Hahne & Company (pronounced Hayne), commonly known as Hahne's, was a
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
chain based in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...]
. The store's motto was "The Store With The Friendly Spirit", and it became known as the "carriage trade" store in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
.
In 1901, a modern
flagship store
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
designed by architect
Goldwin Starrett was opened at 609 Broad Street by
Military Park in downtown Newark. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on August 30, 1994, for its significance in commerce and social history.
[ With ] It was added as a contributing property to the
Military Park Commons Historic District
Military Park is a city park in Downtown Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Along with Lincoln Park, Newark, Lincoln Park and Washington Park (Newark), Washington Park, it makes up the three downtown pa ...
on June 18, 2004.
[ With ] Occupying a site,
this single building contained of selling space spread over five floors (
basement through 4th floor), with an
atrium
Atrium may refer to:
Anatomy
* Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart
* Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods
* Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain
* Pulmona ...
in the center of the building which ran from the street floor to the 4th floor. An extensive Budget Store operated in the basement level until it was folded in the mid 1970s. The store also contained two popular dining rooms, the more formal "Pine Room" located on the street floor, and the counter-style "Maple Room" (located in the basement), which was very popular with downtown office workers. The "Maple Room" closed in the early 1980s when the basement level was closed as a selling floor, while the "Pine Room" remained open until the entire store was closed in 1987. A third restaurant was available for employees. A Merry-Go-Round was in the basement and operated during the Christmas season when the Newark store was in its heyday. Hahne's also operated a furniture warehouse a few blocks away from the Newark location.
In 1916, Hahne's became one of the founding members of the
Associated Dry Goods Corporation (ADG).
In 1929, Hahne's was the first of Newark's department stores to open a branch on Church Street in
Montclair.
Suburban growth
Starting in the 1950s, the company began to focus slowly on suburban growth. The Montclair store was replaced with a larger full-line branch, designed by
Fellheimer & Wagner, with
Roland Wank, and the original location became Hahne's Budget Store. In 1963, a location in
Westfield was added. The firm did not enter the growing mall market in New Jersey until the 1970s, and this cost the chain valuable time in keeping up with its competitors.
Hahne's remained too focused on its Newark Store in the 1960s. The Montclair store was built too small to be a true department store, management was so pressed for selling space in Montclair that it had to take their Christmas decorations to the Newark flagship just to store them. Although the Westfield location was attractive, Hahne's lacked the customer base to compete with the nearby Lord & Taylor in Millburn, Saks Fifth Avenue in Springfield, and Bonwit Teller, B. Altman & Co and Bloomingdale's in Short Hills.
Newark declined badly in the 1960s and 1970s and the division, with most of its sales volume coming from the Newark flagship, went down with it. The Newark location lacked parking and was in a neighborhood that suburban shoppers felt was unsafe. Alan Kane, the executive in charge of their repositioning had some good ideas but they were too little and too late to save the chain. The stores below that Kane opened are still operated as Lord & Taylor locations, or are occupied by the chains that bought them, while the three that he inherited are all gone except for Westfield.
During the course of the 1970s and 1980s, the chain attempted to reach out to a broader shopper demographic with mixed results. In 1978, parent ADG appointed Alan Kane, a graduate of
Wharton School of Business
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
, as
CEO of Hahne & Company. Kane oversaw the planning and opening of two new locations (
Woodbridge Center
Woodbridge Center is a major two-level shopping mall located in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9.
As of 2022, the mall currently features Macy's, Boscov's, J. C. Penney, and Dick's Sporting Good ...
and
Rockaway Townsquare), and he steered the company toward a more focused, upper-market clientele. The
Livingston Mall
Livingston Mall is a two-level shopping mall located in Livingston, New Jersey, United States, serving western Essex, Morris and Union counties. The mall has a gross leasable area of . As of 2022, Livingston Mall currently features the tenants Ma ...
location was branded the company's "flagship" during this time.
