General Stores, Mercantiles & Emporiums

Thanks to a childhood watching western films and TV shows, a certain image comes to mind when I think of a store in the Old West. Invariably, it's a general store with false front, multi-paned glass windows, and a wooden sidewalk, like this one...

Dry Goods and Grocery Store, Lethbridge, Alberta, ca. 1886. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-922-3)

Whether it was called a general store or mercantile, they usually carried the same assortment of groceries, dry goods, hardware, clothing, and other necessities to sustain basic life, although almost anything could be ordered in by catalog.  In a farm or ranching area, the local store might be the only social gathering spot for a good many miles.

Jos A. Cormier General Store, Flour and Feed, La Salle, Man. undated. Credit: U of A Prairie Postcards PC000552

In larger communities, there would be an assortment of tradesmen and women working and selling in their own buildings, such as tailors, dressmakers, milliners, gunsmiths, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, bakers, cooks, and confectioners. A town would be blessed to have a medical clinic and drug store. As well, a book and stationary store helped increase education and often contributed to the creation of a library. 

George L. Fraser's confectionery store, Stephen Avenue, Calgary, Alberta, 1884. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1931-1)

Living quarters above or attached to the store was often found as it cut down on expenses. Usually the business would be a family affair where children worked alongside their parents when they weren't in school. It sounds harsh, but the children learned a trade, assumed responsibility, and were in much better physical shape than most of our kids are today. 

George Sanderson's Blacksmith Shop, Edmonton, Alberta, 1883. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-2317-1)

Back then, a small population meant there wasn't enough mail to warrant a building dedicated as a post office in every community. The effective solution was to use a corner in the general store, although some post offices were located in private homes. Even today, I've been in two private homes here on the prairies where the front door opens to a post office with the living quarters beyond. I knocked the first time, since it was a private home, and they smiled/laughed at my hesitation.

Durick and Warren's Store and Post Office, Golden, British Columbia, 1883. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1931-2)

In larger towns one large building might hold two stores with a party wall between them, like this I.G. Baker and Company store in Calgary. In the Old West years, I.G. Baker and Company also had stores in Fort Calgary and Fort Macleod, Alberta, and Fort Benton, Montana, with the size dependent on the population. 

I.G. Baker and Company store, Stephen Avenue, Calgary, Alberta., 1888. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1315-11)

Interiors were gloomy as the only natural light usually came from the large windows in the front of the building. At the back, a wall with a door divided the store from the storage area, and the side walls, or party walls, were filled to the ceiling with open shelves displaying the goods. Some single stores had high windows on the sides, but they weren't common as the owner would have sacrificed precious display space for the light. It's one of the reasons most interior images of commercial establishments appear dark...they were.  

Geary's Drugstore, Innisfail, Alberta, ca. 1890s. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1709-11)

As mentioned earlier, the general store often contained a corner for a small post office, such as the one on the left side of this next image. Instead of opening your box with a key, the door would have a simple dial with either numbers, or letters. The post office box doors in this image below shows what could be two dials, or one dial to unlock, and one knob to open it.

Buckingham's General Store Interior, ca. 1898. Credit: Library of Congress/Paradise Valley Folklife Project Collection (AFC 1991/021)

So where does the emporium that I mentioned in the title fit into this? The hero of my new novella is a store owner who keeps to himself. He likes owning a store, but doesn't want the social interaction that goes along with it. He wants to get away from this...

S.O. Grimes General Store, Westminster, Md., between 1895 and 1910. Source: Library of Congress/Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection No. 043099

His solution is to change the direction of his store from a grocery and dry goods mercantile to an elite enterprise where customers come to visit the wares instead of him or their neighbors. The Emporium struck me as the perfect name, especially since dictionary.com said an emporium was, "a large and often ostentatious retail shop offering for sale a wide variety of merchandise." 

My hero's emporium looks like the store in the first image of this post. For a look at some of the items that can be found inside it, as well as the inspiration for my heroine and her typewriter, you can check my Pinterest board, Novella: Love in Store.

