Buffums

Buffums was an upscale department-store chain headquartered in Long Beach, California. Its business began in 1904 when brothers Charles and Edwin Buffum, together with local partners, acquired the Schilling Bros. dry-goods business and renamed it The Mercantile Co. The predecessor business had opened in Long Beach in 1892 and had developed into a department store by the early twentieth century. The Buffum-led enterprise eventually adopted the Buffums name and built its identity around a polished, specialty-oriented department-store experience. The company’s downtown Long Beach flagship became the symbolic center of the business. It expanded through several building projects, including a major six-story addition that opened in stages in 1924, an Autoport parking garage in 1941, and further retail and parking additions in the 1960s. By 1964, the downtown complex occupied the full block of Broadway between Pine and Pacific and provided approximately 180,000 square feet of space. Its departments included apparel, shoes, accessories, home furnishings, interior design, and sporting goods. Large chandeliers and other decorative details helped establish the stores’ reputation as the area’s “Grand Dame” of department stores. From the 1950s onward, Buffums expanded gradually into a regional Southern California chain. At its peak and at the time of its closure, the company operated 16 specialty department stores. It positioned itself as a more personal and upscale alternative to larger general department-store competitors such as The Broadway, Bullock’s, May Company California, and Robinson’s. The wording “Buffums Specialty Store” was used to reinforce that distinction, while the advertising slogan “I’ve been to Buffums” became closely associated with the chain during the 1970s and 1980s. Its Bag-A-Bargain promotion, which distributed newspaper-printed shopping bags containing discount offers, was another recognizable local marketing device. The chain changed ownership during the 1970s when it was acquired by the Australian retailer David Jones. In the following decade Buffums became part of the Adelaide Steamship Company, an Australian conglomerate. The owners sought a buyer as the business struggled, but no purchaser was found. Buffums faced pressures common to traditional department stores: aging operating models, changing shopping habits, suburban retail competition, and the arrival of Seattle-based Nordstrom in its market. The downtown flagship complex was sold in 1981 and demolished in 1985 for office development. Buffums relocated its Long Beach store operation and headquarters to Long Beach Plaza, which opened in 1982. Management made a late attempt to modernize the chain’s infrastructure. In 1990 it installed IBM point-of-sale registers throughout the stores and added an IBM AS/400 computer system to its data center. The investment did not reverse the company’s decline. After the 1990 Christmas shopping season, Buffums entered liquidation and ceased operating as a department-store chain. The name briefly returned to retail in the 2010s. A California investor group registered Buffums' Stores, LLC in January 2015, and a small-format Buffums store reportedly opened in Long Beach’s Belmont Shore neighborhood in October of that year. This revival was short-lived: the storefront closed in March 2016, after which the former principals moved their operations to Naples, Florida, and opened a store under the name The b.Store. The historical Buffums department-store chain remains defunct.

