Peoples

Peoples was a department-store retailer based in Tacoma, Washington, whose history stretched from the late nineteenth century into the early 1980s. Initially known as The Peoples Store Co., it grew from a Tacoma merchant into a regional chain serving communities in the southern and western Puget Sound area. Its business combined a large downtown department store with branches and, for a period, a related chain of appliance stores called Electric City. The business is dated to 1888. Tacoma Public Library historical records describe its early origins as a wholesale concern before it moved into retail trade and adopted the Peoples Store name. In the 1890s the company expanded beyond Tacoma: it opened a branch in Olympia by 1894, and in 1895–1896 established its prominent Tacoma flagship at Pacific Avenue and 11th Street. The five-story store contained dozens of departments and was described in contemporary promotion as among the largest and finest department stores in the Pacific Northwest. It became a recognizable part of Tacoma’s downtown commercial district, serving shoppers with a broad range of goods rather than specializing in one product category. The flagship’s offer included apparel and footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty merchandise, housewares, and other general department-store goods. The store’s archives also document clothing departments, a basement electrical-appliance department, a restaurant or coffee shop, and repeated building improvements. An annex added in 1957 expanded the downtown premises. The central location and broad assortment made Peoples a significant Tacoma retailer during the era when downtown department stores were major regional shopping destinations. Peoples also developed a specialist appliance business. Beginning in the early 1940s, it operated Electric City appliance stores in Puget Sound communities. Some of those outlets later expanded their merchandise mix to include apparel and took the Peoples name. The chain reached twelve Peoples stores by 1948. In the following decades it reorganized its estate: by 1968, twelve smaller units had been consolidated into seven larger regional stores. These included mall-anchored locations as well as standalone stores in downtown districts, reflecting the growing importance of suburban shopping centers and automobile-oriented retail. The chain’s later years unfolded amid a broad shift in Washington retailing from downtown shopping streets toward malls and suburban locations. Tacoma Mall opened in 1965, while other regional centers followed. Peoples continued to promote and modernize its stores; its downtown store advertised Sunday shopping hours by 1970, and local archive records note plans for further modernization and a major downtown project in 1980. These efforts did not reverse the company’s difficulties. Contemporary reporting cited declining profits, and a 1983 newspaper report identified difficulty attracting younger shoppers as one problem facing the downtown store. Mercantile Stores, Peoples’ parent company, announced that the Washington chain would close in December 1983. Tacoma Public Library records state that the downtown store closed in 1983; some later accounts describe the shutdown as completed in early 1984, so the closure is commonly associated with both dates. The chain did not continue as an independent operating retailer. The Tacoma flagship was remodeled and renamed Puget Sound Plaza in 1985, with the building subsequently used for offices and other tenants. Peoples is remembered as a long-standing regional department-store name and as part of Tacoma’s former downtown retail landscape.

Peoples, also known as The Peoples Store or The Peoples Store Co., was a Tacoma department-store business that grew into a regional chain before ending operations in the early 1980s. The company’s history is generally dated from 1888. Tacoma historical records describe its early business as wholesale trade, followed by a move into retailing and the adoption of the Peoples Store name. The available sources do not establish a founder’s name with sufficient certainty, so no individual founder is identified here. In the 1890s the business expanded from Tacoma into nearby communities. It had opened a branch in Olympia by 1894. The company’s major Tacoma move came in 1895–1896, when it established its flagship at Pacific Avenue and 11th Street. Contemporary descriptions promoted the five-story store as an exceptionally large and fine department store for the Pacific Northwest; it was organized into approximately fifty departments. The building became a prominent component of downtown Tacoma’s retail district. Peoples later enlarged the premises, including an annex built in 1957. As a full-line retailer, Peoples sold clothing and footwear alongside bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, housewares, and other general merchandise. Records of the Tacoma location also refer to a dedicated electrical-appliance department, fashion departments, a coffee shop, and successive modernization work. The store’s breadth allowed it to serve as a destination for varied household and personal shopping needs rather than as a specialist shop. The company extended its reach through Electric City, an appliance-store chain it operated in Puget Sound communities beginning in the early 1940s. Some Electric City outlets later broadened their assortments to include apparel and were converted to the Peoples name. By 1948, the Peoples chain had twelve stores. In the 1960s it consolidated that network into seven larger regional outlets, including mall anchors and standalone downtown stores. This change accompanied the rapid development of shopping centers and a shift in retail activity away from traditional downtown streets. The growth of malls reshaped the market in which Peoples competed. Tacoma Mall opened in 1965, followed by other regional shopping centers. Peoples continued to promote its stores and attempt improvements: the downtown location advertised Sunday hours by 1970, and Tacoma archival records catalogue later modernization plans and a major downtown project discussed in 1980. Nevertheless, the company faced declining profitability. Local newspaper coverage in 1983 also identified the challenge of attracting younger shoppers to the downtown store. Mercantile Stores, the chain’s parent company, announced the closure of Peoples in December 1983. Tacoma Public Library records describe the downtown store as closed in 1983, while accounts that refer to the chain’s shutdown place its completion in early 1984. The difference reflects the period during which the closure was announced and carried out; the available evidence supports describing the end as occurring in 1983–1984. After the retail operation ended, the Tacoma flagship was remodeled and renamed Puget Sound Plaza in 1985. It no longer operated as a Peoples department store. The business remains part of the documented history of Tacoma’s downtown retail sector and of regional department-store chains adapting to the rise of mall-based shopping.

