Fashion through the Decades

FASHION THROUGH THE DECADES

     The 130ieth  Anniversary of the Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton will be celebrated November 2, and 3, with a weekend of food and fashion at the hotel.

      “I want to focus on the highlights through the decades,” says owner/manager, Cheryl Gagnon. With a luncheon fashion show menu and a gala dinner dance evening, the hotel will honor a century and more.

     Food and fashion will pare well as Gagnon will showcase cuisine from the late 1800s to the present, along with the elegance of past eras in women’s and men’s clothing stores.

     The momentum of flashbacks and memories from earlier days have been resurrected not only in the well dressed world, but also in the stories from the descendants and owners of these specialty stores that put Fort Benton and Great Falls on a fashion track.   

     PIONEER MERCANTILE – FORT BENTON

     With buffalo still on the plains, T.C. Power opened the T.C. Power Store in 1867 in Fort Benton. It became the Pioneer Mercantile in 1896, and when the business closed in 1983, it was the oldest independent store in Montana.  The Pioneer Mercantile remained in the same location for 118 years selling groceries in the basement; women’s, and men’s clothing on the first floor; and furniture on the second floor.  Second owner, Margaret Ritter, and husband, Don, operated the business until Don died in 1982, at which time son, Bruce became general manager.  Margaret Ritter remained president of the corporation until the store closed in 1983.

     “The Mercantile carried a little bit of everything.  There was no other fashion store in Fort Benton. We carried name clothing brands like: Oshkosh, Pendleton, Koret, Jantzen,” said Margaret Ritter.  “Work caps became a big seller until businesses started to give them away.  And, when denim clothes came in for women, they were not popular, that’s what their husbands wore.”

     Although there were some salesmen who traveled with retail lines, the Pioneer Mercantile went east to Minneapolis to buy most of their inventory which included: lingerie, girdles, bras, coats, hats, housedresses, aprons and men’s wear. As women’s separates flooded the market, Ritter found it hard to balance tops with skirts, pants, and jackets.

     Back in the day, some of those labels were just too good and silver dollars made holes in men’s trousers.

     “We quit carrying Pendleton coats because they never went out of style,” Ritter explains, adding that, “the dry cleaners were always putting in new pants pockets for the gentlemen from the weight of the heavy coins.”     

     Does Ritter still get into any of the clothes from her long ago forays at the Pioneer Mercantile?

     It just so happens that she is still the same size and on a cold winter day she looks for her wool lined Pendleton pants.

     HUB THISTED – GREAT FALLS

          Shortly after Andrew Thisted arrived from Norway in 1888, he opened The Hub Clothing store in partnership with T.W. Brosnan.  In 1913, Thisted built his own building at 320 -322 Central Avenue and opened a new facility, stocked with men’s clothing from Hart Schaffner Marx, Dobbs Hats, Nunn Bush Shoes, Stetson cowboy hats, overalls, long underwear and work boots.

         Thisted felt strongly that the merchandise needed to be professionally displayed in his large front window areas and always hired a trained ‘window designer.’    He also had a “Direct to the Consumer Trade Wagon” that traveled throughout the area to small towns and large ranches.

        Around 1920, two of Thisted’s sons, Walter and Norman joined him in business, and it became Andrew Thisted and Sons.  Walter’s daughters: Karin Thisted Whitehead and Sydne Thisted Abernathy recently described how the ladies wear side of the business began.  

        “In 1947 the Dunn Building (next door) came up for sale and was purchased so that Andrew’s daughter, Violet Thisted, could open a women’s store.  The space was fully remodeled, sporting fresh off white walls, a raised center island for displays surrounded by glass display cases. As you entered, the door was recessed so you had ample time to look over the window display.  After that, you saw the gloves and handkerchiefs, then, as you went along one side you passed the lingerie and hosiery; along the other side you viewed the sweaters and folded blouses. The walls were hung with dresses, pants, and coats. The sales clerks wore dark colored dresses quite out of necessity as they didn’t show the dirt or dust and could be worn several times.” 

     In junior high and high school, Karin and Sydne and Joy Thisted (Norman’s daughter), were expected to wear the latest styles that Aunt Violet brought back from her New York trips.  When plaid wool Bermuda shorts were shown on the New York City runway, the Thisted girls were decked out in knee socks and Bermudas two years before anyone else.

      A popular place for customers to rest and chat, a pass-way lined with red leather chairs joined the two stores that closed in the early 1960s. 

