Founded in 1888 in downtown Tacoma, by 1894 they opened their first branch store in Olympia.

[1] In January 1896 they opened their new flagship store at the corner of Pacific and 11th Street in Tacoma, which was the main intersection of downtown at the time.

The new stores anchored several malls as well as stand-alone locations in downtown areas.

The chain was shut down by its parent company, Mercantile Stores, in early 1984 after years of declining profits.

[4][5] The flagship Tacoma store was remodeled and renamed Puget Sound Plaza and currently houses offices and a Key Bank branch.