Haggarty’s was an upscale Los Angeles department store chain founded by J.J. Haggarty (1860-1935), in 1905, in the former location of the City of London store at 337-339 S. Broadway. Born in Liverpool and serving his apprenticeship at some of London’s best shops, Haggarty came to America and found his way to Jacoby Bros. store in Los Angeles, where he worked his way up to buyer and store manager, prior to opening his own store.
Originally named the New York Cloak and Suit House, and selling women’s and children’s fashions, Haggarty sought to set his business apart from the other specialty shops in L.A.’s premier shopping district with a unique scheme. An article in the Los Angeles Herald newspaper from January 22, 1905 stated: “It is the intention of the management to have each floor entirely different in furnishings and appointments from the others. The background of one floor will be green, and all the furnishings will be appropriate and harmonious with this color. The background of another floor will be blue; anther white and a fourth champagne.”
In 1917 he achieved his dream of opening a “large uptown store” at the corner of 7th and Grand, changing the name to J.J. Haggarty Inc. The storefront featured an arcade of display windows 350 feet long, the first of its kind in Los Angeles.
After Haggarty’s death, the business was purchased by Clyde H. DeAcres, a musical instrument retailer. In 1938 a Beverly Hills store was opened, with a number of other locations in the suburbs of Southern California to follow over the next 10 years, reaching more than a dozen branches at its peak. In 1963, Litton Industries bought the chain, moved Haggarty’s out of downtown, and poured over $9 million into operations to keep the failing business afloat. But in 1970, the company was forced into bankruptcy, and ordered to liquidate its assets in order to cover $4.4 million in unpaid debts.
Written by Ranch Queen Vintage