For more information on general stores, check our own Jennifer Uhlarik's post, Old-Fashioned Mercantiles. (Today's giveaway also contains a novella by Jennifer.)

Question: Have you ever stood outside a small business, or office, with living quarters inside, and not known whether you should walk right in, or knock first? I would love if you shared your experience.


Giveaway: I'm offering one print copy of The Secret Admirer Romance Collection which contains 9 historical novellas including my own Love in Store. If you want to be entered, mention it in the comment section of this post before midnight Sunday night, April 9th.

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Anita Mae Draper writes her historical romances under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Her Christian faith is reflected in her stories of forgiveness and redemption as her characters struggle to find their way to that place we call home. Anita loves to correspond with her readers through any of the social media links found at

www.anitamaedraper.com.

Readers can enrich their reading experience by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories at www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper.

Early Typists at Work

Do you know what makes me pause when reading historical fiction? When I'm immersed in a story and they mention a typewriter. I have no idea why I stop reading, except that it's hard to imagine that typewriters were invented one hundred years prior to my first clack of the keys. I taught myself to type on a portable typewriter when I was twelve years old, and it formed a large part of my teen years as I wrote my western stories. I was already a fast typist by the time I graduated to an electric machine, and then oh, the wonder, when I discovered one with a correction ribbon.

Speaking of ribbons, until World War II, typewriter ribbons were made of cotton which was durable and held ink well. They were made to be reused, so that once it had gone through to the end, it could be taken out, reversed, and put back in for another round. Over and over until the ink was faded and dry. Imagine if someone thought they had a buy a new spool of ribbon each time. It would get expensive, wouldn't it?

Man and woman in an unidentified office, 1903. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Various sources say that 52 mechanical inventions went into the typewriter we're most familiar with today. While researching the fascinating history of typewriters, I found dozens of websites with images and information, but most are protected under copyright laws. Hence, I've taken a different approach and would like to present interesting images of people working at their typewriters. 

The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. contains a wealth of great images including this 1891 photograph taken at the Lincoln cabin.

Picture of Mrs. Norah Gridley, cousin of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, and Miss May Coleman, the typewriter, taken outside of and near the corner of the Lincoln Cabin, August 9/91. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Business schools with courses on typing, stenography, and duplicating machines were found in most major cities by the end of the 19th century, providing a respectable alternative to women who needed to work, but had no wish to join the domestic, medical, or educational trades. 

Typewriting department, National Cash Register, Dayton, Ohio, ca. 1902?. Dry Plate negative. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Since men had their hand in business far earlier than the women, and the above image shows a room full of women, I wonder if business classes were segregated by gender?

The man in this next glass negative would rather be a typewriter salesman in Beluchistan, than sit at a desk typing. We can see they are Remington typewriters, but we don't now which model. What do you think...one hump or two? 

American typewriter salesman in Beluchistan, [between 1909 and 1920], glass negative. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

While on the topic of deliveries, what about a photograph of this young lad who carried his typewriter about half a mile. He looks to be straining a bit, but if he lugged two or three of those heavy beasts around all day, it would have done wonders for his physique. (Ahem, I am a romance writer after all.)

Louis A. Caulfield, 37 Belfort Street, Dorchester. Delivering a heavy type-writer about half a mile. Works for Model Typewriter Inspection Co. Says he is sixteen years old and gets $6 a week. Taken on Boston Common. Location: Boston, Massachusetts / Lewis W. Hine., January 1917. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

I don't know the model of the typewriter in this next 1906 photograph, but a close look at the woman tells me she's using the 2-finger method of typing.

Young woman typing, c1906. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

As mentioned at the start of this post, my interest in typewriters began when I was still a young girl. And then back in the 80's, I bought an old typewriter at an auction and then had to pack it away during a military move. After several moves, it's still packed away. I haven't had the heart to dig it out because I'm worried dampness has turned it into a rusty echo of what it used to be.

