By Diane Euston
If you ask Google about the history of Petticoat Lane, the results are mixed at best. Without specifying “Kansas City” in your search, you’re likely led to the 17th-century market in London with the same name.
But if you’re from Kansas City or the surrounding area and are referring to Petticoat Lane, you likely mean 11th Street downtown between Main Street and Grand. Once the premier shopping destination far and wide, the history of this stretch of valuable real estate and its connection to Christmas gift giving cannot be overstated.
Ask any Baby Boomer or older from the area about Petticoat Lane, and you will be blessed with a story or two (or more) of nostalgic trips to this downtown destination.
The origin of its honorary name is, as with most of Kansas City’s history, a bit complicated. In order to tell this story, we must look at the landscape of Kansas City in the 1880s through the turn of the century when this area was the hub of all things fashionable.
Early Shopping Destinations Downtown
Prior to the 1890s, fashionable shopping centered around 5th to 7th Street along Main Street. When preparing their Christmas shopping lists, patrons traveled to this area where rows of dry goods houses, restaurants, markets and jewelers were ready to serve customers.
Women, often with children in tow, would head downtown to do their shopping along Main Street, carefully selecting the perfect gifts, gliding along the sidewalks and taking in all the beautifully decorated front windows.
The men, too, would go downtown for shopping, but their shopping technique was a bit different from the women. Some things never change; in December 1886, the Kansas City Journal proclaimed, “Men are liked as customers because they buy abundantly and quickly.”
One common occurrence still seen to be true were the large crowds of last-minute buyers. Mind you, the holiday shopping season didn’t begin like it does today the day after Halloween or Black Friday. A week before Christmas in 1889, the Kansas City Times wrote, “Show windows have put on their holiday attire. The crowds upon the streets, in the stores – pushing, eager, looking, buying – are Christmas crowds. The big delivery wagons met at every crossing are laden with Christmas goods. The children are all filled with Christmas plans and anticipations.”
Stores virtually transformed during the holiday season. The drug store wasn’t just a drug store in the 1880s – it was the place to get perfumes and fragrances. The dry goods establishment became a toy store while the bookstore became a store filled with thousands of novelties.
In 1892, a hot new gift for the youngsters was “the talking board, or luck board, or fortune teller, as it is variously called,” the Journal reported. “This is probably the most novel of all the new games. It is a board with letters and numerals on it, and you have an indicator of some sort which slides over the board; you and your friends place the tips of your fingers on the indicator, and when it gets good and ready the indicator travels around and spell out the answer to some question that has been propounded.”
The ouija board hit the markets — just in time for Christmas.
One of the earliest well known shops in what would become Petticoat Lane got its start in 1888 at 807 Main St. Jaccard’s Jewelry Company, owned by Eugene and Walter Jaccard, came from a rich stock of fine Swiss watchmakers. In 1893, Jaccard’s moved to a larger store at 1034 Main St. where an iconic large clock was placed on the street outside their business.
The Beginnings of Petticoat Lane
Another iconic business got its start in the original shopping district downtown at the southwest corner of 7th and Main. With its roots starting during the Civil War, the company was known then as Bullene Bros. & Co. After several buyouts and buy-ins, the store became known as Bullene, Moore, Thayer & Co. In 1889, the business announced a move to 11th and Walnut.
Leading Kansas City businessmen balked at this decision, stating they were “going into the woods” and would be too far out of the way from anything. At the time, the department store claimed half of the retail dry goods business in Kansas City.
“The Big Store,” as it became known, spanned an entire city block and boasted wide aisles, brass elevator cages and a famed Tea Room on the third floor. It was said that it had two acres of floor space. Within short order, it became known as the finest department store west of the Mississippi. By the 1890s, the final name of Emery, Bird, Thayer & Co., commonly shortened to EBT, was fixed upon the powerhouse department store that was the birth of Petticoat Lane.
At its opening, EBT employed over 700 people.
EBT tried to entice shoppers in December 1895 by suggesting women should “meet their husbands” at their store. “Here at six o’clock to-night, take supper in the New Tea Room and spend the evening among the Holiday Goods. You will both enjoy Christmast shopping doing it this way. Try it.”
The arrival of EBT on what would become Petticoat Lane certainly helped to claim this area as the new shopping district of the city – but there were other retailers there first.
John Taylor (1854-1919) arrived in Kansas City from Columbus, Ohio in 1881. With then-partner George Sinclair, the pair rented space in the brand-new Ridge Building at 1038-40 Main St. and opened their doors with 10 employees.
A year later, Sinclair moved away and John Taylor’s Dry Goods Co. was solely run by Taylor. By 1896, John Taylor’s Dry Goods Co. had doubled in size. The company was unique in several ways, including operating on a “strictly-cash basis.” Several expansions due to popularity occurred after the turn of the century, and by 1914, a new six-story structure at their original location featured over four acres of floor space.
