Figure 1.--Here arecoats and jackets offered for grade schools biys in the Scruggs fall 1939 catalog. The overcoat and short pants Eton suits suggest to us that Scruggs was a somewhat higher-end department store. |
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Scruggs, a St. Louis, Missouri store, issued a fall catalog for back to school for grde school boys (figure 1). It included coats and jackets. There was an overcoat for dresswear. It is shown being worn over a suit. The overcoat and short pants Eton suits suggest to us that Scruggs was a somewhat higher-end department store. Scruggs also offered a zippered jacket. It may be corduroy given the illustration, but that is not specified. Hard wearing corduroy was popular for schoolwear. Denim was not yet a major fabric. And there is a raincoat with a matching rain cap. This was a popular raincoat style which was worn for several decades. The catalog had some limited ad copy providing detailsabout the different garments.
Scruggs was an important St. Louis, Missouri department store. The full name was Scruggs Vandervoort and Barney. The store vbegan as a dry goods store (1850). St. Louis at the time was the jumping off point for the trails that led settlers west. Until after the Civil Warthere were no railroads west. M.V.L McClelland and Richard Scruggs founded the store. They had their first store on North Fourth Street, which they later expanded. W.C. Vandervoort joined the company (1860). M.V.L. McClelland retired and Charles E. Barney was hired in his place (1870). The owners moved the store into the Syndicate Trust building at Tenth and Olive Streets )1907). By this time, St. Louis had grown into a major American city, second only to Chicago in the Midwest. Scruggs was very successful and expanded into the Century building which occupied the entire block, a massive store. (1913). Scruggs Vandervoort and Barney took over Mermod Jaccard King Jewelry Company during World War I (1917). They incorporatedg it into their downtown location and subsequently into their branches. The Scruggs Department Store serviced St. Louisans for over 100
years as St. Louis grew from a small town to a major city. Their merchandise included a wide range of retail products. They also hosted many public events such as women's and men's fashion shows. Civil Rights groups accused Scruggs of unfair hiring practices. We have pages from a fall catalog with back to school pages. It included pages for grade school boys (figure 1). The NAACP picketed the store (1960). Scruggs like many don town department stores in American cities faced the challenge of suburbanization as their customers moved into the suburbs after World War II. They opened a branch store in Clayton (1950). Scruggs was unable to resytructure its operatiins In the end Scruggs Vandervoort and Barney was unable to adequately restructure its operations and had to close (1967).
The Scruggs 1939 fall catalog had some limited ad copy providing detailsabout the different garments. The overcoat and short pants Eton suits suggest to us that Scruggs was a somewhat higher-end department store.
The Scruggs Fall catalog included coats and jackets. There was an overcoat for dresswear. It is shown being worn over a suit. The ad copy read, "Topcoat and Overcoatin obe. Haircloth or tweed top coats with al-woo zip in linings. Inter-lined sleeves. Brown, dark green haircloth; brown, blue tweeds. Sizes 6 to 12. ......$15.95."
Scruggs also offered a zippered jacket. It may be corduroy given the illustration, but that is not specified. Hard wearing corduroy was popular for schoolwear. Denim was not yet a major fabric. This was one of the Victoroy Ensembles which Scruggs said were "made expressly for Vandervoort's by Kaynee. Navy, brown, maroon, or green." In addition to the jacket there were alo short and long pants. The age range for the different items varied slightly. The jacket ad copy only read, "Plain Zippered Jacket. Sizes 4 to 12. ... $3.98."
And there is a raincoat with a matching rain cap. This was a popular raincoat style which was worn for several decades. The ad copy read, "Black Rubber Rain Sets wit traffic tyoe hat. Sizes 4 o 12. ... $1.98" These rain coats were mostly black in the 1930s, but after World War II webegin to see yellow rain coats and cevenbtually other colors.
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