Instead, I appeased my recent typewriter craving by writing it into my new novella, Love in Store which is set in 1890 Montana. My heroine is the office worker in the family transport business and uses a Remington 2 typewriter, common in 1890, although I don't identify it as such in my story. It looks similar to the one in the 1892 photograph below and served as a great inspiration for my novella.

A pretty type[writer?] c1892. Photomechanical print. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

There are more images of old typewriters on my Novella: Love in Store Pinterest storyboard.

I would love to hear your experience with a vintage manual typewriter. Care to share? 

To celebrate the release of my novella, Love in Store, which is one of nine novellas found in The Secret Admirer Romance Collection, I'm holding a Love in Store Prize Pack Giveaway on my website. The giveaway contains a print copy of the Collection, as well as other goodies.

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Anita Mae Draper writes her historical romances under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Her Christian faith is reflected in her stories of forgiveness and redemption as her characters struggle to find their way to that place we call home. Anita loves to correspond with her readers through any of the social media links found at www.anitamaedraper.com.

Readers can enrich their reading experience by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her published stories at www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper.

Late 19th Century Toys - and a Giveaway

The books and TV shows which most often draw my attention portray settlers and people in transition. Characters who have more love than money, and where essential necessities came first. Toys made with whatever was on hand, such as a doll made with leftover fabric scraps, or a pair of stilts made with wood salvaged from the woodpile.

Two boys playing on stilts, ca. 1890-1916. Source: Glenbow Archives NC-39-293

In some of those stories, children with toys were usually from affluent families where children had time on their hands and more often than not, were spoiled. In my own childhood, we were raised with the ridiculous notion that your bank account dictated your character. I could write a sermon on that point of view, but I'd rather talk about toys.

In 1890, trains were crossing North America with rapid regularity and towns with amenities were springing up every 10 miles or so along the railroad tracks. Although the land was still being settled, a settler could find almost anything in a nearby town, including toys, and what wasn't readily available could be ordered by catalog.

Because I've already mentioned dolls, I wanted to show you an assortment of dolls ca. 1890s with a photograph held at the Glenbow Archives in Calgary, Alberta. There is no mention of what type of dolls, nor their age, but to my untrained eye, some of them look like ones you'd buy in a store due to their porcelain/bisque heads and hands.

Group of Dolls, ca. 1890s. Source: Glenbow Archives NC-22-43

Doll houses have been fashionable for centuries with females of all ages, with its size and construction dependent on materials and ability to create and furnish. A quick search on the internet shows doll houses in many museums built for noble and royal women with stunningly exquisite pieces. 

The following photograph is from the McCord Museum with the following information: "Special toys represent a microcosm of daily life. This doll's house, photographed for Captain Howard around 1873-74, is divided into four main rooms: the kitchen, dining room, parlour and bedroom or play room. The open front has four windows decorated with lace-like curtains, similar to those in the music room seen earlier. There are miniature mirrors on the sideboard and dresser, metal kitchen implements hanging on the wall and centrally suspended lights. Doll's houses give children ideas about how the domestic interior should be arranged and decorated, but are also owned as adult amusements."

Doll house, photographed for Captain Howard, Montreal, QC, 1873-74. I-96789.1 © McCord Museum

The Ladies' Home Journal included detailed instructions on making a doll house in the article, A Little Girl's Play-House. The article is too long to paste here, but it's available as part of a free eBook on GooglePlay. After downloading, find page 7 of the December 1887 issue. 

With thoughts of little girls in mind, I searched for one of my favorite childhood toys, the tea set, and chose this next modern photo of a tea set dated 1890-1920 which was gifted to the McCord Museum by Mrs. Raymond Caron.

Tea set, doll, 1890-1920, 19th century or 20th century, Gift of Mrs. Raymond Caron

Doll house, photographed for Captain Howard, Montreal, QC, 1873-74. I-96789.1 © McCord Museum

I love everything about this tea set, from its dainty design to its hexagon cups and saucers. 

