Growing up in the mid-20th century, I remember when the place to shop for clothes was downtown department stores with their intricately hand-painted mannequins in the front window.
In addition to well-known chain stores like Montgomery Ward and Penney’s, Vancouver, Washington was serviced by a locally owned former reserve CC’s department store. CC’s was the kind of store that was closed on Sundays and was known for its “best” merchandise.
CC’s was almost a museum, even by 1940s and 1950s standards. Shabby chic and somewhat scruffy, it had creaky bare wood floors, wide wooden staircases, and high ceilings, but what really set CC’s apart from other high street stores Vancouver was how shopping transactions were done downtown.
When customers made a purchase at CC’s, the clerk handling the transaction would put the money in a metal container the size of a soup can and send it along with a sales receipt, via electronic cable, to a central teller in the second flat. The cashier made the change and returned the transaction the same way to the clerk so he could close the sale with his receipt.
CC’s is the only store I remember shopping at that handled their “cash only” transactions this way. Grandma was a regular shopper at CC’s and she chose the store especially for its selection of matching Cinderella brand dresses for my sister and me. I remember shopping for back to school and Easter clothes there too.
In those days, women “dressed up” to shop downtown, and customers like my grandmother knew the store clerks by name. This was a time when personalized service was the norm. Knowing what Grandma liked to buy for us, the clerks would sometimes reserve Cinderella dresses in our sizes for her to go in and pick out.
In addition to buying dresses for my little sister and me, Grandma would sometimes buy a suit and a hat for her. CC carried a fine line of women’s hats. These days, hats and gloves were one of the ideals of femininity and a must to attend church on Sundays.
Standing on a corner of Main Street, CC’s was a huge part of downtown Vancouver. It was also part of a more courteous era, an era in which everyday shopping was much more formal. People got dressed, took the bus, and took their time perusing the store’s merchandise. If you walked into a store, the owners chatted with you and wanted you to hang out. It was all part of the local flavor of a bygone era.