Muscogee County GaArchives Photo Place.....Kirven's ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Christine Thacker http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00033.html#0008100 April 25, 2007, 11:10 am Source: Special Sesquicentennial Supplement II Ledger-Enquirer Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/kirvens12668gph.jpg Image file size: 58.5 Kb Landmark For Years, Kirvens’s Still Downtown By Helena Zimmerman Ledger Modern Living Editor If you take the time to wander in downtown Columbus, there's a landmark there that's been a calling card to generations of Valley residents. It isn't a house museum, it isn't a statue. But in its way, it is sort of monument . Its Kirven's, the only independent department store In Columbus, a favorlte shopping and stopping off place for thousands since its founding in the year of 1876. Covering almost 70,000 sq. ft. with entrances from three streets. Broadway, 12th Street and 1st Avenue, the downtown store. with spacious booths for everything from ready-to-wear to candy to booties, is the only major store in downtown Columbus that has remained in Its long-time location. In fact, it wasn't until 1975, over a decade after Columbus' first shopping center opened, that the board of directors of Kirven's ventured into the retail world of mass mall merchandizing. "Some of our customers still come downtown and we're optimistic about downtown's future," said J. DuPont Kirven, president of the company. "Rankin square and the trade-convention center will have a positive, good, long-range effect. One of these days taxes might move people back downtown." While Kirven and two of his sons who are also in the business and his board obviously share this optimistic belief in the revitalization of downtown Columbus, they are also trying to keep pace with the times. That was one reason for their Columbus Square store, covering 70,000 sq. ft. of retail space, employing a "little less than 300 area residents" in both stores and working within a business that's more competitive each day. But times weren't always so. An ancestor of Kirven's, J. Albert ("Abbie") Kirven began the business that became a family one, in August 1876. Abbie Kirven was a $20 a week clerk in a dry goods store, Gordon and Cargill's, when he decided to take a chance at his own business. Acee and Murdoch's, a notions and dry goods store, was available for purchase because of declared bankruptcy, so Kirven took $500 of his savings and borrowed $2,500 from his sister. Before long he was successful enough to move across the street to ,90 Broad Street. Within 10 years Abbie Kirven and his brother Richard, who was a partner, made their final move to 1136-1138 Broadway, site of the present Broadway entrance to the store. Kirven's, aside from being downtown's favorite department store, maintained what was the downtown's "little oasis." Richard Kirven tended roses, which grew behind the Broadway front, sharing honors with a unique cistern that provided "the best water in town" and a place to ice chill a summer melon. The system was filled through the use of a system of roof gutters that channeled rainwater through charcoal filters into the well where it was "crystal clear and cold as ice." Another attraction was Madam LeQuinn, a French milliner, whose needle speed and talent was matched only by her French parrot, who perched precariously among the milliners pIns during the work day! The late J. duPont Kirven, father of today's president, was the most familiar figure in modern times, usually standing near the "up" escalator on the first floor, greetlng his customers. He lived to celebrate his 90th birthday, standing part of the time with his crutches, his white hair glistening while calling hellos to his friends. who were also his customers. The late Kirven "never thought he'd like the retail business," but, since he was the only son of six children. he was the "end of the line." He went to work in 1902. learning marketing and buying techniques. When he was a boy, be had swept out the store and delivered packages. His son, the current president, also worked in the store as a young man, running the elevators. He had decided after graduation from the University North Carolina at Chapel Hill "that I wanted to work for Kirven's ." His first job was assistant manager in the notions department, gradually working up to the down-stairs basement in ladies wear, the house wares, and back up to the first floor to the men's department. Today he and his sons, J. duPont "Tippy" Kirven, who's vice president and secretary and general merchandizing manager Elliott Kirven, manger and buyer of men's clothing and shoes, constitute the family members who carry the name and are associated with the store. Things, of course, are different today from his father's time. He can't do as much greeting as he'd like "because managing isn't as simple as it used to be," but ." J. duPont Kirven has one trait in common with his father, whose style belied his times. Kirven is leading the changes, such as the mall move, keeping up with merchandizing trends just as his father did. But he doesn't like to take much credit.. "Daddy did most of the expanding," he says. Maybe that's theway the president would like it recorded. But he's expanding, too, in another way. By staying downtown. That's an expansion that transcends structural changes merchandizing tricks. It's expansion of his belief of downtown Columbus, that the business district will one day return to the wonderful 19th century building selling 20th and early 21st century merchandizing. Kirven's will be right there simply because it never left. Special Sesquicentennial Supplement II Ledger- Enquirer, Sunday, April 23, 1978. S-27 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/kirvens12668gph.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb