Philadelphia’s Strawbridge & Clothier: From Our Family to Yours, a new book by Margaret Strawbridge Butterworth, takes the readers back to the time when Philadelphia’s East Market Street was thriving, writes Amy Cohen for the Hidden City.

The author recounts the story of the business started by her family, from its beginning during the Civil War era as a small dry goods shop to its late 20th-century demise.

Butterworth brings a note of nostalgia to her writing as a member of the Strawbridge family. That works well for the book, as many Philadelphia-area readers regard the heyday of grand department stores and Strawbridge & Clothier in particular in a similar way.

Justus Strawbridge started selling dry goods in 1861, but the partnership of Strawbridge & Isaac Clothier was only established seven years later. Over the years, the pair continued to open successively larger stores on the corner of 8th and Market Streets.

They were committed to displaying integrity in business practices, putting the importance of polite service and fair prices at the top. They were also known for treating their employees as family, which is why many former employees remember their time at Strawbridge & Clothier with great fondness to this day.

The book takes readers back to a much different time in history for East Market Street.

Read more about the new book in Hidden City.

_____