  Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 118 Registered: 02-2007 |
This is one (Headquartered) Metro Detroit Department Store that is never discussed on the site. Anyone have any memories of this store? Did they ever had a downtown or New Center Area location? How better or worse could they have been compared to Hudson's or Kern's? | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 119 Registered: 02-2007 |
Oh, photos are welcomed also | ||
Sarge Member Username: Sarge Post Number: 528 Registered: 10-2003 |
I worked at the Birmingham Jacobson's from 1986 to 1988. Hardly ever bought anything there though. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1058 Registered: 04-2006 |
Jacobson's was out of Jackson Michigan. It never had a store within the City limits, but had several in suburban downtowns. | ||
Kronprinz Member Username: Kronprinz Post Number: 95 Registered: 12-2006 |
also a Downtown Columbus (OH) location it was a great place | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 121 Registered: 02-2007 |
"Jacobson's was out of Jackson Michigan. It never had a store within the City limits, but had several in suburban downtowns." Until they went bankrupt, they kept a lot of their presence in SE Michigan. I knew they were Headquartered in Jackson, they still are around, but it would of been fair game to say they were mostly based in Metro Detroit. (Message edited by Urbanize on March 10, 2007) | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 122 Registered: 02-2007 |
Jacobson's was likely (still is somewhat) Higher End THAN Hudson's. However, the same decade Hudson's met the demise of their downtown store, Jacobson's also started to have a downslope also with Shrinkage of their stores due to the lack of profit. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 870 Registered: 02-2006 |
Went to the downtown Kalamazoo Jacobson's quite frequently when I was a child. And I'm only 24, so that shows how long Jacobson's stuck around. Gilmore's as well. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 891 Registered: 11-2003 |
Jacobson's actually started in 1868 with a women's clothing store way up in Reed City (west of Clare, south of Cadillac, north of Big Rapids). According to http://www.answers.com/topic/j acobson-stores "By the 1930s the company had branches in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, and Jackson, where it had by now moved its headquarters." Note: The article mistakenly says it began in 1838 instead of the correct 1868. Someone bought the rights to the company name, and operate just ONE store now, in Winter Park, Florida. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1061 Registered: 04-2006 |
How could you have known they had a store in Downtown Jackson, but not Downtown Detroit? On I-94 just outside of Jackson was Jacobson's distribution center and headquarters building. No offense but between your first post and your second, you say they headquarters are both in Detroit and Jackson, thats sort of confusing. They also had stores in Toledo, K-zoo, Ann Arbor, Downtown Saginaw, Lansing, and several other states as far away as Florida. Detroit area stores were limited to - Dearborn (closed before bankruptcy) - Birmingham - Grosse Pointe - White Oaks Mall (closed before bankruptcy) - Laurel Park (only opened for a short period of time) (Message edited by Detroitplanner on March 10, 2007) | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 892 Registered: 11-2003 |
The Lansing store actually was in East Lansing. The original location later became just Jacobson's "Store for the Home" (eventually Tower Records) after the second location-- now Barnes & Noble-- opened. The third location was at Meridian Mall in Okemos and was open extremely briefly before the bankruptcy. It's now a Younkers. | ||
Chalu64 Member Username: Chalu64 Post Number: 127 Registered: 08-2005 |
Always shopped the Grosse Pointe store when I was a kid. As an adult living in the area, they had a great home store which was located where the Borders now resides. Shortly before the store went out of business, the home store and gifts was moved back into the original building, where Miss J was in the 70s. Speaking of the GP Village, remember when Banana Republic was there? (site of the former Kay Baum) Back then, the store was more JPeterman than today's version. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 123 Registered: 02-2007 |
There was 2 stores in Dearborn and 2 stores in Ann Arbor. I wasn't sure whether or not there was a store in Downtown Detroit because every other Department Store did have on Downtown. I was saying that a lot of their locations and presences was in Metro Detroit (or if it seems less confusing, SE Michigan) and Jackson is Kitty Corner from the area (almost could be considered an exburb, but not quite). | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 3176 Registered: 10-2003 |
Memories? Seems to soon to have "memories" of Jacobson's. When I think of Jacobson's, I think of the excruciating fatigue I suffered as a child waiting in the store while my mother shopped for dresses or skirts or shoes or god knows what. They seemed to be a mini-department store filled with clothing for 60+ year old women in the 1970s. Picture what a Grosse Pointe Junior Leaguer would wear on her Palm Beach vacation in 1975; that was Jacobson's to me, right up to the end. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 503 Registered: 01-2005 |
It also had a store in a particularly affluent area of ultra-rich Naples, FL. That store remained open for a long time after the bankruptcy was over (under the ownership of whoever bought the assets.) The store closed a couple of years ago after The Taubman Company bought a half interest in the mall in which it was located and wanted a more up-scale store as one of the anchors. | ||
Chalu64 Member Username: Chalu64 Post Number: 129 Registered: 08-2005 |
Nah, I'd call them memories, Mikem. : ) I too, had those memories of having to wait for my mom....or buying shoes for special occaisions. I know if we went there with my grandmother, she'd take us to BigBoy on Mack for a burger. Boy,do I miss that place. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1062 Registered: 04-2006 |
Two Dearborn Stores? I know of the one on Michigan that recently opened as a mixed use development, where was the other? There was only one Ann Arbor store at a time; one closed and the other opened. The same thing happened in Lansing with the closure of the E Lansing store on Grand River and the opening of the other at the mall. Thanks for the link Burnsie, I had no idea they were in Grand Rapids. They did the same thing there, closing one location and opening another. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 124 Registered: 02-2007 |
"Two Dearborn Stores? I know of the one on Michigan that recently opened as a mixed use development, where was the other?" It opened for a year in the old Crowley's building in the Westborn Mall before being torn down for a Kroger. (Message edited by Urbanize on March 10, 2007) | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1063 Registered: 04-2006 |
I'm pretty sure that Crowley's was brought down right after it closed for the Kroger. Why would it need two stores within a mile, or move from one location to a worse one? Burnsie's link indicates that the home stores were started to be phased out in the early 1990's; and the Kroger was moved from one end of the mall to the other around 2000, with Crowley closing up around 1998-1999. (Message edited by Detroitplanner on March 10, 2007) | ||
Fishtoes2000 Member Username: Fishtoes2000 Post Number: 183 Registered: 06-2005 |
Aha! I thought there was one in Rochester. The two Birmingham stores were across the street from one another. With no bids for chain, Jake's to sell piecemeal July 16, 2002 From Crain's Detroit Business The chance for companies to buy Jackson-based Jacobson Stores Inc. has come and gone, and the retailer is selling off stores individually. ... Jacobson, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Jan. 15, has been searching for a buyer for at least seven months. Although the retailer was unable to find a buyer for the entire company, its real estate and inventory is in demand, Joseph said. Jacobson’s started the year with 23 stores. Eighteen remain open, six in metro Detroit. The company has two stores in Birmingham and one each in Grosse Pointe, Rochester Hills, Ann Arbor and Livonia. ... Jacobson, founded in 1868, prides itself on service and pricey designer clothes that appeal to well-off women. But the company didn’t change its marketing and merchandising strategy, and sales declined at stores open more than a year. Eventually, Jacobson’s aging clientele, its wide range of store sizes and concepts, competition from larger national retailers and last year’s slow Christmas sales forced the retailer to file for bankruptcy. Complete article and others at http://www.bhambuzz.org/index.php/buzz/older/number_25_july_22_2002/ (Message edited by fishtoes2000 on March 10, 2007) | ||
D2dyeah Member Username: D2dyeah Post Number: 44 Registered: 09-2005 |
I worked at Jacobson's in West Dearborn during the summers of 1970-71. It was a terrific store with a great company policy in regard to their staff. The pay structure was good, the benefits and discount were outstanding, the "Terrace Room" had great food, and they always had staff outings that were fun. Ms. Ellen Horge ,who was the manager of my department, was a super lady to work for. Jacobson's catered to upscale clients, and Ms. Horge being affluent herself, didn't take any guff from them. She always put them in their place with her humor. We were her "kids" and she protected us. Meyers Seafood and Sanders were on the same block, so lunch wasn't a problem if you left the store. | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 269 Registered: 11-2006 |
Jacobson's silver colored gift boxes still in mom's basement waiting to be reused. Grosse Pointe Jake's: Miss J. modeling/charm course in 1975. Wore ultra-suede gaucho(sp?) and vest outfit with wedgie boots from the Miss J. Shop. Felt very chic. Lunch in the St. Clair room. The glass elevator put in sometime in the early 70's or so. Loved riding in it. Super cool! | ||
Ericdetfan Member Username: Ericdetfan Post Number: 31 Registered: 02-2007 |
I'm not sure about this but weren't some of the jacobsons purchased by Von Maur? There is a post on deadmalls.com that refers to Von Maur as "formerly jacobsons". | ||
Zephyrprocess Member Username: Zephyrprocess Post Number: 263 Registered: 08-2006 |
Von Maur purchased the Briarwood Mall and Laurel Park locations | ||
Ray Member Username: Ray Post Number: 857 Registered: 06-2004 |
Seemed to have a devoted following among upper middle class housewives. The stores always struck me as uncompetitive, like they were stuck at a 1970 level of selection and atmosphere. Mikem, we must have the same mother. You nailed it perfectly. | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2006 |
I liked Jac's They had the coolest shirts. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1130 Registered: 02-2004 |
I got my first suit at Jac's in the Village for my first communion. I felt like a big shot since they had to call the tailor over from the men's department to cuff my pants and shorten the sleeves.  Even as an adult, Jac's always had the best tailors. The tailors at Macy's just don't get it! | ||
Carolcb Member Username: Carolcb Post Number: 192 Registered: 11-2006 |
I have good memories of Jacobsen's, always thought you could buy anything there if your spending was unlimited. Crawley's and Hudson's were the main stops however. My best Jacobsen's memory is when I was in my early 20's, out of school, and my boyfriend's mother worked in Ladies Coats & Suits. When other women would send suits in for alteration and then never picked them up, his mom could buy suits for me and her daughter with a wonderful discount - I tell you, I wish I still had those clothes, they were really nice. Plus - the lingerie department was top notch - they really wrapped up your purchases with care, and you could find anything there. Good luck finding that type of quality - and service - today. | ||
Rugbyman Member Username: Rugbyman Post Number: 85 Registered: 06-2005 |
Having grown up in Dearborn less than 3 blocks from the store, I remember going in when I was young. I remember the fountain at the bottom of the stairs going down to the basement level- it was fun to stare down at it from the upper floors as a kid and get a bird's eye view. It was always a mad dash for me to the basement to get to the kid's play area they had set up. I think they had a Brio train set put up down there to play with (as an aside, did anyone else play with those when they were kids?). Also, they never opened up in the Crowley's location after Crowley's went under. If memory serves, the building was demolished literally within weeks of the last shelves being taken out. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1069 Registered: 04-2006 |
Thanks for the support Rugby, I thought that to be the case. I thought I was losing it. If memory serves me right the Home store closed a couple of years before the main one did, and I found a reference online that the home store moved to Crowleys! Even though I grew up in Detroit, I've been shopping or working in that section of Dearborn since I was a kid. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1436 Registered: 10-2003 |
Jacobson's carried very high quality merchandise. If I went there, I knew that the men's clothing would be top-notch, with fine fabrics (I don't believe "polyester" was spoken much there). Great, personalized service, too. Up to the end, it was what Hudson's had been in about 1970. Today, Hudson's/Marshall Field/Macy's has slipped down to the level that Crowley's used to be (decent) and Nordstrom approaches what Hudson's/Jacobson's once was (very good). Neiman-Marcus and Saks are also quite good, still. Unfortunately, once you go below the Macy's level, you get into all that less-than-mediocre JCPenney and Sears crap (excluding Sears' Lands End, which is pretty good), then on down to Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, etc. (virtually unwearable garbage). The level of clothing quality that people are willing to settle for today astounds me. Most of it is out-and-out junk. What happened to 100 percent wool, silk, cashmere, even high-grade cotton? Quantity, not quality, as well as low prices, seem to be all that matters. | ||
Mtm Member Username: Mtm Post Number: 199 Registered: 06-2006 |
Hate to say it but if you want cashmere and silk, go to TJMaxx. I'm not overly fond of the stores but I have found some fantastic suits there. I've got a gorgeous purple brushed silk pant suit that was originally $250 that I got for $70. | ||
Carolcb Member Username: Carolcb Post Number: 199 Registered: 11-2006 |
Funny you should say that because the suits that I bought at Jacobson's were Tahari - and you find more Tahari at TJMaxx than you do at the Macy's here - they were beautiful suits. | ||
Mr_onion Member Username: Mr_onion Post Number: 185 Registered: 11-2003 |
Jacobson's Also had a location in Winter park , Florida for many years, a local woman bought the store after the bankruptcy and then moved it to a smaller shop which is still open to this day,, as she was able to keep the name. | ||
Fastcarsfreedom Member Username: Fastcarsfreedom Post Number: 148 Registered: 11-2005 |
That's correct Onion, kept the name, typeface and web address. www.jacobsons.co m (Message edited by fastcarsfreedom on March 15, 2007) | ||
Kronprinz Member Username: Kronprinz Post Number: 129 Registered: 12-2006 |
I had the "gal at the bank" (as my dad would say) run my credit report a few months ago and I still had my Jac's account on there ... -0- balance and 2000.00 available. I told her that was a mistake and she said "leave it on there, it's a credit asset". Anyone else still show their Jac's accounts on their credit report ? | ||
Opus Member Username: Opus Post Number: 37 Registered: 08-2005 |
Higher end than Hudsons. Very good service, at least at the Toledo location. They had two annual clearance sales where they would eventually take stuff to 75% off. At that rate you could get top rate merchandise very reasonably. When I first started office work I picked up three of my suits during one of these sales. We also still have about a dozen of their silver gift boxes that get circulated among family members each Christmas. Those things must have been made out of iron, they look the same as they did they day they were picked up. They did however let the store in Toledo slide during its final five years ie no renovations, scratched up walls, worn carpeting etc... | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 15 Registered: 12-2006 |
Hi I am eastsidedame's Mom. Worked at Jacobsons in the 40's and early 50's. To my knowledge the only store was in Grosse Pointe, tho one may have been in Ann Arbor. Sanders was across the street. This Jacobsons was THE STORE. I have three memories of it. One day Mrs. Edsel Ford was making a purchase and left her purse on the counter. I went running after her like a crazy person. My second was a wonderful red bag from France that I wanted madly, managed to hide it until it was put on sale, it was still too much for me, but I bought it. I am still looking for a red purse like that one. Third, I had to quit as I ended up owing them money every payday, as we really had to dress, hair done, heels and the whole ball of wax. Their clothes were wonderful. | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 301 Registered: 11-2006 |
Hi eastsiderdame's mom! Thanks for the stories, we all love hearing them and wondering what it must've been like in "the good ol' days"! Do you know Patsy Mann? | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1419 Registered: 11-2003 |
I used to go with my parents to the downtown East Lansing Jacobson's all the time growing up in Lansing. In its heyday it was kinda like downtown Hudson's only on a much smaller scale. The top floor of the store had a restaurant that had awesome Cheddar Cheese soup. They had a cool children's department also (at least that is what I remember from being a little kid). | ||
Spaceboykelly Member Username: Spaceboykelly Post Number: 216 Registered: 04-2005 |
I participated in fashion shows at the Saginaw Jacobson's and I also remember buying several HyperColor shirts [that changed color with heat] from there. It was the last legitimate retail in [East Side] downtown Saginaw. | ||
Paczki Member Username: Paczki Post Number: 18 Registered: 02-2007 |
When I was getting married I fell in love with a wedding dress and the only store that carried the brand in Michigan was Jake's. Being an eastsider I went to the Grosse Pointe store. They had the dress! I was so excited. The sales lady brought the dress into the fitting room and I tried it on. It was beautiful and I knew it was for me. The sales lady wrinkled up her nose and told me I was too big for the dress (I was 5'5" and 127lbs). My Mom told her she had just lost a sale and we left the store against my protests. My Mom took me to the Dearborn store where they also had the dress. I ordered the dress and the nicest old woman fitted me perfectly. From that point on whenever I wanted to go to Jake's I drove from the eastside to Dearborn instead of going to the Grosse Pointe store. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1620 Registered: 04-2005 |
Many more to follow:  9-15-1960 Grosse Pointe Newspaper | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1622 Registered: 04-2005 |
More Grosse Pointe Ads:      | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1623 Registered: 04-2005 |
More     | ||
Treelock Member Username: Treelock Post Number: 201 Registered: 03-2005 |
Cool ads. I always felt like I could never find any cool contemporary clothes at Jake's. Everything was like pleated pants, penny loafers, blazers with brass buttons and patches on the elbows type of thing. I think their sort of staid sense of fashion contributed to the chain's demise. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1625 Registered: 04-2005 |
Last one  | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5067 Registered: 11-2003 |
Kronprinz, what the hell is a "credit asset?" Credit is debt and debt is hardly an asset. Amazing use of language, eh. Bankers' doublespeak in the first order, eh. Thanks Psip. Wonderful research and wonderful ads to lure us in. Once jjaba bought some Villager sweaters for a girlfriend in Ann Arbor Jacobsons. Another time he watched her pick out just the right Chesterfield winter coat. jjaba tried to convince the Jacobsons Ann Arbor to hire non-whites. It went over like a "lead balloon." jjaba, big Psip fan. | ||
Pffft Member Username: Pffft Post Number: 1236 Registered: 12-2003 |
Jac's had a beautiful bridal salon, full-service, long after Hudson's had cut drastically back or eliminated that service. They had the most beautiful dresses ... Paczki, I could see that happening, some of those saleswomen could be pretty blunt! | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5068 Registered: 11-2003 |
Paczki, too many paczkis? Yours was a great little story about customer service. jjaba is surprized you went to the other Jacobsons. Dearborn isn't exactly around the corner for you. Welcome to The Forum. You tell it like it tis. jjaba, Proudly Westside. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1651 Registered: 11-2003 |
Although I guess I always looked on the GP Jacobson's store as more oriented toward women, they still had a nice men's department, quality items, nice suits and ties.For a few years at Christmas,they had a "Men's night", where management had an evening directed at men to come into the store and purchase Christmas presents for their wives, lady-friends etc. Good prices, the sales' personnel were helpful, coffee and donuts/sweetrolls served gratis, nice Christmas music over the PA.Neat atmosphere. Jacobson's had its own charge card and encouraged its usage. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5069 Registered: 11-2003 |
And even in bankrupcy, The Rock retains his good credit with Jacobsons. With $2,000 credit limit, folks in Grosse Pointe count this as an asset. No wonder why they are so rich. Did Jacobsons sell men's socks with the dress shoes in summertime or was that forbidden by city ordinance? Just wondering. jjaba, poking fun at the unique folk ways of GP. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1652 Registered: 11-2003 |
jjaba---You never cease to amaze me. You oughta be here today-going to hit 76 degrees, while you get rain and struggle to hit 55. I'm headed over to Rose Terrace for a meeting, san sox too. I did not make it down to the Boat Show this year(The Dossin did not have a booth ) for the first time in I don't know how many decades, so I am in need of a new pair of boat shoes as the WINSOME goes in in 51 days. Jacs had a fine shoe department, and I miss it. Pricey, but quality. Next time you are in town, I will lend you my Jacobson's credit card. Anything for a friend. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5071 Registered: 11-2003 |
So where does The Rock go for fine shoes now? jjaba will send over some socks from the Westside. What color are the pants and shoes? There's a store on the Westside called "Just Socks". Advice, don't open up on the Eastside or anywhere's near Grosse Pointe. The people can afford socks, but like underwear, don't wear them. Sort of reminds jjaba of life in the Cass Corridor in the 1940s. When you encountered a hillbilly with one shoe, assume he found one, not that he lost one. jjaba, LOL, pulling up a fine pair of argyles. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1648 Registered: 04-2005 |
Jjaba raises an interesting point.   Shirts, Pants, Shoes; not one mention of Socks or Skiveys. I don't even want to know about the latter! Could it be possible that the fine gentry of GP are going "commando"? (Message edited by PSIP on March 26, 2007) | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5074 Registered: 11-2003 |
Don't get jjaba started. And The Rock won't tell. But get ready, Tigers season is soon and we'll see the boys from Grosse Pointe on parade at the beer stands, w/cigars, dress shoes, no socks. Thanks Psip. (jjaba is big Psip fan.) jjaba, LOL, Westsider who wears socks (etc.). | ||
Fastcarsfreedom Member Username: Fastcarsfreedom Post Number: 162 Registered: 11-2005 |
Jjaba--just as the old-folks once believed the earth was flat--I refuse to believe anyone ever goes to Comerica Park (or anywhere else) in dress shoes with no socks...I just can't believe it happens--'specially not at the ballpark. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5076 Registered: 11-2003 |
jjaba might need some help here. This has been well-documented on this Forum over the years. Don't confuse jjaba with Members of the Flat Earth Society. He's a graduate of Cass Tech. for crissakes. jjaba, Class of '59. | ||
Kronprinz Member Username: Kronprinz Post Number: 191 Registered: 12-2006 |
jjaba, Class of '59 by asset she meant it looked good on the credit report ... I assumed that's what she meant anyway. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1653 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hickeys/WaltonPierce have fine shoes in GP. Shermans too, Both on Kercheval. "Shop the Village." Me? I still like Fyfe's downtown. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5081 Registered: 11-2003 |
Fyfe's, six floors of shoe heaven. Didn't they close recently?. jjaba thinks Bobzilla lives in a loft in the bldg., probably about where The Rock bought those lawyer loafers with the tassles. But Fyfe's explains it. They didn't sell socks. jjaba, LOL. | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 35 Registered: 12-2006 |
Kathinozarks, Mom says she can't even remember what she ate for breakfast yesterday. So, I guess the answer for does she remember Patsy Mann from 1948, would be a "no". She might have worked with her, she just doesn't remember. She was Dina Jones, back then, before she married my Dad. |
