Remembering the Small Shops from Downtown Jacksonville’s History

It’s no secret that downtown Jacksonville used to be a thriving center of retail activity before being derailed by several factors in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

We’ve previously chronicled some of the department store chains that took up residence downtown during its heyday, but there were so many other, smaller shops that contributed to the rise and growth of the once-active downtown shopping district. Some of them were larger, national chains, while some were based here in Jax. Together, along with the bigger department stores, they made up what amounted to an outdoor shopping mall in the urban core.

We’ve chosen a few of those smaller shops to briefly profile below. For those who have memories of these shops and others, we would love to hear your stories – especially if you feel that there are important shops that we’ve omitted. Check out our list below and see what sparks your memory!

S.H. KRESS & CO.

Popular national five-and-dime store chain S.H. Kress & Company was a staple in downtown Jax for seven decades. The company first opened a smaller store downtown before building its more memorable two-story shop in 1912. Located at the corner of Main and Adams streets, the store featured a lunch counter and tea room and sold various inexpensive items – almost like a fancier version of modern-day dollar stores.

Kress was acquired by another national retailer in the mid-‘60s and began focusing more on shopping malls, which were rapidly becoming the new retail hotspots in cities around the country. The downtown Jacksonville location closed its doors in the 1970s, and its building was sold to a financial company and modified significantly to conceal its original use.

S.H. Kress & Co. was purchased in 1981 and, aside from a few existing stores, it was discontinued as a brand. The Kress building still stands today and houses local law firm Farah & Farah.

F.W. WOOLWORTH’S

Much like Kress, F.W. Woolworth Company was a thriving national chain of five-and-dime stores. It first opened in downtown Jax in 1917 in a building at the corner of Main and Forsyth streets.

They stayed in that building for a few decades before joining J.C. Penney in a larger building next to Hemming Park in the mid-‘50s. It was at that building where Woolworth’s lunch counter became the site of a non-violent civil rights protest that prompted a mob of white residents to violently attack those who were protesting.

The incident, known as Ax Handle Saturday, drew national attention and has arguably become the lasting memory of Woolworth’s time in Jacksonville. Still, the downtown store limped along until the early ‘90s.

The building that was home to Ax Handle Saturday has been demolished, but the original Woolworth’s building is now home to Perdue Office Interiors.

MANGEL’S

Mangel’s was a national chain of women’s apparel shops based in New York City. Its downtown Jax location opened in the 1930s at the corner of Laura and Forsyth streets, right across from the Laura Street Trio.

Less is known about Mangel’s than many of the other chains that lined downtown streets at the time, but at the very least, the chain had a few dozen locations nationally including stores in Miami and Tallahassee.

The Jacksonville location closed in the ‘50s, while the chain itself survived until going bankrupt in the ‘70s.

Its original building has since been demolished.

LA ROSE FOOTWEAR

Renowned shoemaker Joseph La Rose opened his famous La Rose Footwear shop on the ground floor of what was then the Western Union Telegraph building in the late 1940s.

The women’s shoe store soon grew famous for La Rose’s expertly-crafted designs, which were sought after by some of the country’s most famous women. La Rose became a well-known brand in the South, at one point even expanding to as many as five satellite locations around Florida.

The company would soon scale back down to just the original location – although it moved to a different storefront in the ‘80s. The store operated until La Rose’s death around the turn of the century.

Its original storefront now serves as part of MOCA Jacksonville’s lobby.

GREENLEAF & CROSBY / JACOBS JEWELRY

Though it began as Greenleaf & Crosby, Jacobs Jewelry is by far the oldest retailer in downtown Jacksonville.

Its original store opened in the 1890s, but it has become most noted for the building it commissioned, the Greenleaf & Crosby building at Laura and Adams street. The building features a vintage street clock that was relocated from the jeweler’s original location along Bay Street.

The company sold – and still sells – specialty jewelry as well as rings, watches, and clocks. It rebranded as Jacobs Jewelry in the ‘30s and has operated under that name, and in the same ground-floor unit, ever since.

ROSENBLUM’S

Much like Jacobs Jewelry, local men’s clothing store Rosenblum’s is still in business today – but unlike Jacobs, it’s no longer located downtown.

Rosenblum’s originally opened in 1898 and moved downtown shortly after the Great Fire of 1901. Founded by Frank Rosenblum, it sold men’s apparel exclusively at first, then gradually expanded into women’s clothing to become somewhat of a mini-department store.

Still, the store had carved out a niche with its men’s clothing, and it thrived for many years downtown. In the mid-‘30s, it moved to a two-story building at Adams and Hogan streets where it stayed for the rest of its stint in downtown Jax.

By the ‘80s, Rosenblum’s opted to move its flagship location to the San Jose area, eschewing the suburban mall trend but still exiting downtown permanently. It has since opened a second location at the Beaches and returned to selling only men’s clothing.

Its building still stands as the Hogan Building, but it’s entirely unrecognizable from its time as Rosenblum’s.

MCCRORY’S

Another five-and-dime chain, McCrory’s, opened up a new store downtown in the late 1950s. Its store was located at the intersection of Hogan and Bay streets; the chain had already been downtown for a while prior to opening its newer, most recognizable location.

McCrory’s was a huge hit nationally, operating well over 1,000 stores in its heyday. Its ’50s downtown location was part of one of its primary eras of expansion. The chain even acquired several other five-and-dime chains, including S.H. Kress & Co. in 1981.

McCrory’s closed in the late ‘90s as one of the last survivors of the five-and-dime era. Its building was demolished shortly thereafter.

W.T. GRANT’S

Discount merchandise store chain W.T. Grant’s opened up its downtown Jax location right across the street from competitor Kress. Its new building was developed on the site of the former Andrew Jackson Hotel.

Grant’s sold a large collection of items and was comparable to stores like Walmart or Kmart. In fact, Kmart predecessor Kresge was Grant’s main competition for many years.

The Grant’s store in downtown Jax was also involved in the events of Ax Handle Saturday, with the protests that turned violent happening at its lunch counter as well as that of Woolworth’s.

Ultimately, Grant’s suffered from poor management decisions and lost out to Kresge and future big-box retailers. The chain went out of business after going bankrupt in 1976.

The former Grant’s building has since been demolished.