In this issue we are focusing on The Dames of Tremont Street & Temple Place what some could call "Boston's Other Downtown."

Starting way back in the 1840's Boston's retail community was striving and many entrepreneurs started business that lasted for more than a hundred years.

 

Two of the first such entrepreneurs were Samuel Houghton who with partner Benjamin Dutton started the first department store in Boston called Houghton-Dutton Company.

The second such entrepreneurs John Shepard Jr. and Henry Norwell went a different direction creating what he called a store of stores.

 

Next, Richard Hall Stearns who started R.H. Stearns which lasted until the 1970’s.

 

E.T. Slattery’s   story is amazing in that Ellen Slattery the founder founded by a woman back in the year 1867.

 

Conrad and Chandler who merged in 1958 after being separate stores for over a hundred years.

 

C. Crawford Hollidge was one of those Boston stores that grew as a very exclusive ladies apparel department store on Temple Place around the corner from R H Stearns until it burnt down in 1967.

 

Jay’s was another ladies apparel store located next to C. Crawford Hollidge on Temple Place.

 

The following pages will give you more details on The Grand Dames of Tremont and Temple Place, I hope you enjoy looking back.