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Salem’s beloved department store Almy’s can be traced back to 1858, when James F. Almy opened his first store at 156 Essex Street in the Bowker Block. His original business card read “James F. Almy, wholesale and retail dealer for cash in silks, shawls, dress goods, and housekeeping goods.” After a successful first few years in business, Almy moved to a larger space in the West Block at 188 Essex Street, where the store remained.
In the 1860s, Walter K. Bigelow became Almy’s business partner, and the firm changed its name to James F. Almy & Co. The store continued expanding and around 1869, William G. Webber also became a partner. The firm was renamed Almy, Bigelow & Webber, which it remained until Webber’s retirement in 1885.
After Webber’s departure, Calvin R. Annable and E. Augustus Washburn advanced to partnership with Almy. The firm then changed to its final name of Almy, Bigelow & Washburn. The business was incorporated after the death of James F. Almy in April 1899, with Almy’s wife and daughter serving on the board.
In a 1908 booklet, commemorating the store's 50th year, Almy’s boasted about being the first in many advancements in Salem, including: “first in the city to install a passenger elevator,” “first in the city to provide a retiring room and toilet for customers” and the “first to inaugurate the department store idea in Essex County.”
Around 1910, Almy’s installed a cast-iron sidewalk clock by E. Howard & Co. in front of their store on Essex Street. The top of which read “Essex County’s Shopping Centre” and simply “Almy’s” on the clockface.
In the first half of the 20th century, small branches of the store were added in nearby towns including Beverly, Danvers, and Gloucester. In 1951, Almy, Bigelow & Washburn Inc. was sold to the Gorin family, which already operated a small chain of stores. By the 1980s, the Gorins owned 32 stores throughout the northeast, many of which they rebranded as “Almy’s.” After several years of struggling to make a profit, the Gorins sold their company to an investment firm. By 1985, a majority of the Almy’s stores had been sold to Stop & Shop Companies for redevelopment. Today, all that remains of Salem’s Almy’s is the clock which bears its name. In March of 2021, the Almy’s clock was removed and restored by the Electric Time, Co. for the first time in more than 100 years. The clock was reinstalled on Essex Street in December 2022.
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Digitized Archives
Almy's Photographs and Ephemera
Almy, Bigelow & Washburn: Fifty Years 1858-1908
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