The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1946-02-14
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GREW
1:<k{1}:1%LY FAME
Thursday, February a II

JAIME
AMONG THE many important valued customers
of The National Bank of Commerce of SeattI.
that began with meager capital and humble
equipment and then progressed to vast and out
standing service, few, if any, offer human I'M
terest story more appealing than that of the Bon
Marche of Seattle.
The Bon Marche owes its existence to III.
fact that man with venturesome spirit fol.
lowed Horace Greeley's historic advice Go
West. Young Man." and then couldn't find lob.
Edward Nordhoff was floor walker at Mar
shall Field and Company in Chicago He saved
his money carefully and when he had accumu.
lated 81 200 he and his wife gathered up their
three babies and lit out for the frontier town of
Seattle This was in the spring of 1890.
After a months fruitless effort to get lob.
Edward Nordhoff decided to go it, on his own,
he rented little store with thirtyfoot front.
age at First and Cedar, in the district known as
Bell Town" in those days. On May z, 1890. a new
commercial enterprise was launched, bearing the
name of THE Bon Marche" Why? Because Mr.
Nordhoff as a boy had been an apprentice at the
Louvre" department store in Paris, France and
had always admired the efficiency of the LOU
vres" big competitor on the left bank of the
Seine. "Au Bon Marche."
The little store prospered from the start and
soon it was necessary to get larger quarters, 20
Avenue and Pike Street, occupying one-story
structure. sixty feet frontage on Second Avenue
and thirty feet frontage on Pike Street.
In 1899 Mr. Edward Nordhoff died and his
brother, Mr.. Rudolf Nordhoff sold out his dry
goods business in Buffalo and came out to Seattle
to join his sister-in-law in managing The Bon
Marche In 1900 Mrs. Nordhof married Mr.
and AZ
of Mr.. McDermott and Mr.. NordhoH and the
impetus of q fast growing city The Bon Marche
went ahead from one expansion to another. First,
the one-story building became three-story
other block was added; then, another, taking The
Bon Marche all the way from Pike Street to
Union Street. Later the alley was bridged and
block on First Avenue was added.
By 1925 The Bon Marche was the third largest
department store in the United States buying and
selling entirely for cash. Mays Of New York
was the first largest and The Boston Store in Chi.
cago was the second.
But the day of the cash store was nearly over.
People wanted installment and charge accounts.
SO The Bon Marche switched to credit. Mean.
while. new retail district was opening up on
Pine Street. Ever in the van Of progress, The Bon
Marche obtained the block between Third and
Fourth Avenues and Pine and Stewart Streets
Marche now occupies In August, 1929. the new
store was opened to the public-and today Il %
recognized % one Of Americas outstanding
merchandising establishments.
In the meantime, Mr.. McDermott and Mr.
Nordhof thought they had worked hard enough
and long enough, 20 they disposed Of their hold
ings to Allied Department Stores who operate i
today along with 50 other stores.
Mr.. McDernott passed away on January ..
1914. Only recently, October I, 1916. Mr.. Nord'
hof died at the age Of g. They left behind them
worthy monument Of their long labors 70 give
Seattle fine store.
This Bon Marehe history affords another cor
roboration Of basic maxim of The National Bank
of Commeree-that virtually al large businesses
of today once were small. And that's another req
SON why this bank devotes its full cooperation to
new business enterprises Of sound foundation re-
gardless Of size At the start