The Daily Mall Reader: Kresge & Kmart, Woolworth & Woolco, And Grant Too

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Strength in Variety"

TIME Magazine - Friday, Nov. 20, 1964

(Excerpt) S.S. Kresge is a man as well as a variety store, and, at 97, he was recently called out of retirement to address the annual meeting of the chain that he forged. While stockholders applauded, old S.S. (for Sebastian Spering) got up and exhorted them to make Kresge "an outstanding five-and-ten-cent syndicate."

That did not jibe with President Harry B. Cunningham's idea of his job, and he rose to his feet and said so. Smilingly, he reminded everyone that the nation's third largest variety chain (after F.W. Woolworth and W.T. Grant) has expanded far beyond its old dime-store stage and is, in fact, quite a different creature. This small semantic difference highlights a new philosophy that has set all the variety chains off on their biggest spree of change and expansion.

Read the full article here.

Miracle Mile Shopping Center (Monroeville, PA)

Monroeville, Pennsylvania - circa 1950s

Vintage postcard view of the bustling Miracle Mile Shopping Center in Monroeville, PA, which opened in November of 1954, and was originally officially named Pittsburgh Miracle Mile Town & Country Shopping Center Inc.--thank the Shopping Gods it got shortened! Cool shot here of the mall's S. S. Kresge and Sun Drugs stores

Mall history: 1954 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1

Woodward Avenue Kresge & Shopping District

Detroit, Michigan - circa 1960s

Though not a shopping mall here, I'm posting this postcard photo I bought recently, for three reasons: 1. because I really dig the old Kresge five & dime stores, 2. because it's just so gloriously kitschy looking, and 3. because I paid good money for it so you're darn right I'm gonna use it! :)

This is a vintage view of Woodward Avenue's shopping district back in its glory days. The snazzy "DDD" flags you see here stood for Downtown Detroit Days, a regular Woodward Avenue shopping tradition where the merchants along the avenue would work together to offer special promotions and deals to shoppers--what a concept! Here's the card's short but sweet caption:

"Looking north on famous Woodward Avenue in the heart of Detroit's shopping district."

Yeah, Woodward Avenue's still there, and stores are still there, but this kind of swankiness isn't.

Michigan Mall in Downtown Battle Creek

Battle Creek, Michigan - circa 1970s

Great vintage view of a stylish and welcoming court area on the Michigan Mall (pedestrian shopping strip) in downtown Battle Creek, Michigan. You can make out part of a Kresge store sign on the left, and you just gotta love that retro clock sculpture in the center--though I'm not so sure "retro" quite describes its design, as it actually looks quite futuristic now that I think about it!

More Michigan Mall

(Study image courtesy of the Willard Public Library, Battle Creek)