talked about how a small country store became a large department store. I mainly used this source to describe the struggles of the stores when coming about.
Library
of Congress: The Day Book July 28, 1913- Department Stores of New York Condemn
in Big Report
(ST: Department Stores: 1870-1915) This source from an old magazine was talking about the low wage and terrible conditions women were working in at the time. I used this source to bring the aspect of the problems of these stores.
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