A. M. Jensen's
Encyclopedia
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
in 1905 by Albert M. Jensen after acquiring the Skiles Dry Goods Company. From 1905 to 1920 the business was located in the former Knapp & Burrell Company building, where now Banner Bank
Banner Bank
Banner Bank, the primary subsidiary of Banner Corporation , is a Washington-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded as the National Building Loan & Trust Association in 1890, it is the oldest savings and loan institution in Washington...
is located, on the east side of Second Street between Main and Alder. The store suffered a huge fire in 1912 but it did not close.. In 1920, A.M. Jensen Company built a new large store building completely clad with terracotta on East Main Street towards which Walla Walla's business district was starting to shift. The former location was replaced by the First National Bank building in 1921, which currently houses Banner Bank.
In 1946, the C.C. Anderson division of Allied Department Stores purchased the store's assets. Albert M. Jensen died at 80 years of age on November 20, 1948 after having run the business for 36 years. Allied Department Stores purchased the store building from the Jensen family in 1950. In 1951, Allied changed the A.M. Jensen Company name to The Bon Marché
The Bon Marché
The Bon Marché, whose name means "the good deal" or "the good market", was the name chosen for a department store launched in Seattle, Washington, United States, in 1890 by Edward Nordhoff. The name comes from Le Bon Marché, a noted Paris retailer and one of the world's first department stores,...
accompanying a large renovation adding over 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) to the sales floor.
In 2005, Federated Department Stores
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
removed the The Bon Marché name from all of its stores, rebranding them Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. Jensen's original building stands today, much as it did then, but as a unit of Macy's.
Further reading
- Walla Walla: A nice place to raise a family 1920-1949 (Robert A. Bennett, Walla Walla: Pioneer Press, 1988)
- Department Store Remodeling Will Be Completed This Week (The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Vol.83: pg5, 1951))