Robertson Company
Robertson Company also known as Robertson's department store and originally C.R.S. (for Cromwell, Robertson & Swift)[1] was the first department store in Hollywood, opened as Hollywood Boulevard became a major regional shopping district starting in the 1920s, second only to Broadway (the street) in Downtown Los Angeles.
The independent department store, at 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2) and 4 stories tall, opened in 1923 at 6751-6753 Hollywood Boulevard;[2] the buildings are still standing and in use as a Museum of Illusions.
It had 43 departments, a first floor finished in marble, and two high-speed elevators. It held an elegant fashion show the likes of which Hollywood had not yet seen. From 1931 the store faced competition from the much larger Broadway Hollywood at Hollywood and Vine. During the 1920s the Boulevard became an upscale shopping district patronized by both affluent clients and the movie studios nearby. The area would later face competition from areas along Wilshire Boulevard: one around Bullocks Wilshire which opened in 1929, secondly the Miracle Mile, and later, Beverly Hills. The store closed and J. C. Penney took over the location in 1942.[3]
References
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with origins in
Central Los Angeles |
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L.A. neighborhoods |
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Long Beach |
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Pasadena | |
Rest of L.A. Co. |
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Bakersfield | |
Inland Empire |
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Orange Co. |
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San Diego–Tijuana |
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Elsewhere |
- Bond's
- Brooks Clothing
- C. H. Baker shoes
- C&R Clothiers
- Hartfield's
- Judy's
- Leed's shoes
- Mandel's (shoes)
- Miller's Outpost/Anchor Blue
- Victor Clothing
- Weatherby-Kayser shoes
- Zachary All
membership stores
- The Akron
- Curacao
- Fedco
- Fedmart
- Gemco
- Pic 'N' Save
- Unimart
- White Front
- Zody's
- Disco Drug and Discount Centers
- Sav-on
- Schwab's Pharmacy
- Thrifty
home furnishings
- Alpha Beta
- Boys Markets
- Chaffee
- Food Giant
- Giant
- Haas, Baruch & Co./Hellman, Haas & Co.
- Hughes Markets
- Market Basket
- Pantry Food Stores
- Pavilions
- Ralphs
- Shopping Bag
- Stater Bros.
- Smart & Final
- Thriftimart
- Tianguis
- Vons
tainment, appliances
- Adray's
- Cal Stereo
- Federated Group
- Golden Bear Home and Sport Centers
- Ken Crane's
- Leo's Stereo
- Pacific Stereo
- Rogersound Labs
- University Stereo
- Builders Emporium
- National Lumber
- Ole's Home Centers
- Licorice Pizza
- Music Plus
- Peaches Records and Tapes
- The Wherehouse
- Wallichs Music City
- Los Angeles:
- Plaza
- 1880s-90s CBD
- Broadway (CBD)
- Broadway & 87th, South L.A.*
- Seventh St.
- Flower St.
- Hollywood Blvd.
- Lankershim, North Hollywood
- Miracle Mile, Wilshire Blvd.
- Westwood Village (near UCLA)
- Other cities:
- Beverly Hills: Rodeo Drive
- Burbank: Golden Mall
- Huntington Park: Pacific Blvd.
- Long Beach: Pine St.
- Palm Springs: La Plaza/Palm Canyon Dr. - See also History of retail in Palm Springs
- Pasadena: Lake Ave.
- Pasadena: Old Pasadena
- Santa Ana: 4th St.
- Santa Monica: Main St. - 3rd St. Promenade
shopping center
"firsts"
- Oldest origins of a major L.A. chain: Harris & Frank (1876) - 1st dept. store on Broadway: A. Fusenot Co./Ville de Paris - 1st dept. store on 7th off Broadway: J. W. Robinson's (1915) - 1st planned shopping district: Westwood Village (1929) - 1st suburban dept. store branch: B. H. Dyas/Broadway Hollywood (1927) - 1st center with multiple supermarkets: Broadway & 87th Street shopping center (1936) - 1st center with department store anchor: Broadway-Crenshaw Center (1947) - 1st enclosed mall: Lakewood Center (1951) - 1st mall in Orange County: Anaheim Plaza (1955) - 1st center with 4 dept. stores: Panorama City Shopping Center (1964)