Harveys (department store)
Encyclopedia
Harveys was a department store
chain best known for its original store in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
.
The original Harveys department store was opened by Fred Harvey in 1942 at the corner of 6th Avenue North and Church Street. The site was the former home of a post-Reconstruction Nashville retailer, Lebeck Brothers/Denton & Company, which rose to prominence in the 1870s. When the Lebeck Brothers property became available due to the store's closing, Fred Harvey founded Harveys department store on the property. The store expanded to eventually cover the entire block of Church Street from 6th Avenue to 5th Avenue. The store brought the first escalators to middle Tennessee and the decor featured several carousel
horses which had been salvaged from Glendale Park, a local amusement park that closed during the Great Depression
. The store was also known for its lavish Christmas decorations as well as the annual nativity scene it sponsored in Centennial Park
.
In 1960, Harveys, along with several other downtown Nashville stores, was the site of sit-in demonstrations
, in which local college students protested against racially segregated
lunch-counters. Harveys officially desegregated its lunch-counters on May 10, 1960.
After two decades of successful growth at its downtown location, Harveys expanded to other locations. Harveys opened suburban branch stores at Madison Square Shopping Center (1962) and 100 Oaks Shopping Center (1967). Stores were also opened in surrounding cities, including Columbia
, Cookeville
, Clarksville
, Murfreesboro
, Madisonville, Kentucky
, and Hopkinsville, Kentucky
. One west Tennessee store was also opened in Dyersburg
. By the 1980s, however, the popularity of suburban shopping mall
s led to declining sales at Harveys downtown Nashville location. The original store was closed in January 1984 and torn down to make way for a parking lot. In the late 1980s, Harveys announced another suburban Nashville store at 4724 Lebanon Road in Hermitage. However, prior to opening, the chain of stores was sold to Virginia-based Peebles
in 1988.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
chain best known for its original store in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
The original Harveys department store was opened by Fred Harvey in 1942 at the corner of 6th Avenue North and Church Street. The site was the former home of a post-Reconstruction Nashville retailer, Lebeck Brothers/Denton & Company, which rose to prominence in the 1870s. When the Lebeck Brothers property became available due to the store's closing, Fred Harvey founded Harveys department store on the property. The store expanded to eventually cover the entire block of Church Street from 6th Avenue to 5th Avenue. The store brought the first escalators to middle Tennessee and the decor featured several carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
horses which had been salvaged from Glendale Park, a local amusement park that closed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The store was also known for its lavish Christmas decorations as well as the annual nativity scene it sponsored in Centennial Park
Centennial Park (Nashville)
Centennial Park is a large urban park located approximately two miles west of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, across West End Avenue from the campus of Vanderbilt University and adjacent to the headquarters campus of the Hospital Corporation of America.The park was originally farmland that had...
.
In 1960, Harveys, along with several other downtown Nashville stores, was the site of sit-in demonstrations
Nashville sit-ins
The Nashville sit-ins, which lasted from February 13 to May 10, 1960, were part of a nonviolent direct action campaign to end racial segregation at lunch counters in downtown Nashville, Tennessee...
, in which local college students protested against racially segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
lunch-counters. Harveys officially desegregated its lunch-counters on May 10, 1960.
After two decades of successful growth at its downtown location, Harveys expanded to other locations. Harveys opened suburban branch stores at Madison Square Shopping Center (1962) and 100 Oaks Shopping Center (1967). Stores were also opened in surrounding cities, including Columbia
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
, Cookeville
Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville is a city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,923 at the 2000 census. of Cookeville's population was 30,435, and the combined total of those living in Cookeville's in 2010 was 65,014. It is the county seat of Putnam County and home to Tennessee...
, Clarksville
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
, Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, Madisonville, Kentucky
Madisonville, Kentucky
Madisonville is a city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States of the Western Coal Field region, located along US 41 and The Pennyrile Parkway. The population was 19,307 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hopkins County. The city was named in honor of U.S...
, and Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
. One west Tennessee store was also opened in Dyersburg
Dyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at...
. By the 1980s, however, the popularity of suburban shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s led to declining sales at Harveys downtown Nashville location. The original store was closed in January 1984 and torn down to make way for a parking lot. In the late 1980s, Harveys announced another suburban Nashville store at 4724 Lebanon Road in Hermitage. However, prior to opening, the chain of stores was sold to Virginia-based Peebles
Peebles (store)
Peebles is a department store chain in the eastern and upper-midwestern United States. It is owned by Stage Stores, which also operates under the Bealls, Palais Royal and Stage banners...
in 1988.