Buffums

Buffums, originally written as Buffums' with an apostrophe, was a chain of upscale department stores, headquartered in Long Beach, California. The Buffums chain began in 1904, when two brothers from Illinois, Charles A. and Edwin E. Buffum, together with other partners, bought the Schilling Bros., the largest dry goods store in Long Beach, and renamed it The Mercantile Co. The store grew to a large downtown department store, and starting in the 1950s, grew slowly over the years to be a small regional chain of 16 speciality department stores across Southern California at the time of its closure in 1990.[1][2][3]

Buffums newly expanded store, 1924

Over the years, the stores gained a reputation as the “Grand Dame” of department stores in the area. The stores’ interiors were known for large chandeliers and other upscale touches. The chain marketed itself as “Buffums Specialty Store,” in an attempt to differentiate itself from other local chains, including The Broadway and Bullock's, and the national stores such as May Co. and Robinson’s. Its most famous advertising line, “I’ve been to Buffums,” was used in newspaper and television advertisements during the 1970s and '80s. It was also known for its “Bag-A-Bargain” promotion that placed actual shopping bags (printed with a discount offer) in local newspapers.

Like other local department stores of the era, Buffums was challenged by old-fashioned business models, changing consumer tastes, and the arrival of Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom. The chain was bought in the 1970s by the Australian-based David Jones Ltd, which looked to sell the struggling chain in the 1980s. By the time of the sale it had become part of Adelaide Steamship, an Australian conglomerate, who never found a buyer. In a last-ditch effort to modernize, Buffums installed new IBM point-of-sale registers in all stores in 1990 (to complement their data center's newly purchased IBM AS/400, IBM's then-new midrange computer), only to enter liquidation following the 1990 Christmas shopping season.

Stores

Flagship
Buffums’ logo and sketch of newly expanded store, 1924

Buffums' Downtown flagship grew as follows:[4]

The predecessor of Buffums, Wm. Schilling & Sons dry goods store opened in 1892 at the corner of 2nd and Pine in Long Beach. By 1902 they were located at the Stafford Block, 127–129 Pine Ave., and described as a "commodious", 6,250 sq ft (581 m2) "department store", "embracing a complete line of dress goods ladies and gents furnishings, clothing, shoes, hats and caps, blankets, comforts, etc.". That same year the father William retired and the firm became Schilling Bros.[5]

In 1904, a partnership bought the Schilling Bros. business for $65,000 (~$1.56 million in 2021); the partners were Charles A. and Edwin E. Buffum arrived from Illinois, and local businessmen S. Townsend, W. L. Porterneld and C. J. Walter. The company started operating as The Mercantile Co. The 127–9 Pine Ave. Schilling Bros. store, several doors south of Broadway, would eventually become the men's shoe store of the future Buffums flagship store.[4] The next year, the Mercantile Co. announced the purchase of a lot on the southwest corner of Pine and Broadway, 74.5 ft. by 150 ft. (11,175 square feet (1,038.2 m2) with the intention of building a five-story building on it. However, the building would only be three stories and was completed in 1912.

  • 1924: added a new six-story building; the “New Buffums’” opened in stages in early May, 1924[6]
  • 1941: built the "Autoport" parking garage (still standing)
  • 1960: added a Varsity Shop, Red Cross Shoe Store, and four-story parking garage
  • 1964: added 14,000 sq. ft., expanded to occupy the full block of Broadway between Pine and Pacific, for a total of 180,000 square feet (17,000 m2) of floor space in the Downtown flagship complex. The new space housed a full Interior Design and Home Furnishings area as a "Sportsman's Shop".[7]

The store competed downtown with smaller, local Long Beach department stores like Marti and Wise Cos. as well as Sears and Ward's, all of which opened large new stores downtown in 1928-9.[8] In the early 1950s Lakewood Center would provide competition with May Company California and Los Altos Center, with The Broadway for the suburban shopper.

The complex was sold in 1981 and was demolished in 1985[9] to create office space (as of 2020 a WeWork,[10] and Buffums moved its Long Beach store operation and headquarters to the nearby Long Beach Plaza mall when it opened in 1982.[11]

Branches

When Buffums was liquidated it had 16 locations:[3][12]