Reorganization
In mid-1986 Hahne & Co. announced a major reorganization that would see not only the downtown Newark location close, but the corporate offices would leave Newark as well. ADG acquired the large Gimbels location at the
Garden State Plaza
Garden State Plaza (officially Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey. It is owned and managed by Paris-based real estate management company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and located at the intersection of R ...
, with plans to use two floors for Hahne's first location in Bergen County, and the lower level as Hahne's temporary corporate offices. Shortly after this plan was announced, ADG was sold to the
May Department Stores Company
The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many ...
, and
per May Co.'s policy, major plans were put on hold until May's officers had a chance to review the details. After careful consideration by May, the Newark store was closed in 1987 and later in the same year a two-level location opened in the former Gimbels Garden State Plaza location. Hahne's offices were relocated to leased space in
Woodbridge, near the company's distribution center that had opened in 1985.
May contemplated running Hahne's as a more contemporary focused chain that would compete with
Bloomingdales
Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...
, but Kane left the brand after a management shakeup had changed the overall direction of the company. By 1988, May decided to retire the brand and convert most of the stores into new locations for its
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
banner.
[New York Times, 12 January 1989]
accessed January 17, 2008
Former buildings
In 2007, after sitting empty for approximately 20 years, the architecturally significant 1951 Montclair store was demolished and replaced by a new development housing condominiums known as Siena At Montclair.
In January 2013, after sitting empty for almost 30 years, it was announced that the Newark flagship store would be renovated with a
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market IP, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon, is an upscale American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A US ...
and retail arcade on the ground floor and 83 residential units above.
A nine story addition with 77 residential units
was constructed on the Halsey St. side of the building and underground parking as well. On October 9, 2014, nearby
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
announced that they would open a new arts center on three floors of the Hahne and Company building. The arts center will be called "Express Newark", and will include an arts incubator, media center, design consortium, print shop, portrait studio, lecture hall, as well as new exhibition and performance spaces for artists. The university has reached out to community partners to collaborate on the project. L+M Development partnering with
Prudential and
Goldman Sachs broke ground in June 2015. The building has 60% dedicated market rate housing units and 40% affordable units
to promote the healthy revitalization of Newark while serving those who already live in Newark. The atrium featuring a grand staircase is capped by a steel-and-glass skylight and serves as the focal point for the redevelopment.
The complex also has a
CityMD
CityMD is a healthcare company co-founded in 2010 by Dr. Rich Park and a group of 8 physicians. The company operates more than 150 urgent care centers in New Jersey and New York. It is the largest urgent care company in the New York metro area. Ci ...
urgent care doctors office,
Barnes & Noble bookstore, an upscale restaurant opened by celebrity chef
Marcus Samuelson, and other businesses including a Sweetwaters Coffee, an Indian restaurant called Curry Up, an upscale wines and liquor establishment called Cool Vines, and an Industrial Bank branch. The building reopened in January 2017.
See also
*
References
Further reading
* ''Store Vitamins'' (company newsletter 1950 – 1973)
* ''Hahnegram'' (company newsletter 1976 – 1986)
* Associated Dry Goods Corporation, Annual Report: 1979 (This annual report spotlighted the new Woodbridge Center store and the many innovations planned by CEO Alan Kane)
External links
*
The Old Newark Web Group: Hahne & Company accessed January 17, 2008
accessed January 17, 2008
The Montclair Times: A Brief History of Hahne & Co accessed January 17, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahne And Company
Defunct department stores based in New Jersey
Defunct companies based in New Jersey
Companies based in Newark, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Newark, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Department stores on the National Register of Historic Places
Historic district contributing properties in New Jersey
Historic district contributing properties in Newark, New Jersey
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New Jersey
American companies established in 1858
Retail companies established in 1858
Retail companies disestablished in 1988
1858 establishments in New Jersey
1988 disestablishments in New Jersey