A couple weeks ago when we were in Des Moines and drove along Douglas past Merle Hay Mall, I saw the big yellow "Going Out Of Business" sign on the Younkers building. The last Younkers Department Stores closed yesterday along with "it's the end of an era" comments.
An era is defined as "a long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic" and Younkers certainly held that distinction. Who, in Iowa, doesn't have memories of shopping at Younkers?
The history of Younkers goes back to Keokuk in 1856 where three brothers from Poland, Lipman, Samuel and Marcus Younker, opened a dry-goods store. A younger brother, Herman, established a store in Des Moines in 1874. The Keokuk store was closed five years later and his brothers joined him in operating the Des Moines location. The Younker Brothers main store was moved to 7th and Walnut in 1899.
In 1864, Julius Mandelbaum, a German immigrant, opened a dry-goods store at Second and Court in Des Moines. In the 1920's J. Mandelbaum and Sons merged with Younkers Brothers as part of Younkers, Inc.
My memories of shopping at Younkers go back to the late 60's, early 70's after we moved to an acreage northwest of Merle Hay Mall. At that time the Younkers store was the anchor on the south side of the Mall.
Two early memories involve my daughter: 1) Last minute Christmas Eve shopping and finding a 'price-slashed' doll for Kari. That was a big deal because we didn't have a lot to spend on Christmas gifts that year.
2) About three years later, driving to Merle Hay Mall in my old 9-passenger Ford station wagon with Kari in one of the two little, folding, jump seats in the back - right above a leaky exhaust system.
We entered the store and went to, as I remember it, the basement. I was looking around for whatever I went after, shoes, maybe?, when Kari crumpled to the floor. No, warning, no words, just out. I tried to rouse her with no response. Fear and panic gripped me and I started crying out for help. One of the Younkers associates bent down next to us and put her hand under Kari's head, thinking she might have been knocked out from striking her head as she fell. Just then Kari began to revive. It had only been a few seconds, but it seemed like forever. The clerk helping us suggested we take her to the employee lounge and led us there, providing a drink of water and a cool cloth for her forehead. (And a place for me to sit down before I fainted from my scare.)
I remember a male supervisor being summoned. Even though by then my daughter was completely revived, he wanted us to wait another twenty minutes to be sure she was okay. I suppose there was some concern about a lawsuit, but the store wasn't at fault. It was the fumes from my car's faulty muffler that had caused her to faint.
Other Younkers shopping memories are of the main store, after I started working downtown for an advertising and public relations firm in 1970. Anything you could want could be found somewhere in that shiny, lovely, huge department store. And my
wanting was a hunger I couldn't afford to feed. I certainly couldn't afford to buy anything there. At least I didn't think I could until I found the bargain basement.
I knew about the famous Younkers Tea Room, but I never felt brave enough to walk through the designer dresses and furs show room to get there, let alone feel comfortable among the stylish women lunching in the Tea Room.
Ah, but the basement had its own affordable lunch counter. It was there I had my first Welsh Rarebit - and discovered it didn't contain any rabbit after all!
The basement, like the rest of the store, was a labyrinth one had to learn to navigate. In 1944, Younkers purchased the old Chase and West building across Eighth Street and opened The Younkers Store for Homes. It was in the underground passageway between it and the main store where I discovered the record department and bought my first Helen Reddy and John Denver LP's. There was also an area of close-out merchandise there which I regularly perused. I don't remember anything specific I bought, but glassware sticks in my mind.
On the east side of the first floor there was an escalator to the second floor. It was installed in 1939, the first escalator in Iowa. I remember jewelry, perfumes, wallets and purses on the ground floor where you stepped onto the moving stairs to rise regally to the second floor - or at least that is the way it felt to me - and be among rack after rack of women's dresses.
It was after I went to work at an advertising and public relations firm in the Empire Building that my experience with Younkers moved to a more personal level. My office was part of a suite spread across the entire south end of the 7th floor. From there back to the elevators smaller offices lined both sides of the hallway. The small, two-room office on the right as you walked out of our space was rented by a retired vice-president of Younkers. About half-way down on the left his brother, a lawyer, had an office.
My boss, Tom, and the retired Younkers exec, Bill, were friends. Bill did not need any office help except for an hour or two once in a while and someone to check his mail when he was out of town for two or three months during the winter. There were times I wasn't busy, so Bill offered to reimburse Tom for me to do some work for him. That is when I learned that Bill had an even closer relationship to Younkers than having worked for them - his wife was one of J. Mandelbaum's granddaughters.
Bill and his brother, Nick, usually had lunch together and once in awhile Tom and I would be invited to go along. I think that one of those times was the first time I entered Younkers Tea Room. I believe Bill's former secretary at Younkers and the then current head of Younkers were there that time, too. Or maybe it was a subsequent lunch, because Bill and Nick and Tom often included me when they went to the Des Moines Club (Bill's club) or to the Embassy (Tom's club). I mostly quietly ate and listened as the men discussed the topics of the day, which included politics, religion, world affairs, finance, etc. It was definitely a window on a whole 'nother world, for me.
After Denny and I separated and I began trying to establish credit in my own name, Younkers was the first store to issue me a credit card. (Possibly because my bank gave me my first - a Mastercard.) Shopping at Younkers took on a whole new perspective. (Do you remember your first credit card?) I still only bought things if they were on sale, but it was so marvelous to be able to get a new dress when I wanted to.
This was one of them. It looked like a 3-piece outfit - blouse, vest and skirt. But it was all one piece. The skirt was a burgundy, gray, black and white plaid. I felt so professional when wearing it.
Another one I especially remember was a full length black evening gown with a multi-colored jacket. I was looking specifically for just such an outfit and the only ones I could find were way too pricey. Then I found what I wanted at the Younkers Merle Hay store - and it was on sale!
Still so many more Younkers memories (including at least one of shopping at their Westroads Mall store in Omaha), but these are the final two - Younkers Parkade - the parking ramp on the north side of the downtown store. Remember how tight the exit spiral was? If you held the steering wheel clamped (and cramped) to the left you could go all the way down without changing it at all. And you arrived at the ticket booth slightly dizzy.
Lastly, this plaster of paris figurine. It is a treasure I paid $3.00 for, not at Younkers, but at a garage sale in Clive or West Des Moines many years ago. The woman I bought it from told me it had been part of a display in Younkers.
I call her the
Younkers Mermaid.
The End. (Of an era.)
