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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Then and Now: W.T. Grant Company

1956: The W.T. Grant Co. department store opened in a new building at Riverside and Post in September 1954. A store at Northtown shopping center opened several months later. The store was decidedly middle class, with a focus on value, but with a wide-ranging inventory, from clothing to hardware, housewares and personal items. Spokane’s downtown J.C. Penney store, which had moved to Main Avenue, held this spot before Grant arrived. The downtown store had three floors and a 53-seat lunch counter. This store closed in 1965, but the company kept a larger store at Northtown shopping center until the company declared bankruptcy in 1975. (THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE)
1956: The W.T. Grant Co. department store opened in a new building at Riverside and Post in September 1954. A store at Northtown shopping center opened several months later. The store was decidedly middle class, with a focus on value, but with a wide-ranging inventory, from clothing to hardware, housewares and personal items. Spokane’s downtown J.C. Penney store, which had moved to Main Avenue, held this spot before Grant arrived. The downtown store had three floors and a 53-seat lunch counter. This store closed in 1965, but the company kept a larger store at Northtown shopping center until the company declared bankruptcy in 1975. (THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE)
By Jesse Tinsley jesset@spokesman.com(509) 459-5378

Twentieth-century America featured the establishment, and often the demise, of dozens of retail giants that were named for their founders, with names like S.S. Kresge, J.J. Newberry and F.W. Woolworth. Some of these outlets remained discount variety stores, while others became giants, including Kmart and J.C. Penney.

One of these was the W.T. Grant Co. William T. Grant opened “W. T. Grant Co. 25 Cent Store” in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1906. Grant’s focus on small profit margins appealed to thrifty shoppers, and the chain grew quickly. The stores were often referred to as “Grant’s,” but the signs usually said “W.T. Grant Co.”

Many stores had a restaurant called Bradford House, named after Bradford County, Pennsylvania, where Grant was born. The store mascot was Bucky Bradford, a cartoon character dressed in pilgrim garb. The company sold many store brands, such as Grantogs children’s clothing and Bradford electronics.

Grant’s made a splash in Spokane when two stores opened within six months of each other.

While downtown department stores were trying to decide whether to move to suburban shopping centers like Northtown or remain in downtown Spokane, W.T. Grant opened a new store at Riverside Avenue and Post Street in 1954, then a new store at Northtown in 1955.

Grant’s called itself “4-stores-in-one,” defined as clothing, dry goods, home hardware and variety items. In the post-WWII era, furniture was added, usually on its own floor.

The downtown store, which opened Sept. 30, 1954, had 325 employees, and cost a million dollars to build. At the time, the Grant’s chain had 520 stores. The store took Penney’s spot after it moved to Main Avenue. It was three stories and had a 53-seat lunch counter.

The 24,000-square-foot Northtown store opened March 15, 1955. First-day customers entered to win the door prize, a mahogany console 24-inch television.

The Grant chain peaked at 1,074 stores nationally and made Grant a wealthy man. In 1936, he started the William T. Grant Foundation, which has invested in research and philanthropy focusing on human development, education, childcare and poverty. Grant died in 1972 at the age of 96.

The company closed the downtown store in 1965 to focus on the Northtown location, which closed shortly after the company filed for bankruptcy in 1975.