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McCurdy's (formally McCurdy and Company) was a
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
–based
department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
. Founded in 1901, the company was acquired by
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American holding company of department stores founded in 1877 by David May. It operated several regional department stores throughout the United States, which were managed as distinct business divisions ...
in 1994, but as a result of an
antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
settlement due to both McCurdy's and May's
Kaufmann's Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of the famous Fallingwater house. In the post-war years, the store became a regional chain ...
stores being the predominant
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in the area
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
s, its stores were
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to
The Bon-Ton Bonton Holdings Inc. operating as Bonton () was an American department store chain and group founded in 1898. It operated in Western New York, Pennsylvania, Western Maryland, and throughout the Midwestern United States. The former York, Pennsy ...
Department store chain.


History

McCurdy's was started as McCurdy and Norwell Co. in 1901 by John Cooke McCurdy, who came to Rochester by way of
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and
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. The store was located at the corner of Main and Elm streets. This location would later form the basis of a mall at the location when Gilbert McCurdy, along with fellow department store owner Maurice Forman of B. Forman Co., helped found Rochester's Midtown Plaza, where its
flagship store A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, 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 ...
would be incorporated in and become the main anchor of the mall. Other locations would later be in
Pittsford, New York Pittsford is an incorporated town in Monroe County, New York. A suburb of Rochester, its population was 30,617 at the time of the 2020 census. Formerly part of the town of Northfield, Pittsford was settled in 1789 and incorporated in 1796. T ...
, Greece, New York in Long Ridge Mall and Northgate Plaza,
Irondequoit, New York Irondequoit () is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town (and census-designated place) in Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the cotermi ...
in Irondequoit Mall,
Henrietta, New York Henrietta is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, New York (state), New York, United States, and a suburb of the city of Rochester, New York, Rochester. The population of Henrietta was 47,09 ...
in The Marketplace Mall,
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in Town and Country Plaza, and
Victor, New York Victor is an incorporated town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 15,969 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Claudius Victor Boughton, an American hero of the War of 1812. The Town of Victor con ...
in
Eastview Mall Eastview Mall, located in Victor, New York (near Rochester, New York), is a regional indoor shopping center owned and managed by Wilmorite Properties. The mall features JCPenney, Macy's, Von Maur, and Dick's House of Sport. Eastview is locate ...
. The Northgate store made McCurdy's the first Rochester department store to open in the suburbs when it opened in 1953. McCurdy's was a medium to high priced establishment, in direct
competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...
with Sibley, Lindsay and Curr (later just Sibley's). To make themselves accessible to all, the Midtown, Long Ridge (now Greece Ridge), and Eastview Malls had "budget stores" which ran seconds, closeouts, and special
merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...
at prices just above the discount houses, but with McCurdy's service and cachet. The midtown location also contained a bakery and restaurant. McCurdy’s bought fellow Rochester-based department store B. Forman’s in 1968. The purchase gave McCurdy’s sole control of Midtown; previously control of the mall had been divided between the two. McCurdy's continued to operate both stores until 1994. The 1989 Acquisition of Elmira, NY based Iszard's would later offer expansion into Elmira and Ithaca areas. McCurdy & Co. borrowed $4.5 million in January 1994 from the City of Rochester, citing a need for working capital, and giving a mortgage on the McCurdy Midtown building as security. In July 1994, McCurdy's and B. Forman Co. closed. It was announced that four McCurdy locations would be sold to the May Company, and all B. Forman Co. stores would be closed.Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 7/6/1994 The going-out-of-business sale at McCurdy's and B. Forman started a few days later. The Midtown Plaza location (McCurdy's main store) and Sibley's main store were directly across the street from each other on East Main Street in downtown Rochester, although McCurdy's was a bit more conservative in merchandising. Midtown's most striking feature was the mechanical "Clock of Nations" in the main floor atrium. Rising two stories, the clock featured mechanical dolls that would circle the main clock on the hour with a country highlighted each hour. The dolls were housed in capsules featuring a door that would open and close to reveal the dolls. The highlighted country's capsule would be illuminated, and a melody appropriate to the country would play. Generations of children (and adults) sat in the atrium in eager anticipation each hour. When Midtown's patronage dwindled, stores were closing, and the future was obvious, the clock became a cause celebré all across the region. The clock was moved to the Greater Rochester International Airport terminal in 2008.


References


Folklore and Legends of Rochester: The Mystery of Hoodoo Corner and Other Tales - Michael T. Keene - Google Books
* Iszard’s Store Collection https://www.chemungvalleymuseum.org/manuscript-library?recID=1060 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mccurdys Defunct department stores based in New York State Retail companies established in 1901 Retail companies disestablished in 1994 Companies based in Rochester, New York Defunct companies based in New York (state) 1901 establishments in New York (state) 1994 disestablishments in New York (state)