Opening just after EBT landed in its new neighborhood, the Parisian Cloak Company – commonly known in memory as Harzfeld’s – opened at 11th and Main. The Parisian Cloak Company had stores in St. Louis and Chicago under the leadership of Seig Harzfeld (1867-1944).
Harzfeld’s, as it later became known, stretched down 11th Street, and in 1913, an 11-story building was constructed across the street in order to expand their ready-made women’s and children’s clothing. At Christmastime 1914, Harzfeld’s appealed to customers in advertisements suggesting that “if in doubt” about what to give as a gift, “Give her a Harzfeld Gift Bond.”
Following in the footsteps of these retail giants, a store originally known in 1866 as Doggett Store Co. was sold to Geroge B. Peck (1863-1906) in 1889. Originally from Detroit, Peck first bought interest in the company at 11th and Main and then purchased the whole company in 1898.
Known for his “charity and good will,” George B. Peck noted that the children employed to run money from counters across the store to the central cashier were not in school. Thus, he opened up a school inside his business where he hired teachers and supplied writing utensils and stationary to the children.
In 1901, the business name was changed to George B. Peck’s Dry Goods Co., commonly referred to as simply “Peck’s.” Located at 1044 Main St., Peck’s building was constructed by famed architects Root & Siemens in 1914.
Growing Pains and the “Guardian of Petticoat Lane”
uring the holiday season, Petticoat Lane was abuzz with thousands of shoppers crammed onto the streets. Not all the businesses had the financial capital like EBT, but they found other creative ways to draw people into their stores. J.R. Mercer at 10 E. 11th Street in the heart of Petticoat Lane had a small store. He didn’t wish to spend money on printed ads, but his “superior genius as a window trimmer” led people far and wide to his store.
The Kansas City Star wrote in December 1896, “The beauty and taste combined in his store window displays are the talk of society, as well as of the many visitors in the city who pass through the ‘lane.’”
Merchants unable to afford the rental prices along Petticoat Lane didn’t let that stop them from capitalizing on the increased traffic during the holiday season. Men would often sell fresh Christmas wreaths layered on broomsticks to those passing by.
The foot traffic along Petticoat Lane’s shopping district was further complicated when out-of-towners took the cable car into the city center. The Kansas City Star noted in December 1897, “Country shoppers, not used to crowded pavements, were especially in evidence.”
The first ever appearance in Kansas City of a holiday staple occurred on Petticoat Lane in 1898. The Salvation Army began to ring a bell and ask for donations. “Emulating the example of the Eastern branches,” the Kansas City Times reported, the Salvation Army “has set up an old fashioned kettle on a tripod in Petticoat Lane. It is for Christmas contributions and it bears the sign reading, ‘Keep the pot boiling.’”
Traffic was always an issue around Petticoat Lane, and before street lights were installed, police officers were posted in various busy intersections across the city. At the intersection of the heart of Petticoat Lane at 11th and Walnut was a brave police officer named James W. Hogan (1862-1912).
Starting at his post in 1899, Hogan was “picked from the force for his fitness in steadiness, gallantry and sobriety.” As the traffic officer at 11th and Grand, it was Hogan’s job to ensure that women and children crowding the streets could safely cross. Often, rogue carriages or spooked teams of horses would barrel through the intersection, and it was his job to ensure no one was hurt.
In March 1899, the Kansas City Star wrote, “A street crossing is a dangerous place for women in numbers when the cable cars of three lines of transportation go clanging along one after the other, and all sorts of vehicles move in stead stream between the sidewalks and the car tracks.”
But one of the biggest dangers on Petticoat Lane didn’t come from the traffic – it came from men. Men, often referred to as “mashers,” would whistle and make lewd comments to females passing by. Officer Hogan was known far and wide for his ability to rid the mashers from the neighborhood.
On one occasion, he arrested a drunk man who wouldn’t stop hugging passing women on the street.
He famously claimed that the best way to deal with mashers was “to do a little ‘mashing’ on your own account.” Once, he followed a masher all the way to the Hotel Baltimore and “lectured him until the fellow’s cheeks were red with shame.”
There was a loose call to rename “Petticoat Lane” to “Hogan’s Alley” because he was so beloved by the shoppers and retailers alike.
But James Hogan’s spot as traffic cop at the intersection ended in September 1905 when he was promoted to sergeant in charge of the traffic squad. That year, he added 16 extra “crossing men” to help with foot traffic on Petticoat Lane.
This was especially needed due to the increased popularity of the automobile. By 1909, Petticoat Lane was a dangerous place for pedestrians, and the Kansas City Times noted, “Statistics show on some of these corners that a combination of horse drawn vehicles and street cars cannot make a favorable showing against the onward march of flying motors.”
When Hogan died in 1912, it was said that “practically all of the traffic regulations [then] in use were suggested by [James Hogan].”
