Marston's (department store)

Marston's was a department store based in San Diego, California, and founded by city leader George Marston. It had a downtown main store on Sixth Street and opened two suburban branches before being sold to The Broadway in 1961.

Marston's 1912 building, now demolished, from an ad
Marston's department store (1881-1896) at 509 Fifth Avenue
Marston's ad in the San Diego Union and Daily Bee, January 2, 1912

Accolades

The San Diego Downtown News characterized the store as San Diego's "finest" department store and as "elegant". The Golden Era magazine carried an ad that proclaimed Marston's as the "leading dry goods house of San Diego."[1]

History

Marston started his merchandising career in 1870 at age 20 as an assistant bookkeeper in Aaron Pauly's store and wharf office. He worked there for two years. He then clerked for one year for Mr. Joseph Nash, who advertised his grocery, dry goods and clothing storestore as "the cheapest ... in the city". In 1873, Marston and his best friend and fellow clerk at Pauly's, Charles Hamilton, bought Nash's business and operated it together.[2]

In 1878, Marston went at it alone and opened his own clothing and dry goods store along Fifth Avenue between G and H (now Market) streets. In 1881, the store expanded to 509 Fifth Avenue in a new two-story building.

In 1896, Marston's moved to 427 C Street (southwest corner of Fifth and C), with the construction of a large neo-Renaissance building costing $60,000, built for him by his uncle, Stephen W. Marston. This four-story building featured wide aisles, an open court from the ground floor to the roof, and a novelty–an elevator. The property is now an office building still known as the Marston Building.[3]

In 1907, Marston's made $15,000 in improvements to its store, turning the third floor stockroom into 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of additional selling space, which was used for ladies' underwear and hosiery, and for dressing rooms. Money was also spent on new fixtures and interior decoration.[4]

In 1912, Marston's moved to its final location across Fifth Avenue.[2][1] In 1954, Marston's expanded into a new, six-story addition on Fifth Avenue, thus occupying the entire block on the north side of C Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues (demolished in the 1960s). In 1960, Marston's added a home furnishings annex in the former Parmelee-Dohrmann building (Seventh and C).[5]

Tearoom

The 190-seat tearoom, the first sit-down serviced food offering at Marston's, opened April 27, 1955. It was designed by San Diego architect Sam Hamill. It had several 200- to 400-year-old Japanese screens. Pigskin covered the columns, and there was gray-green wall-to-wall carpet on the dining room floor and in the foyer. The menu included coconut cream pie, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut in wedges sans crust, a Pacific Paragon salad sandwich, tomatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, and a frozen fruit salad with whipped cream dressing served with minced turkey finger sandwiches. Sandwiches cost from 0.95 to 1.50 dollars, included open-faced Swiss cheese and turkey with thousand island dressing, corned beef on pumpernickel, and a club sandwich served with fruit aspic. At daily fashion shows, models walked among the tables presenting the latest fashion. [6]

Legacy

Marston's sold its stores to The Broadway in 1961.[7]

In 1962, the 200,680 square feet (18,644 m2) Chula Vista Center branch was opened, still under the Marston's name. This branch was particularly noted for its murals, in the Orange Tree Restaurant murals depicting missions, orange groves, and mountains; in the women's "Fashion Circle" area, buildings in the South Bay and Coronado areas, including the Hotel del Coronado; in the men's area the Spanish heritage of the area and early 19th century shipping activity, and rancheros on the way to a fiesta, and the old harbor; in the boy's area the Montgomery glider flight of 1833 and the Spirit of St. Louis.[8]

The downtown flagship store was demolished in the late 1960s and a Ross Dress for Less occupies the location.[9]

The Grossmont Center and Chula Vista Center branches became Broadway stores, and are now Macy's stores.[10]

Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) maintains a collection of Marston's memorabilia at the Marston House, which is managed as a museum.[2]

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References
  1. "'Shop 'til you drop' 1880s style". 1 December 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. "Honoring a local legend". 8 September 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  3. "427 C St, San Diego, CA, 92101 - Property For Lease on LoopNet.com". LoopNet. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  4. "Improve Store at $15,000 Cost: George W. Marston to Refit Third Floor of Dry Goods House for New Dep't". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. November 2, 1907.
  5. BAK. "The Marston Co., San Diego, California". Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  6. Showley, Roger (October 20, 2004). "Steeped in history: Memorable Marston's Tea Room was a slice of '50s San Diego life". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  7. Smith, Gordon; Feb. 7; 1980. "The Marstons of San Diego". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. "Latest Fashions Shown Amidst Old Spanish Decor; Area's History Shown In Marston's Murals", Chula Vista Star-News, November 11, 1962, page 6-X.
  9. "New plan to fix C Street's 'broken dreams'". San Diego Union-Tribune. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  10. Bauder, Don; July 27; 2016. "Never mind Bullock's — Target is the future of dying malls". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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