I just came across this old Thalhimers’ store directory (probably from the 1970s) for the downtown Richmond store on the website DepartmentStoreMuseum.blogspot.com . I actually found a poster of the most recent store directory in the downtown Thalhimers building before it was demolished. It’s all mildewed, but we still have it in my parents’ basement.
Which department was your favorite?
DOWNTOWN STORE DIRECTORY
Basement
Thalhimers Budget Store • Angelo’s Hot Dogs
Main Floor
Fine Jewelry • Fashion Jewelry • Handbags • Purse Accessories • Gloves • Hosiery • Accessories • Cosmetics • Fragrances • Blouses • Sweaters • Budget Sportswear • Notions • Stationery & Books • Fine Food Shop • Sweet Shop • Candy • Luggage • Soda Fountain
Mensworld Men’s Accessories • Men’s Furnishings • Men’s Sportwear • Men’s Clothing • Cavalier Shop • Men’s Shoes • Young Men’s Shop • Boys’ Wear • Smoke Shop
Mezzanine
Men’s Soup Bar
Second Floor
China • Silver • Gifts • Table Linens • Sheets • Blankets • Comforters • Pillows • Bath Shop • Bedroom Ensembles • Curtains • Draperies • Housewares • Small Electrics • Appliances • Televisions • Stereos • Furniture • Floor Coverings • Sleep Shop
Third Floor
Misses’ Sportswear • Misses’ Dresses • Misses’ Coats • Lovely Lady Shop • Updated Sportswear • Updated Dresses • Better Sportswear • Better Dresses • Classic Collector Shop • French Room • Milliner • Fur Salon • Bridal Salon • Shoe Salon • Pappagallo Shop • Lingerie • Foundations • Sleepwear • Loungewear • Maternity Shop • Uniforms
Fourth Floor
The Richmond Room Restaurant • The T-Cart • Infants’ Wear • Toddlers’ Wear • Girls’ Wear • Subteen Shop • Teen Shop • Girls’ Accessories • Tots to Teen Shoes • Toys • Pet Shop • Sporting Goods • Beauty Salon
Young Virginian Junior Sportswear • Junior Dresses • Junior Coats
Fifth Floor
Budget Dresses • Sewing and Needlework Center • Sewing Machines • Customer Service • Optical • Cash Office • Credit Office
Sixth Floor
Executive Offices
Finding Thalhimers 
That is like picking my favorite child! Every department had something wonderful at Thalhimers. Of course the sweet shop was my favorite as a child and I particularly loved the white, oval shaped handmade lollipots sold at the candy/cake counter. They sat in bulk in large Thalhimer-checked tugs on top of the counter and my grandmother always bought me one if I had behaved. Since going downtown was my very favorite past time I rarely was anything but perfect. I took my own children to buy one of those deicious lollipops ad they were gone. The ladies behind the counter didn’t remember them. I also adored the hat department where the clerks would allow me at age 10 to carefully try on hats. What a treat it was…a day at Thalhimers!
My mother was ver thrifty and we did alot of shopping in the basement but I loved the first floor also. I reckon the favorite store was downtown because my Dad worked next door at Greentrees. I would ride the bus when I was younger my sister and I and meet him at Greentrees and he would take us to Thalhimers and buy us our new pair of Spaldings every fall to start school in. Then he would take us to lunch or we would buy things to eat at Thalhimers and come back to where he worked , ate and went back home. They were such great memories.
Hello, Elizabeth. I am the person behind “The Department Store Museum” and am glad that you found my site. I wanted to write you about how much I enjoyed your book, but, alas!
You may enjoy my effort: Jacobson’s: I Miss It So, which has just been published. It is about a well-respected specialty department store in Michigan and Florida which was run by a family which is very similar to the one you describe.
The directory for Thalhimers is based on notes I took many years ago after reading out-of-town newspapers, Christmas Catalogues, etc. I did not know what floors these items were on until I extrapolated if from your book; so there may be errors which I would like to correct.