Community Location Square footage Notes
Arcadia Santa Anita Fashion Park demolished and replaced by Nordstrom in 1994
La Cañada Flintridge Plaza de la Cañada former Iver's that Buffums bought; rebranded on October 1, 1986. now TJ Maxx
La Mesa Grossmont Center became an Oshman's, later Sports Authority, now a Restoration Hardware Outlet
Laguna Hills Laguna Hills Mall 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) Opened September 5, 1973, two levels
Lakewood Lakewood Center
Downtown Long Beach Long Beach Plaza opened 1982, replaced flagship store, which closed
Marina Pacifica, Long Beach Marina Pacifica Mall[13] 39,000 sq ft (3,600 m2)[14] Two stories, opened 1976. Closed 1991. Moved its Marina branch to Marina Pacific from a smaller adjacent 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m2) location. At the time, the new Buffum's formed part of a 108-store, six-restaurant center.[14][15]
Manhattan Beach Manhattan Village Opened in 1980. Became a Macy's Men and Home Store, which closed in 2018.[16] Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and West Elm now occupy the space.[17]
Newport Beach Fashion Island space was subdivided
Palm Springs Palm Springs Mall, now occupied by College of the Desert opened October 18, 1989, in the former Walker Scott space,[18] later Harris Gottschalks in 1990.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Peninsula Center
Pomona Pomona Mall East, former pedestrian mall in Downtown Pomona opened 1961. There were murals by Millard Sheets in the Palomare Room, one 24 ft., one 36 ft. Sheets was a native of Pomona. The murals portrayed early Spanish settlement of the Pomona Valley. Sheets also designed the pedestrian mall itself.[19][20]
San Diego Fashion Valley later occupied for about a year by I. Magnin, then Saks Fifth Avenue and now Forever 21[21][22]
Solana Beach Lomas Santa Fe Plaza originally a Walker Scott, later a Ross Dress for Less and now a HomeGoods
Westminster Westminster Mall first became Robinsons-May Home Store, later demolished for Macy's in 2002, now Target
Stores that had closed before Buffums' liquidation
Downtown Long Beach 4th at Pine 180,000 sq ft (17,000 m2) Flagship store opened in 1912 and expanded over the decades. Closed in 1982, replaced by Long Beach Plaza store. Demolished 1985.
Glendale Glendale Galleria demolished and replaced by Robinsons-May in 1993 and Target in 2007
La Habra La Habra Fashion Square
Santa Ana Downtown at Main and 10th Freestanding store; men's store added across the street in 1963; closed 1987, buildings currently used by County of Orange Department of Probation, Community Court, and Department of Child Support Services[23][24]

Relaunch

A California investor group filed Buffums' Stores, LLC. with the California Secretary of State in January 2015.[25] According to the buffumstores Facebook site, they re-launched in a small specialty format in October 2015, located in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach, CA.[26] This reappearance of the Buffums name in retail was short-lived, however, as the former principals of Buffums Stores, Inc. moved their operations to Naples, FL, opening their store there under the name The b.Store, and shuttering the Belmont Shore 2nd street Buffums storefront in March 2016.[27]

See also

References
  1. Silverstein, Stuart (March 14, 1991). "Buffums to Close in May, Ending 87-Year History : Retail: The department store chain lost $4.2 million its last fiscal year. The jobs of 1,400 employees will be eliminated". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  2. Silverstein, Stuart (March 15, 1991). "Buffums' Closings 'Like Losing an Old Friend'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  3. "Long Beach Lost: The Buffums' department store in Downtown • Long Beach Post". Long Beach Post. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  4. "New Buffums' Store Opens; 5th Under Way". Long Beach Independent. October 2, 1969. p. 9.
  5. "Wm. Schilling & Sons". Long Beach Press. December 15, 1902. p. 7. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  6. "Buffums new 5th floor lounge and beauty rooms open". Press-Telegram. May 11, 1924. p. 2.
  7. Chilcote, Ken (January 26, 1964). "Buffum's will expand store to Pacific Ave". Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram.
  8. "Long Beach Marks Record-Breaking Era in Construction". Los Angeles Times. July 7, 1929.
  9. Signal Tribune Newspaper
  10. "Long Beach Lost: The Buffums' department store in Downtown • the Hi-lo". November 10, 2018.
  11. Gore, Robert (October 16, 1981). "Buffums building in LB is sold". Los Angeles Times.
  12. "Buffums to shut all 16 department stores". UPI.
  13. "Some Gain Seen From the Loss of Buffums". Los Angeles Times. March 17, 1991.
  14. "Waterfront shopping". Independent Press-Telegram. January 31, 1976.
  15. "Harbor Bank given Marina branch OK". Independent Press-Telegram. July 10, 1976. p. B-9. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  16. Green, Nick (June 6, 2014). "Macy's will consolidate three stores into two at Del Amo mall, paving way for new anchor". Daily Breeze. Retrieved October 13, 2023. A similar consolidation of the Macy's men's and home stores with the women's store on the north side of the Manhattan Village mall at Rosecrans Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach is underway as part of a $110 million overhaul of the retail property.
  17. "Interactive Map". Manhattan Village official website. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  18. Hussar, John (October 18, 1989). "Buffums opens doors". The Desert Sun. p. 29. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  19. "Buffums' murals by Millard Sheets return to Pomona". December 7, 2018.
  20. "Millard Sheets murals commissioned for Buffums Pomona". Progress-Bulletin. October 6, 1961. p. 9.
  21. "I. Magnin San Diego (Fashion Valley) Grand Opening". September 26, 1992 – via Internet Archive.
  22. "I. Magnin to Fill Buffum's Vacancy in Fashion Valley". Los Angeles Times. July 17, 1991. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  23. Grad, Shelby (May 31, 1993). "History : SANTA ANA : When Downtown Was the Hot Spot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  24. "Buffums'". The Department Store Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  25. California Secretary of State Website
  26. "Buffums Belmont Shore". www.facebook.com.
  27. "b.Store History". www.thebstore.com.
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