Schuster's and Gimbels: Milwaukee's Beloved Department Stores (Landmarks) - Softcover

Geenen, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1609493893 ISBN 13: 9781609493899

Publisher: The History Press, 2012

Synopsis

For well over a century, Milwaukee shoppers have had Gimbels or Schuster's on the brain. Even if they didn't crave sewing notions or prize-winning apple pies, they were watching holiday parades wind by, tuning in for Billie the Brownie's radio updates or losing themselves in front of one of the fabulous window displays. Not only were they magical places to shop but also wonderful places to work, creating the kind of community where a kid might come in to work the Christmas rush and stay for twenty-five years. Enjoy this loving trip through the history of these beloved stores, from their arrival in Milwaukee in the 1880s through the 1962 merger and beyond.

About this title

About the Author:

Paul Geenen is a retired entrepreneur, an author and a grandfather of eight. He wrote Milwaukee's Bronzeville: 1900-1950, a history of African Americans in Milwaukee. Geenen graduated from University of Wisconsin. He joined Gimbels in 1976 as a buyer, and was Divisional Merchandise Manager of the Marketplace when he left in 1983. He and his partner started Galaxy Data, Inc. in 1990.

Review:

"Gimbels and Schuster's were watchwords in Milwaukee retail as competing department stores vying for elegance, service and scope of merchandise. A Gimbels' employee in the 1970s, Paul Geenen traces both stores to German immigrants who settled here in the 19th century, seeing the burgeoning city as a place of opportunity. In 1962 the two chains merged, but the consolidation didn't survive corporate takeovers and the changing retail environment. By the end of the '80s, Gimbels was gone, leaving memories of the 165-foot Christmas tree on the side of its downtown store, the appropriately named Tasty Town dinners and the annual Billie the Brownie Christmas promotion." --Milwaukee Express

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1609493893
• ISBN 13: 9781609493899
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112