Also, the branch store list may not be complete; my site doesn’t really cover any branches opened after the store was sold and the name was changed. My research (which I have posted for all to enjoy) also includes, where I have been able to do so, charming illustrations of the branch stores from newspaper ads and press releases. I don’t have too many of these from Thalhimers because the Richmond and most NC newspapers are not online yet. Would you have any access to these? If I got a hold of them I would be happy to post them and share with everyone. I like to have the name of the branch, its location, the opening month and year, square footage, and the name of any restaurants it had.
I know you share with me a motivation . . . putting all of this information and sharing it with others who feel the same way helps keep our sadly-missed retailers, (actually a part of our cultural landscape, as your book proves) helps keep them “alive in our hearts.” (This was the best thing anyone was able to offer me when my first wife passed away suddenly in 1996).
Bruce
Thanks for posting the store directory. That one might be during my time, but before any of my memories. The stand out is the pet department. I remember my mom talking about the pet department, but I have no recollection.
Besides the 6 retail floors, there were 7th and 8th floors, and a sub-basement only accessible by freight elevator or stairs. The computer room was on 7, and there was a print shop and store planning office on 8 for a while in the 80’s.
Thanks as always for the memories!
When I saw this my first thought was “The Fawn Shop” where I could go by myself to pick out gifts for my parents and friends. I hope my memory is correct! Really enjoyed your book and I am enjoying your blog, too.
Thanks for the store directory listing – it is definitely from a long time ago, the pet shop goes back a while, as does the smoke shop.
Besides the floors listed, there were two higher floors, 7th and 8th, where the computer room and other store operations departments were housed. These floors, along with the sub-basement were accessible only by the freight elevators or stairs. I only visited the sub-basement once – it was pretty creepy, with a rather low ceiling.
There was a little print shop on 8, where signs were printed. Also there was a store planning office up there. The computer room took up pretty much all of the 7th floor. We could look out upon the roof of the multiple joined buildings that made up the store behind the aluminum facade.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane….!
I’m glad you mentioned the 7th and 8th floor! I worked on the 7th floor as a supervisor for computer operations from 1978-1987.
Thalhimers was where our family shopped; it’s where our loyalty laid. We never crossed the street to the ‘other’ store! My grandmother, mother and aunt all worked at the Broad Street store. My grandmother and mother worked in the fabric department. My grandmother also made custom drapes for Thalhimer customers. I moved from Richmond 1974 and missed shopping at ‘our’ store. Rich’s and Davidsons in Atlanta were poor seconds to Thalhimers. Imagine my delight when we were transferred to North Carolina and I could once more shop at ‘home’.
Could anyone offer a reasonably good idea of the current value of a coat-probably for evening wear- I have with the label Sosnik-Thalhimers Wintons-Salem, N.C.? It’s a luxurious ecru velvet swing coat with gold metallic threaded quilting, stitches in a floral pattern, and ecru satin lined. I’m guessing it’s from the 50’s-60’s after Sosnik’s Dept. Store was acquired..Could you share or direct me to any fashion catalogs or ads that might help with original pricing? I’m not from the South, so I never had the privelege of shopping at any of their stores.. I’d be ever so grateful for any leads you could furnish, This is an intriguing mystery!
Hi, Cheryl…
Thanks for reaching out. I’m not a fashion expert, so I don’t know what your evening coat would be worth. You could probably take it to an upscale consignment shop to get a current value. If you are interested in the historic value (i.e. what it would have been worth in the 1950s-60s) you might want to peruse newspapers for Sosnik-Thalhimers ads in the Winston-Salem Journal. You can probably get microfilms of the paper at your local or state library.
Take care, and good luck! If you’d like to pass along a photo of the coat so I can post it for viewers to see…email me at elizabeth@findingthalhimers.com.
I would say 499.00