It all started in 1882. That’s, the year that Chester A. Arthur was president of the United States. It’s the year that the steam turbine engine was invented. And it’s the year that Franklin D. Roosevelt was born. 1882 was also the year that a young man from Manchester, New Hampshire started his dry goods store on Washington Street in Boston. His name was Parke Snow. Mr. Snow believed that If he was to be successful, he must operate his business in a friendly and cooperative way. He wanted his store to be a place where customers could shop in leisure and find the items they needed at a fair price.
With this idea in mind, the Parke Snow store flourished until it outgrew its small quarters. In 1902 Mr. Snow moved his business to Somerville, Massachusetts, and opened the first large Parke Snow department store. Continuing his policy of friendly cooperation, and offering the best possible merchandise at popular prices, the business grew, until in 1919 Mr. Snow retired from active management and the business was incorporated.
In order to bring the Parke Snow way of doing business to as many people as possible, new stores were added at the time of incorporation and the people of Somerville, Cambridge, Waltham and Fitchburg came to know Parke Snow’s as their neighbor.
After that, the business really started to grow and is still growing today as Parke Snow’s celebrates its 73rd Birthday with the same policy of friendly cooperation and popular prices.
Each year in honor of its birthday. the Parke Snow’s store has a store-wide Birthday Sale. According to Mr. Charles A Whipple, the.genial head of the organization, this year’s sale is the best yet. “Our buyers and merchandising staff has been preparing for months,” says Mr. Whipple, “to bring to our many friends special values in every department of the store.”
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)