BECKMAN’S – GREAT FALLSj

       Originally a furrier (1898) that became a ladies fashion shop, Beckman’s, 311 Central Avenue, remained in business until the 1990s.  Gleaming floor to ceiling exterior windows featured dressed mannequins that introduced town dwellers and shoppers to the latest in women’s styles.  The displayed merchandise was changed weekly.  Once inside the showroom, there was no inventory on the floor. Fur coats hung in glass stalls.  Customers were greeted by a clerk who would seat them on a lovely sofa offering coffee or tea. She would politely ask: “What can I do for you?   The customer would describe what she needed.  The clerk would reply: “I think I have just what you are looking for.”   The clerk would bring the clothes out and then, show the customer to a private dressing room.

      “We would never sell the same dress to two customers,” said Lora Huestis, who was employed by owners, Al and Marie Beckman, throughout her high school and college years. You could order it in a different color, but the style was exclusive in the store.   For a small town, you didn’t want to see yourself coming down the street or at the same event in a dress someone else was wearing.  Beckman’s also stocked lovely lingerie in tissue lined boxes, a favorite of brides.

     As a furrier, Beckman’s carried sumptuous capes, jackets, and coats, for women and men. Frequent in store style shows with live models were popular as another way of presenting the ladies fashions and furs.  Beckman’s designed and created special orders and were known throughout the northwest for their fine furs.  In addition, they maintained cold storage for fur pieces in the summer months.

       

  DALE STAPP…FASHIONS- GREAT FALLS

      Dale Stapp…Fashion opened on the corner of 6^th and Central in 1957 and closed in Times Square in 1999 after being in business for forty-two years.

      “Dale was the visionary, we couldn’t have done it without him,” says Marjorie Stapp, who credits daughters, Sally Stapp Seeberger, and Sidney Stapp Colla, also for the success of their retail store.

      “What was so significant about our store,” she adds, “was that it was 5500 square feet and looked like a small department store, much larger than the boutiques today.”  

      Keeping their store well stocked and in the latest styles, Dale and Marjorie went to market three or four times a year traveling to New York, Dallas, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

     With a tinge of nostalgia, Marjorie notes how much fun the market shows were: “the models, the music, everything was so good.”

     And, so were the clothes, many of which still line her closets. 

     Sidney remembers the 50s and the 60s where everything was coordinated. Spring coats were a whole category. Stapp’s carried a lot of leather, especially in colors. They were known for their Bonnie Cashin coats, Glen of Michigan, and Ellen Tracy lines. As women went to work in the 70s, they purchased career wardrobes: gabardine suits, and business attire. Synthetic fabrics appeared in clothing. The 80s and 90s ushered in a sportswear revolution: warm-up suits, and workout clothes. Black became chic; everybody was wearing it.

     Renowned for their fashions, Stapp’s remained true to staff and customers.

     “People were surprised how long our employees worked for us,” said Marjorie. “Rosemary LaRUE and Margie Jones were there for 30 years.”

KAUFMANS-GREAT FALLS

     Ike Kaufman and Brian Kaufman are third and fourth generation family at Kaufmans Menswear Centre in down town Great Falls.

     Kaufmans was founded in 1894 by Ike’s grandfather, Mose.  After graduating from college, Ike started to work at the store in 1957, for his father, Ira, and Uncle Fred.  Son, Brian, joined the family business in 1994.

     Today, Kaufmans remains one of the oldest men’s specialty stores (there are only ten) in Montana, and good old fashion business acumen continues.

     “We have always had an in house tailor, says Ike, “and alterations are free, if you buy the suit from us.” 

      Ike recalls how the decades have dictated changes to keep men in the mode of fashion.

     In the late 50s, men’s styles were trimmed down; suits, sport coats had natural shoulders, narrow lapels, and mostly white shirts; pants, sported plain fronts, bottoms were narrow; three button coats, olive became the color and earth tones were in. Interestingly, there is a trend today of that all coming back.

      Colored shirts appeared about the mid 60s. Before Kaufmans could mark them, people came in and bought the bright shirts out of the boxes. Blue denim pants surfaced, and, double breasted coats.  Sturdy brogues were the shoes to wear.  Prior to tuxedo rentals, kids wore mostly suits and dinner jackets to proms.  Polyester hit the racks with knit neck ties, and leisure suits. Jeans and corduroy pants were introduced in the 70s. The 80s and the 90s ushered in casual Fridays which cut into men’s wear specialty business, as did the big chain stores.  As business heads into the 21^st century, domestic manufacturers are fewer, clothing is imported.  It is hard to compete with out of the country made goods.    

     The vibrancy of business at Kaufmans survives because their geographic sales’ have grown.

     “There just are not many stores of this kind in the area,” comments Ike.

Polly Kolstad lives in Great Falls and on a wheat ranch in Liberty County.  She writes travel, fitness, and human interest stories when not cooking or tending to her field of Chinese lanterns.