The Conspiracy of the Name “Petticoat Lane”
The origin of the nickname “Petticoat Lane” has been debated as early as the 1950s and even developed into a lawsuit in 1966.
Retailers in the area had been using the name for generations, and the premier shopping area underwent changes in ownership. John Taylor’s Dry Goods Co. sold out to Macy’s in 1947, and its name was erased from Petticoat Lane by 1949.
Decorative signs along 11th Street were installed with the “Petticoat Lane” name, but the name wasn’t “official” with the city government. In May 1966, the city council voted to officially rename 11th Street from Main to Grand “Petticoat Lane.”
This should have been a victory to the staying power of Petticoat Lane, but it wasn’t for long. The origin of the name was in question, and the use of the name by retailers was under fire.
In 1931, Harzfeld’s trademarked “Petticoat Lane” to a line of perfumes it sold, and they later added other trademarks associated with the use of “Petticoat Lane” including women’s leather and fabric, shoes and other items sold at their stores.
But John Taylor’s Dry Goods Co. also registered their slogan, “Just a Step Ahead on Petticoat Lane” in 1933, protecting it from use by other retail shops.
Macy’s, who took over ownership of John Taylor’s in 1947, continued to use the name “Petticoat Lane” in advertising, and in July 1966, Harzfeld’s sued in U.S. District Court, demanding Macy’s remove any signs that said “Petticoat Lane.” Harzfeld’s claimed that their original owner, Seig Harzfeld, had come up with the name and they had worked years building their Petticoat Lane trademark.
This created a clear question of the origin of the Petticoat Lane name, and it became clear that as much as Harzfeld’s wanted to claim their owner came up with it, this was not the truth.
An article published in the Kansas CIty Star in 1953 helps clear up some of the mystery as Kansas Citians asked where the name came from.
Minnie McIntyre Wallace (1871-1959), then living in Wisconsin, responded. After moving to Kansas City with her widowed mother, Minnie would often shop with her mother along 11th Street. She became a well-known poet, often publishing her poetry in the newspaper.
In 1896, a poem titled “In Petticoat Lane” landed on the pages.
It reads:
In Petticoat Lane
(11th Street, From Walnut to Main)
In Petticoat Lane the maids-are fair,
In silken glory and glossy hair,
With gleam of colors and smart array,
They flutter along, insouciant, gay,
A breath of heliotrope in the air,
Couples laughing and debonair,
Throng with beauty that tiny square;
Stopping, perchance at some shop’s display,
In Petticoat Lane
The frou from of silken gowns is there,
And blossoming hats (Dame Fashion’s wear),
And smiles and fragrance and
dimples that slay
The heart of the youth who looks that way;
Heigho! the masculine minds despair,
In Petticoat Lane
And over all is the sun’s crisp glare,
With crush of carriages everywhere,
And feminine crowds on Saturday,
In Petticoat Lane.
Minnie told the newspaper in 1953, “I do not know now what inspired the lines under that title, but at that time I lived only a block from Eleventh Street on the east side.”
Evidence matches up to Minnie’s account; by 1897, various retailers were using “Petticoat Lane” in their advertisements.
The lawsuit filed by Harzfeld’s disappeared not long after it was filed, and the result of it is unknown; however, Macy’s continued to openly use the term “Petticoat Lane” in their advertisements.
The Disappearance of Petticoat Lane Today
The rise of the suburban shopping areas and the creation of the indoor shopping mall sealed the fate of the once-famed Petticoat Lane. In 1968, EBT shuttered their doors, and the famed building was leveled in 1972.
Harzfeld’s later added locations in Lawrence, Columbia, on the Plaza, Blue Ridge Mall, Corinth Shopping Center and Metcalf South. In 1959, the company went public and in 1972 Harzfeld’s was purchased by an outside company. Slowly but surely, the once-famed local department store closed its doors at each location. By 1984 the last of Harzfeld’s was no longer when they closed their downtown store.
Macy’s remodeled the old John Taylor’s store numerous times and held strong in Petticoat Lane until it sold out to Dillard’s in 1987. Two years later, it was no longer. The building was demolished to make way for a parking garage.
The story is similar for other well-known retailers of the day, including Kline’s and Jones Store Co. which survived until 1998. The building, like all the others, fell to the auspices of “urban development.”
One survivor has stood the test of time. The Peck’s Dry Goods Building at 1044 Main St., built in 1914, survived as a firm until 1964 when it shut its doors. The building today, however, has stood the test of time. Known as “Peck’s Plaza,” the building has been renovated and leases commercial space.
The area is a far cry from the days of bustling Petticoat Lane when eager patrons popped onto the cable car line to pick up presents for loved ones. The buildings are all but gone, and the memories of what once existed are carefully captured in the few photographs of its heyday – of festoons of garland draped across the streets and attached to posts. The days of the past also exist inside the memories of those who remember those special trips to downtown to take in the sights and sounds of Petticoat Lane.
