Newberry's: Difference between revisions

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(Not closed, just rebranded.)
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The new store featured a 156-seat cafeteria in the basement, in addition to the two ground-floor lunch counters, snack bar and bakery. Apparel, potted plants and artificial flowers filled the remainder of the basement retail space. Toiletries, cosmetics, stationery, camera equipment, jewelry, handbags and accessories filled out the ground floor. A mezzanine displayed men's and boys clothing and shoes. The second floor housed women's, girls' and infants' underwear and outerwear along with women's shoes and designer fashions. The third floor was reserved for fabrics, draperies, bath accessories, artwork and framing, lamps and sewing supplies. The fourth floor contained home furnishings, appliances, housewares, cookware, paints, toys, sporting goods, pets and pet supplies (including monkeys, small honey bears, alligators, lizards, turtles, tropical fish, dogs, cats, parrots, cockatoos, parakeets and mice). The fifth and sixth floors were used for storage.
The new store featured a 156-seat cafeteria in the basement, in addition to the two ground-floor lunch counters, snack bar and bakery. Apparel, potted plants and artificial flowers filled the remainder of the basement retail space. Toiletries, cosmetics, stationery, camera equipment, jewelry, handbags and accessories filled out the ground floor. A mezzanine displayed men's and boys clothing and shoes. The second floor housed women's, girls' and infants' underwear and outerwear along with women's shoes and designer fashions. The third floor was reserved for fabrics, draperies, bath accessories, artwork and framing, lamps and sewing supplies. The fourth floor contained home furnishings, appliances, housewares, cookware, paints, toys, sporting goods, pets and pet supplies (including monkeys, small honey bears, alligators, lizards, turtles, tropical fish, dogs, cats, parrots, cockatoos, parakeets and mice). The fifth and sixth floors were used for storage.


Newberry's was closed by [[1962]]. In December of that year, [[Britt's of Birmingham]] department store opened in the Newberry's building.
In December [[1962]], the store was rebranded as '''Britt's of Birmingham''', a more upscale version of Newberry's.  The store reverted to the Newberry's branding in the 1970s.


The vacant building was demolished in [[1997]] for construction of the IMAX Dome Theater at the [[McWane Science Center]].
The store's final day of business was [[January 26]], [[1995]].  It had been purchased to make way for the [[McWane Science Center]]'s IMAX Dome Theater.  The vacant building was finally demolished in [[1997]].


==References==
==References==
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* "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/Britts-1%20%2812-62%29.jpg Britts department store set to open]" (December 1962) {{BN}} - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/Britts-1%20%2812-62%29.jpg Britts department store set to open]" (December 1962) {{BN}} - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* {{White-1977}}
* {{White-1977}}
* "Closing after 8 decades: Newberry's site for Omnimax."  (January 25, 1995).  {{BN}}.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Britt%27s_Department_Store&oldid=518035193 Britt's Department Store]. (October 16, 2012). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed December 2, 2012.


[[Category:Department stores]]
[[Category:Department stores]]

Revision as of 23:23, 1 December 2012

Newberry's store courtesy BPL Archives

The J. J. Newberry Company was a department store located in the former Saks Building on the northwest corner of 19th Street and 2nd Avenue North. Newberry's, part of a New York-based chain, operated as a variety store until the early 1960s.

Beginning in 1936, Newberry's occupied the building constructed in 1916 for the Louis Saks Clothiers and later used by Melancon's. It shared a small stairway with the neighboring Calder's furniture store, entered through a narrow Roman-style portico on 2nd Avenue.

Newberry's opened a second location at Eastwood Mall in 1960.

The flagship downtown variety store was expanded and remodeled as a true department store in 1961. The $1.5 million update to the 90,000 square-foot, 6-story building was designed by Miller, Martin & Lewis in association with Edwin McCowan. The Robins Engineering Company performed the construction work. Exterior improvements included the installation of a wrap-around sign and cantilevered sidewalk cover and new vertical signs at the street corner, both backed by an epoxy-coated aluminum cladding system characterized by vertical fins.

Full-page newspaper ad for the remodeled store

The new store featured a 156-seat cafeteria in the basement, in addition to the two ground-floor lunch counters, snack bar and bakery. Apparel, potted plants and artificial flowers filled the remainder of the basement retail space. Toiletries, cosmetics, stationery, camera equipment, jewelry, handbags and accessories filled out the ground floor. A mezzanine displayed men's and boys clothing and shoes. The second floor housed women's, girls' and infants' underwear and outerwear along with women's shoes and designer fashions. The third floor was reserved for fabrics, draperies, bath accessories, artwork and framing, lamps and sewing supplies. The fourth floor contained home furnishings, appliances, housewares, cookware, paints, toys, sporting goods, pets and pet supplies (including monkeys, small honey bears, alligators, lizards, turtles, tropical fish, dogs, cats, parrots, cockatoos, parakeets and mice). The fifth and sixth floors were used for storage.

In December 1962, the store was rebranded as Britt's of Birmingham, a more upscale version of Newberry's. The store reverted to the Newberry's branding in the 1970s.

The store's final day of business was January 26, 1995. It had been purchased to make way for the McWane Science Center's IMAX Dome Theater. The vacant building was finally demolished in 1997.

References

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