• 1985

  Flagship is remodeled as Puget Sound Plaza

  [2]1101–07 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarynorthwestroom.tacomalibrary.org

  Following the store’s closure, the Tacoma flagship was remodeled and renamed Puget Sound Plaza.

• 1983

  Mercantile Stores announces Peoples’ closure

  [2]1101–07 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarynorthwestroom.tacomalibrary.org

  The parent company announced that Peoples would close. Local archival records date the Tacoma store’s closure to 1983, while other accounts describe the chain shutdown as completing in early 1984.

• 1970

  Downtown store advertises Sunday shopping

  [5]Ladies wear at Peoples, 1970 — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarynorthwestroom.tacomalibrary.org

  A Tacoma Public Library photograph record notes that the downtown store advertised Sunday hours, possibly in response to competition from Tacoma Mall.

• 1968

  Store network is consolidated

  [1]Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org

  The chain consolidated twelve smaller stores into seven larger regional stores, including mall-anchored and standalone locations.

• 1957

  Tacoma flagship receives an annex

  [2]1101–07 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarynorthwestroom.tacomalibrary.org

  An addition at 1109–1113 Pacific Avenue expanded the downtown Tacoma store.

• 1948

  Peoples reaches twelve stores

  [1]Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org

  The Peoples chain had grown to twelve stores by 1948; some Electric City locations were later expanded to sell apparel and rebranded as Peoples.

• 1940

  Electric City appliance-store expansion begins

  [1]Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org

  In the early 1940s, the business operated Electric City appliance outlets in Puget Sound communities.

• 1896

  Prominent Tacoma flagship opens

  [1]Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org

  The store’s flagship at Pacific Avenue and 11th Street opened in January 1896. It was a five-story department store with approximately fifty departments.

• 1895

  The company acquires a downtown Tacoma store building

  [4]People's Store building, National Register nomination — City of Tacomacms.tacoma.gov

  Tacoma historic-preservation records state that Peoples acquired the Garretson, Woodruff and Pratt Company building on Pacific Avenue in 1895.

• 1894

  First Olympia branch opens

  [1]Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org

  The company expanded beyond Tacoma and had opened a branch in Olympia by 1894.

• 1888

  Peoples is founded in Tacoma

  [1]Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org

  The department-store business is dated to 1888, when it began in Tacoma, Washington.

A regional, full-line department-store chain serving Puget Sound communities through a prominent downtown Tacoma flagship, branch stores, mall anchors, and appliance-focused Electric City outlets.

• Department-store retail

  Full-line department-store merchandise

  Peoples offered a broad mix of goods associated with regional department stores, including apparel, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Its large downtown flagship organized merchandise into numerous departments and served customers seeking both personal goods and household items.

• Household appliances

  Electric City appliances

  Electric City was the company’s appliance-store chain, operated in Puget Sound communities beginning in the early 1940s. Some outlets later expanded their assortment to include apparel and were rebranded under the Peoples name.

• In-store services

  Food and refreshment services

  Tacoma Public Library records document a coffee shop at the downtown store, including a formal opening in 1965. This was an in-store amenity within the broader department-store operation.

• 1983

  Close the Peoples chainStrategy

  Background

  The chain faced declining profits amid changes in regional retailing; contemporary local coverage also noted difficulties attracting younger shoppers to the downtown store.

  Action taken

  Mercantile Stores announced that Peoples would close. The Tacoma flagship’s closure is documented in 1983, with some accounts describing the shutdown as completed in early 1984.

  Aftermath

  The department-store operation ended. The Tacoma flagship was remodeled and renamed Puget Sound Plaza in 1985.

  Source

• 1968

  Consolidate smaller stores into larger regional locationsStrategy

  Background

  The chain had grown to twelve stores by 1948, while regional shopping increasingly shifted toward purpose-built shopping centers.

  Action taken

  Peoples consolidated its twelve smaller stores into seven larger regional outlets, including mall anchors and standalone downtown stores.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization changed the chain’s footprint, but the company eventually closed after years of declining profits.

  Source

• 1957

  Expand the Tacoma flagshipStrategy

  Background

  The downtown Tacoma store remained the company’s principal location as the chain served regional shoppers.

  Action taken

  Peoples added an annex at 1109–1113 Pacific Avenue to its flagship premises.

  Aftermath

  The expansion enlarged the downtown store; the available sources do not quantify its effect on sales or profitability.

  Source

• 2021.02.16

  Reported2021.02.16

  Peoples Ltd. announces 2020 financial results[7]Peoples Ltd.公布2020年财务业绩prnewswire.com

  Peoples Ltd., the holding company for PS Bank, announced unaudited fourth-quarter and annual 2020 financial results. Full-year net income was $5.2 million, an 11.9% increase from 2019.

Read more

1. 1Peoples (store)en.wikipedia.org
2. 21101–07 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarynorthwestroom.tacomalibrary.org
3. 3Peoples department store photograph and historical description — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarytpl.accesstomemory.org
4. 4People's Store building, National Register nomination — City of Tacomacms.tacoma.gov
5. 5Ladies wear at Peoples, 1970 — Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Librarynorthwestroom.tacomalibrary.org
6. 6The History of Fashion in Tacoma — The Tacoma Ledgerthetacomaledger.com
7. 7Peoples Ltd.公布2020年财务业绩prnewswire.com
8. 8Peoples Ltd. Announces Fourth Quarter and Annual 2021 Financial Resultsprnewswire.com