The second half of the 1800s was the golden era of D.C. department stores. One of the most prominent was called Garfinckel’s on 14th & F, which catered to elite consumers, including politicians and their wives, and dominated the high-end retail niche for almost 85 years.
The store had a garden restaurant on the fifth floor, where women would meet to have tea and see fashion shows. There was also an art gallery and a salon, making it a weekly destination for many Washingtonians.
That’s not to say there wasn’t any competition. Palais Royal and Hecht’s both opened up right down the street with more affordable prices, aimed at middle and working class women.
These department stores helped spark a feminine shift in D.C. They became one of the few places where women were allowed unescorted and to have financial autonomy. "Department stores rode the wave of factory-made goods, realizing they could make a fortune off women but only if they created an acceptable place for women to exist unescorted in public," Meghan Hanson from A Tour Of Her Own told us.
Street scene of people walking past the Garfinckel's Department Store. Photo: Between 1935 and 1942. Farm Security Administration. (Library of Congress)
As malls opened in the suburbs, Garfinckel’s lost its edge, eventually becoming bankrupt and closing in 1990. Nowadays, Hamilton restaurant sits on the building's bottom floor.
Learn more about how these Department stores played a key role in advancing consumerism and women’s rights in D.C. during this walking tour this weekend!