The boy is this next photo has an assortment of books and toys, including what looks like lithographed blocks. I thought perhaps he'd be a good representative of a family with a little extra money to spend on toys until I realized he was the son of Charles Selby Haultain, Assistant-Surgeon for the North-West Mounted Police depot in Regina, Saskatchewan. As such, his father would have been higher on the pay scale than the average man, whether lawman, settler, or somewhere in between.

Robert Mitchell "Robin" Haultain with his blocks and other toys, Regina, Saskatchewan, ca. 1891-1894. Source: Glenbow Archives ND-37-3

My search for outdoor fun toys led me to look for photographs of kids and wagons which were difficult to make at home due to the metal parts. I thought perhaps I'd find metal wheels and a wood body, like the adult-size versions, but it seems the ones I found were all-metal construction except possibly for the handle. This particular one has the information that it was probably photographed in Montana.

Herbert and Phoebe Kimball hauling wood in their wagon, ca. 1890-1905. Source: Glenbow Archives NC-39-301

Of course, when you digest the content of the above image, you see that the children are doing chores with their wagon. If that's a doll on the wood pile beside the little girl though, perhaps she was able to give it a ride as they went along, or afterward. 

Portrait of Arthur Patterson blowing bubbles, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, ca. 1897-1900. Source: Glenbow Archives NA-5733-10

I was surprised to find an image of a boy blowing bubbles dated ca. 1897-1900, probably because I associate bubble-blowing with dish-washing liquid and that doesn't strike me as something you'd find at the turn of the century. Location-wise, the Maple Creek area is across the border from Fort Benton, Montana which makes me wonder if they were blowing bubbles down there at that time, too. Would his bubble-making pipe be store-bought? 

Which brings us to a toy I always wanted, but never received as a child . . . the regal rocking horse. Like a doll house, expense depended on size, materials, and workmanship, although it required a skilled craftsman to carve it.

Master Thomas Crathern and rocking horse, Montreal, 1862, William Notman (1826-1891). Purchase from Associated Screen News Ltd. I-3702 © McCord Museum

There are many images of children and their rocking horses, most of them studio images like the glass negative shown here. I chose this one from the McCord Museum however, because it includes this tidbit of photographic history:
"If you look behind Thomas Crathern's feet, you can see a pole. In Miss Pominville's picture, did you notice a curtain draped behind her feet? That was to hide the base of the posing stand, against which both of them are leaning, to help them stay still for the photograph. Master Thomas must have had a harder time of it than Miss Pominville, because he is sitting on a rocking horse, which is made to move. The photographer has jammed one of the feet of the posing stand under the rocker on the far side, so Thomas has a hope of staying still." Source : In the Eye of the Camera [Web tour], by Nora Hague, McCord Museum

For the last image we have a rocking horse suitable for younger children. Although we don't use these any longer due to the safety aspect, I thought this type of rocking horse was more of a vintage style, rather than an antique. 

Lawrence and Watson Dunbar, west of Fort Macleod, Alberta, ca. 1893. Source: Glenbow Archives NA-2033-3

The images in this post are representative of items a person might find in a general store, mercantile, and emporium in the Old West. If not physically in the store, they could be ordered through a catalog.

In my novella, Love in Store, my hero has set up a toy corner in his Emporium where a person might find any or all of the items on this page, and then he has to defend his position of why he's selling them.

Other posts here on HHH that show more images pertaining to my Love in Store novella are:
- General Stores, Mercantiles & Emporiums
- Early Typists at Work

#Giveaway - If you'd like a chance to win a copy of The Secret Admirer Romance Collection which contains nine novellas including, Love in Store, leave a comment on this post before midnight, Sunday June 11, 2017. 

