One of the former store locations at 979–989 Market Street in the Market Street Theatre and Loft District (Mid-Market) of San Francisco is listed as a U.S. National Register of Historic Place.

[1] Marshal Hale Sr. (b. Vermont, 1809) had been a merchant first in New York State, growing his business to a five store chain, and later in Michigan.

At that time Hale's owned and operated a radio station, KPO, "the Voice of San Francisco", and was one of the first U.S. department stores to do so.

In 1946, Hale's opened a Women's Clothing store designed by architect William Gladstone Merchant (1889-1962) on Geary Street at the corner of Maiden Lane.

[10] In 1906 Hale's purchased a stake in the Whitthorne & Swan department store at 1015 (10th–11th &) Washington, and in 1926 acquired it outright,[2] expanding it to 124,800 sq ft and operating it under that name until Mr. Whitthorne died in 1940.