Buffums’ roots extended back to Wm. Schilling & Sons, a Long Beach dry-goods business established in 1892 at Second Street and Pine Avenue. By 1902, the company operated from the Stafford Block at 127–129 Pine Avenue and described itself as a department store carrying dress goods, clothing, shoes, hats, blankets, and other merchandise. After William Schilling retired, the business became Schilling Bros. In 1904, Charles and Edwin Buffum arrived from Illinois and joined local investors S. Townsend, W. L. Porterneld, and C. J. Walter in purchasing Schilling Bros. for $65,000. The new ownership operated the business as The Mercantile Co. and began developing a larger presence at Pine Avenue and Broadway. A planned five-story building was announced in 1905, although the building ultimately completed in 1912 was three stories. The original Schilling Bros. premises later became the men's shoe department of the expanding Buffums flagship. The downtown store grew substantially over the next several decades. A six-story addition opened in stages in May 1924, creating what was promoted as the New Buffums. The company constructed the Autoport parking garage in 1941, added a Varsity Shop, Red Cross Shoe Store, and a four-story parking garage in 1960, and expanded again in 1964. The 1964 work added approximately 14,000 square feet and extended the complex across the block of Broadway between Pine and Pacific. The resulting flagship contained about 180,000 square feet and included dedicated interior-design, home-furnishings, and sporting-goods areas. Buffums competed with a changing group of Long Beach and Southern California retailers. Its downtown rivals included Marti and Wise Cos., Sears, and Montgomery Ward, while newer suburban centers brought competition from May Company California and The Broadway. From the 1950s, Buffums expanded carefully rather than becoming a national-scale chain. It ultimately operated 16 specialty department stores across Southern California. The company’s elaborate interiors, especially its chandeliers and other upscale fixtures, supported a reputation as the “Grand Dame” of local department stores. The retailer used distinctive marketing to separate itself from larger competitors. It called its stores Buffums Specialty Store and used the slogan “I’ve been to Buffums” in newspaper and television advertising during the 1970s and 1980s. Bag-A-Bargain placed physical shopping bags printed with discount offers in local newspapers, turning a promotional coupon into a recognizable piece of advertising. Ownership changed in the 1970s when Buffums was acquired by Australia-based David Jones. During the 1980s the chain became part of the Adelaide Steamship Company. The Australian owners attempted to sell the struggling retailer but did not secure a buyer. Buffums was under pressure from traditional department-store economics, changing consumer preferences, suburbanization, and newer specialty retailers, including Nordstrom. The historic downtown complex was sold in 1981 and demolished in 1985 for office development. Buffums moved its Long Beach store and headquarters to Long Beach Plaza after that mall opened in 1982. In 1990, the company introduced IBM point-of-sale registers in all stores and paired them with a newly acquired IBM AS/400 data-center system. The technology investment came too late to restore the chain’s competitiveness, and Buffums entered liquidation after the 1990 Christmas season. The brand was revived on a limited basis in the 2010s. Buffums' Stores, LLC was filed with the California Secretary of State in January 2015, and a small specialty store opened in Belmont Shore in October. The revival ended when the storefront closed in March 2016. Former principals then moved the operation to Naples, Florida, where they opened The b.Store under a different name.

• 2016

  Belmont Shore revival ends

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  The revived Buffums storefront closed in March, and the former principals later operated The b.Store in Naples, Florida.

• 2015

  Limited retail relaunch in Belmont Shore

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  Buffums' Stores, LLC was registered in California and a small-format store opened in Long Beach’s Belmont Shore neighborhood.

• 1990

  Technology modernization followed by liquidation

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  Buffums installed IBM point-of-sale registers across its stores and acquired an IBM AS/400 for its data center, but entered liquidation after the Christmas season.

• 1985

  Historic downtown complex demolished

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  The former flagship site was demolished for office development.

• 1982

  Long Beach operation moves to Long Beach Plaza

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  After the mall opened, Buffums relocated its Long Beach store operation and headquarters from the historic downtown complex to Long Beach Plaza.

• 1981

  Downtown flagship complex sold

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  The historic downtown complex was sold as the chain continued to face competitive and structural pressure.

• 1970

  Acquired by David Jones

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  The Australian retailer David Jones acquired Buffums during the 1970s.

• 1964

  Downtown flagship reaches full-block scale

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  An approximately 14,000-square-foot expansion extended the store across the Broadway block between Pine and Pacific and added interior-design, home-furnishings, and sporting-goods space.

• 1960

  Specialty departments and parking expanded

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  The flagship added a Varsity Shop, Red Cross Shoe Store, and a four-story parking garage.

• 1941

  Autoport parking garage built

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  Buffums added the Autoport parking garage to support its downtown department-store operation.

• 1924

  Six-story flagship addition opens

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  A major six-story expansion opened in stages in May, creating the New Buffums downtown complex.

• 1912

  New Pine Avenue and Broadway building completed

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  The company completed a three-story building at the southwest corner of Pine Avenue and Broadway after earlier plans had called for a taller structure.

• 1904

  Buffum family partners acquire Schilling Bros.

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  Charles and Edwin Buffum and local partners purchased Schilling Bros. and began operating the business as The Mercantile Co.

• 1892

  Schilling dry-goods business opens in Long Beach

  [1]Buffumsen.wikipedia.org

  Wm. Schilling & Sons opened a dry-goods store at Second Street and Pine Avenue, establishing the business lineage that later became Buffums.

A polished, locally rooted specialty department-store chain offering upscale apparel, furnishings, shoes, and lifestyle merchandise in an elegant store environment. Buffums emphasized personal service, distinctive interiors, and regional identity rather than competing solely on scale or price.

• Apparel

  Women's apparel

  Women's clothing was a core part of Buffums’ department-store assortment. The chain used apparel, dress goods, and related accessories to support its upscale specialty-store positioning and to distinguish its presentation from more utilitarian mass-market department stores.

• Apparel

  Men's apparel and furnishings

  Buffums carried men's clothing and furnishings from the early department-store period onward. The original Schilling Bros. premises ultimately became the men's shoe department of the downtown flagship, reflecting the breadth of the chain's men's merchandise operation.

• Footwear · 1960

  Shoes

  Footwear was an established Buffums category, including dedicated shoe-store and shoe-department operations. The Red Cross Shoe Store was among the specialty additions made to the flagship in 1960.

• Home · 1964

  Home furnishings and interior design

  The 1964 flagship expansion created a substantial Interior Design and Home Furnishings area. This department extended Buffums beyond fashion retail and reinforced its image as a destination for higher-end household goods and design-related services or merchandise.

• Sporting goods · 1964

  Sportsman's Shop

  The Sportsman's Shop was introduced as part of the expanded downtown flagship. It represented Buffums’ broader lifestyle assortment and gave the store a dedicated destination for sporting and outdoor-related merchandise.

• 1970I've been to Buffums

  Southern California

  Buffums used the line “I've been to Buffums” in newspaper and television advertising during the 1970s and 1980s. The slogan emphasized the retailer as a recognized local destination.

  Outcome. The line became the chain’s best-known advertising slogan, although the available reference does not provide campaign spending or measured sales results.

  Source
• 1970Bag-A-Bargain

  Southern California

  The promotion placed actual shopping bags, printed with discount offers, in local newspapers. It converted a conventional newspaper offer into a physical and recognizable advertising prop.

  Outcome. The promotion became associated with Buffums’ local retail identity; no quantified performance data is available in the reference.

  Source

• 2015

  Small-format brand relaunchStrategy

  Background

  A California investor group sought to revive the Buffums name after the original department-store chain had been defunct for decades.

  Action taken

  Buffums' Stores, LLC was registered in California and a small specialty-format store opened in Belmont Shore, Long Beach.

  Aftermath

  The Belmont Shore storefront closed in March 2016. Former principals later opened The b.Store in Naples, Florida, under a different name.

  Source

• 1990

  Late technology modernizationStrategy

  Background

  Buffums sought to modernize its retail infrastructure while facing changing consumer behavior, an old-fashioned operating model, and competition from newer department-store formats.

  Action taken

  The chain installed IBM point-of-sale registers in all stores and purchased an IBM AS/400 for its data center.

  Aftermath

  The modernization did not prevent liquidation after the 1990 Christmas season.

  Source

• 1981

  Relocation from the historic downtown complexStrategy

  Background

  The downtown flagship complex was sold amid the chain’s broader competitive and operating difficulties.

  Action taken

  Buffums moved its Long Beach store operation and headquarters to Long Beach Plaza when the mall opened in 1982.

  Aftermath

  The original complex was demolished in 1985 and replaced with office space. The available reference does not establish whether the relocation improved the chain’s financial performance.

  Source

1. 1Buffumsen.wikipedia.org