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Anita Mae Draper writes her historical romances under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Her Christian faith is reflected in her stories of forgiveness and redemption as her characters struggle to find their way to that place we call home. Anita loves to correspond with her readers through any of the social media links found at

www.anitamaedraper.com.

Readers can enrich their reading experience by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories at www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper.

Old-Fashioned Mercantiles

As of July, I began writing my next western novel. Since the opening scene is set in the town mercantile, I found it necessary to describe the store. However, it had been a lot of years since I watched Little House on the Prairie. I didn’t recall what the interior of Mr. Oleson’s Mercantile looked like, and I certainly didn’t recall a lot of the details of what a western mercantile might carry. It was perfect timing that we took our short vacation in St. Augustine when we did.



Outside of the Oldest Store Museum
© Jennifer Uhlarik

The first stop on our July vacation was to the “The Oldest Store Museum.” This museum is modeled after a historic store owned by Mr. C.F. Hamblen. His mercantile opened for business in 1875, and the store grew right along with the city of St. Augustine. When Mr. Hamblen died in 1920, the store was bought but continued to operate in one form or another until 2012.
The museum was a fun one, set up like Mr. Hamblen’s store would have looked in the early 1900’s. My story is set in 1873, so some of the featured items displayed in the museum were too “new-fangled” for my purposes, but in general, I still got an excellent idea of how such a mercantile would have looked.

We were met on the mercantile’s porch by a store clerk who offered to give us a tour. Had she been unavailable at that time, there were several rocking chairs on the porch where we could have waited, or where we could catch up on the town gossip fresh from the proprietor after our shopping was done. Since the clerk was ready, she told us a little about Mr. Hamblen and the history of how he opened up shop in the 1870’s, then showed us inside.



Selection of gingham and calico fabrics
and sewing notions.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

The interior of the building was lit with sunlight that flooded in through two large windows on the front and side of the building, as well as a few oil lamps hanging from the tin ceiling. The center of the room had displays of blankets and other goods. Along two sides of the rectangular room stood more large-sized goods, such as a large coffee mill standing about four feet tall and just as wide, or gingham and calico fabrics and sewing items that the women-folk would want to see up close.



Mercantile counter and shelves, including stick candy in jars, old
cash register, and the Edison cylinder music player (far left).
© Jennifer Uhlarik

The other two walls were lined with long counters, one with glass-front drawers containing beans and spices. Behind the counters stood floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with canned goods, tins, fashion items, and other merchandise. On one of the counters sat three large apothecary jars filled with stick candy in various flavors. We were given our choice of root beer, cherry, or watermelon flavors—on the house. At the end of that counter stood a glass case with many types of patent medicines to cure what ails you.

 

Patent medicines and elixers in a glass case.
© Jennifer Uhlarik


The clerk explained that they were the largest store in Florida, and if they didn’t have something in stock, they could order it. If they couldn’t order it, we must not need it. She then proceeded to show us several modern gadgets to outfit our homes. A cream separator, a milkshake maker, a cork sizer, and an Edison cylinder music player, among other things—all of which could be ordered and would arrive in “just two weeks time.” We were given demonstrations of some of the merchandise. That silver-tongued clerk talked us into ordering several of the items on display (including the latest styles of women’s shoes—two pair of each color).


Store counter displaying cream separator (bottom left), women's shoes (center),
hats and unmentionables (in countertop glass case), and men's shirt collars (above the shoes).
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Bicycle inside the warehouse portion.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

After we finished in the main showroom, we were led past the in-house butcher and into the store’s warehouse. The warehouse was like a large barn and had all kinds of interesting goods to consider. Bedroom furniture, bicycles, typewriters, firearms, farm tools, various types of washing machines (including the latest, greatest goat-powered version). We talked a while with the warehouse manager, then were allowed to look on our own for a few moments at the other warehouse displays.


Selection of firearms and hunting traps.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Overall, the museum was amusing and educational, and it certainly was a real help to me in getting a feel for what a mercantile would have looked like back in the day. I hope you enjoyed learning about it.

It’s your turn. What historical tours or sites have you seen that you most enjoyed?


Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won the 2012 CWOW Phoenix Rattler, 2012 ACFW First Impressions, and 2013 FCWC contests, all in the historical category. She is also the winner of the 2013 Central Florida ACFW chapter's "Prompt Response" contest. In addition to writing, she has been a schoolteacher of English, literature, and history, as well as a marketing director. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

John Wanamaker: The Gilded Age Merchant Who Put Faith on Display

by Kimberly Keagan

When we think of the Gilded Age, names like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt often rise to the surface—powerful men who reshaped industries, amassed fortunes, and left legacies chiseled into stone and steel. But there was another name, quietly making history not just with innovation, but with integrity. His store became a household word, but his deeper legacy was one of faith, generosity, and an unwavering belief that business could be sacred work. 

John Wanamaker was born in 1838 in Philadelphia and orphaned by the age of fifteen. He got his start in retail as a clothier’s apprentice, but even from the beginning, he approached business differently. In 1861, he opened a men’s clothing store with his brother-in-law and called it Oak Hall. That modest venture laid the foundation for something revolutionary: a new kind of department store, one built on fixed prices, customer service, and Christian principles.

Long before the term "corporate culture" was coined, Wanamaker was shaping one that centered on respect, morality, and service. He is widely credited with inventing the price tag, abolishing the era’s norm of haggling, which often favored the wealthy and well-connected. He insisted that every customer be treated fairly, whether a society matron or a shopgirl, and that his advertisements be honest, never manipulative.

A 3/4 page Wanamaker ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 1897

 

In 1876, he took a bold step and purchased an abandoned railroad depot to create Wanamaker’s Grand Depot. There, he introduced fixed pricing, money-back guarantees, and open browsing—concepts that were groundbreaking at the time. He added innovations like electric lighting, in-store restaurants, elevators, and eventually, the world’s largest pipe organ. Yet for all the modern marvels, it was the unseen values that held the store together.

 

Top photo: the outside of the Wanamaker Grand Depot store

Bottom photo: a rare photo circa 1890 (author's collection) of 

the inside of the Grand Depot store 

 

Wanamaker never hid his faith. In fact, it permeated everything he did. He closed his stores on Sundays. He held worship services for employees in an in-store chapel. He hired a chaplain. At Christmas, he gave every employee a Bible; thousands each year. He believed his calling wasn’t just to run a business, but to serve people. “A store,” he once said, “is a public trust.”

Employees were expected to maintain high moral standards, and leadership had to sign pledges of personal integrity. Wanamaker's advertisements frequently included Scripture, and during the Christmas season, his stores celebrated not just festivity—but faith. And while the grand organ played on the sales floor, Scripture cards were quietly tucked into shopping bags.

In 1889, his reputation for honest leadership earned him a post in President Benjamin Harrison’s cabinet as Postmaster General. He brought the same values to government service—fighting corruption, expanding rural delivery, and standardizing postage in ways that modernized the postal system. Yet even in Washington, his heart remained with his store—and the people it served.

 

John Wanamaker died in 1922, but his legacy lingered. His name remained emblazoned on his stores for decades, and his values left a mark on American retail. While society valued wealth and spectacle, Wanamaker quietly modeled servant leadership. He believed that faith didn’t need to be left at the church door or the family table, but that it should guide your steps in business, in public service, and even in how you treat a stranger across the counter.

In a gilded age of towering egos and unchecked ambition, Wanamaker offered something far rarer: humility, vision, and a store built on enduring values. He didn’t just change how Americans shopped, he reminded them that character still counted. 

Kimberly Keagan is a former corporate financial writer (not very romantic) who now crafts historical romances filled with strong heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, faith, and a touch of humor. Her Gilded Age romance, Perfect, is her debut novel. 

Perfect

Hearts on Display Book One 

When the perfect life unravels, can love turn the page to a new beginning?